CHERRIES rewrote the Dean Court record books by registering their biggest win in the Football League after crushing Birmingham City 8-0 at St Andrew’s today.

Marc Pugh led the rout with a second-half hat-trick as Eddie Howe’s men eclipsed the previous best, set in 1956 when Cherries thrashed Swindon Town 7-0.

Tokelo Rantie (2), Matt Ritchie, Brett Pitman, Callum Wilson were also on the scoresheet, while Blues had David Edgar sent off after six minutes and Artur Boruc saved a penalty.

Cherries boss Howe named the same starting line-up and bench for the third game in succession, while Dean Court old boy Wes Thomas was one of four changes made by City.

Pitman started the ball rolling when he finished coolly inside the third minute before home defender Edgar was dismissed for hauling back Wilson three minutes later.

Wilson doubled Cherries’ lead with a hotly-disputed goal after 35 minutes, the striker notching his 10th of the season as the hosts appealed in vain for offside.

Ritchie added a third five minutes before the break when he lifted the ball over Darren Randolph following a defensive error before Wilson hit the post in first-half stoppage time.

Pitman gave Cherries the lead just 129 seconds in when he calmly slotted the ball past Blues goalkeeper Randolph after the hosts’ defence had parted like the Red Sea.

The Jerseyman was given a free run after fastening on to Tommy Elphick’s clearance, with centre-back Paul Robinson's decision to drift over to the wing to keep tabs on Wilson proving costly.

Birmingham’s misery was compounded soon after when Edgar received a straight red card after tugging Wilson’s shirt as he prepared to go through on goal.

Pitman’s resultant free-kick fizzed past the post before the Cherries striker seized on a poor clearance from Paul Caddis and fired narrowly over the crossbar.

Sarcastic cheers from a sizeable travelling contingent greeted the departure of striker Thomas, the former Cherries man substituted for tactical reasons after just nine minutes.

Although the Blues forced a flurry of corners, the best they could muster was a header from Grant Hall which sailed over the crossbar.

Randolph stretched to keep out Wilson’s flicked effort midway through the first half, with Pitman shooting wide after the loose ball had fallen to him.

A fifth booking of the season for Steve Cook, who was yellow carded for a foul on Clayton Donaldson, will earn the defender an immediate one-match ban, ruling him out of Tuesday’s League Cup tie with West Bromwich Albion.

Cook’s timely block denied Donaldson after the big striker had found space in the box before Cherries doubled their lead through Wilson in somewhat controversial circumstances.

The striker appeared to be standing in an offside position after Ritchie had seized on Randolph’s dreadful clearance and found him with a first-time pass.

But linesman Ollie Yates kept down his flag, allowing Wilson to round Randolph and fire home his fifth goal in Cherries’ past four games.

Ritchie, who scored at St Andrew’s in Cherries’ 4-2 win in March, opened his account for the season when he made it 3-0 with a delightful chip after 40 minutes.

And in first-half stoppage time, the outside of the post prevented Cherries from adding a fourth after Wilson had outstripped Robinson and taken aim.

Randolph smothered Wilson’s effort from a tight angle at the start of the second half before Blues were awarded a penalty after Elphick had felled Donaldson.

However, although Caddis’s spot kick looked destined for the bottom corner, Cherries’ loan goalkeeper Boruc dived full length to his left to push the ball to safety.

A fifth booking of the season for Arter, cautioned for a 54th-minute foul on Lee Novak, will also keep him out of the League Cup clash against West Brom.

As chances came at either end, Boruc snaffled a low shot from Jonathan Grounds before Randolph clutched Surman’s strike.

Pugh then added his name to the scoresheet after 63 minutes, the winger arriving to head home Simon Francis’s inviting cross.

And after Wilson had seen his drive creep past the post, the same combination linked for Cherries’ fifth with Pugh powering Francis’s centre into the bottom corner with another header.

David Cotterill conceded a penalty after pushing Francis, with substitute Tokelo Rantie sending Randolph the wrong way from the spot to make it 6-0 nine minutes from time.

And after Dan Gosling had crossed, Pugh was on hand to divert the ball past a hapless Randolph for his hat-trick as Cherries added a seventh with five minutes remaining.

Rantie completed the scoring when he touched home Ritchie’s cross.

Cherries: Boruc, Francis, Cook, Elphick, Daniels, Ritchie, Arter (Gosling, 56), Surman, Pugh, Pitman (Rantie, 64), Wilson (Fraser, 71). Unused subs: Harte, Stanislas, Smith, Camp (g/k).

Booked: Cook, Surman, Elphick, Arter.

Blues: Randolph, Hall, Robinson, Edgar, Grounds, Cotterill, Gleeson (Reilly, h-t), Caddis, Novak (Arthur, 66), Thomas (Davis, nine), Donaldson.

Unused subs: Shea, Packwood, Shinnie, Doyle (g/k).

Booked: Novak.

Sent off: Edgar.

Referee: Keith Hill (Royston, Hertfordshire).

Attendance: 13,837 (including 1,094 away supporters).