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Sam Vokes

KEVIN Keegan can't buy a win at the moment, but with money-bags Mike Ashley behind him, he could probably afford to take a punt on an 18-year-old from Lymington.

And therein lies the problem for Cherries.

Ashley might have plenty of cash to spend, but it's unlikely he'll want to blow too much of it on Sam Vokes.

But the question is: How much would be too tempting to a club deep in trouble?

And while Kevin Bond was quick to tell the media after Saturday's easy 2-0 victory over Yeovil Town that Newcastle's interest in Vokes was only interest, the vultures are clearly getting peckish.

On the pitch, Danny Hollands drilled home a crisp right-foot effort after nine minutes to put the Glovers on the back foot, before Vokes headed home Brett Pitman's cross just after the half-hour - his 11th goal of a prolific campaign.

In truth, though, Russell Slade's side failed to turn up after making the relatively short journey east, with substitute Lloyd Owusu first to test Cherries keeper David Forde - after 78 minutes.

Boss Bond was forced to name an all-youth-team bench after Lee Bradbury (virus), Jo Tessem (back) and skipper Neil Young (ankle) were all ruled out.

Hollands took the captain's armband, while Pitman returned to Bond's starting line-up after coming off the bench during Cherries' 2-0 League One reverse at Oldham in midweek.

The Glovers came into the clash on the back of some mixed league form, with Slade's men picking up four points from their past five encounters.

And keeper Scott Flinders came to his side's rescue after just four minutes by smothering the ball under pressure from Cherries frontman Jo Kuffour, on the chase after Shaun Cooper's lobbed through ball.

As the pressure mounted, Bond's side did break the deadlock five minutes later when Hollands started a move that saw winger Maxi Gradel break on the right.

Gradel's initial shot was blocked by Scott Guyett but Hollands was on hand to bury the rebound just inside Flinders's left-hand upright.

Vokes could have made it two on 11 minutes after picking up the ball on the left and cutting in to the Glovers's box, but the young striker's scuffed shot was saved, despite a fumble by Flinders.

Guyett could have made amends for his poor clearance for Cherries' opener, but the Glovers defender headed Martin Woods's 19th-minute free kick wide of Forde's right-hand post.

Simon Church should have done better midway through the first half when volleying Woods's cross high over Forde's crossbar, but that missed opportunity appeared to galvanise Slade's men who began to pile the pressure on Bond's back four.

Kuffour had a big shout for a penalty waved away by referee Gavin Ward after 26 minutes, with Glovers skipper Terrell Forbes appearing to push the former Brentford man in the back.

Woods's fizzing drive shot past Forde's post on the half-hour as the Glovers continued to push for an equaliser, but things were about to get worse for Slade's charges.

Kuffour put Gradel through from the right-hand side moments later, but the Leicester loan man's shot was beaten round the post by Flinders.

But Bond's men didn't have to wait long to double their advantage, Pitman's teasing 32nd-minute cross from the left flank finding the head of Vokes, who nodded past the diving Flinders under no pressure from a dozing Glovers back four.

Slade's men almost showed Forde up within seconds of the restart when Woods's inswinging corner found its way across the Cardiff loanee's six-yard box, before beating a host of players and flying out for a goal kick.

Bond's side could have almost put the clash beyond the Glovers five minutes into the second-half, though, when Hollands latched on to another poor clearance, this time by Forbes.

The Cherries captain put Kuffour through, before the striker released Pitman on the left only to watch the Jersey-born star fire his shot well over the bar.

Gradel continued to cause Glovers left-back Mark Lynch problems and should have been rewarded for his endeavour after 52 minutes, but his testing cross was too far in front of Vokes and Kuffour.

Flinders then had a lucky escape on 56 minutes after some confusion with Guyett, but Vokes was unable to capitalise as the hapless keeper floundered around on the edge of the penalty area.

The lively Kuffour burst into space on the right and laid off to Pitman with 20 minutes left on the clock, but Flinders parried the Channel Islander's left-foot shot away to safety.

And Pitman was in the thick of things again two minutes later, the youth team graduate making the wrong decision to shoot with Kuffour and Vokes waiting inside Flinders's six-yard box.

Owusu tested Forde on 78 minutes, but watched as the Cherries keeper pushed his bullet header over the bar. And Forde was on hand again from the resulting corner when he reacted quickest to claw away ex-Cherries loanee Jean-Francois Christophe's header.

Flinders equalled Forde's an-tics as Cherries broke moments later, the Crystal Palace loan man forcing Pitman's drive round the post. And as the rain thumped down at a grey Dean Court, Vokes should have added to Flinders's workload, but his shot from the edge of the box with seven minutes remaining soared over the bar.

7:00am Monday 17th March 2008

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