LIES, damned lies and statistics.

Surely even Mark Twain could not have argued with the significance of this one.

Cherries’ 8-0 thumping of beleaguered Birmingham had reporters and supporters number crunching throughout Saturday night, looking up only for the highlights of the stand-out result in English football this weekend.

Flicking through the record books and trawling the Internet for all kinds of fun facts unearthed a number of gems.

The annihilation not only marked Cherries’ biggest Football League win in their 91-year membership – surpassing the 7-0 home thumping of Swindon in 1956 – but also Birmingham City’s largest losing margin at home in their 139-year history.

It also set a new post-war record for the biggest away win in English football’s second tier.

Eddie Howe’s rampant Cherries have once again rewritten the record books and to dismiss that would be folly but more significant numbers emerged from this eye-catching triumph.

Peel your eyes away from the scoreline for just a moment and glance at the Championship table – four league wins in a row have propelled Cherries to fourth and within two points of the summit.

Scratch the surface a little more and you discover that Cherries have the best goal difference in the division and top the form table over the past six matches.

Seven of the past nine Championship winners have sported the best goal difference and only one side – Reading in 2009 – has failed to win promotion having achieved a better goal difference than the champions.

But the biggest sign that Cherries could be destined for promotion to the Premier League was the manner in which they despatched the opposition without altering a single thing.

Nothing was overly fancy or rushed – Cherries simply used their usual patient, passing game to devastating effect, taking full advantage of an out-of-sorts City side who were made to look hopeless from the off.

No eight-goal thumping at this level can be achieved without two significant ingredients – a measure of greatness and a dollop of ineptitude. Both were in bountiful supply.

The tone for the afternoon was set a good five minutes before kick-off as the man on the St Andrew’s microphone urged the crowd to “make some noise for the boys in blue”.

Whether the sparse smattering of Bluenoses responded with a murmur or a groan was difficult to decipher – “Eddie Howe’s barmy army” was all that could be heard.

Cherries’ quick start made for a venomous atmosphere but even Brett Pitman looked bemused by the ease with which he scored the opener after two minutes and nine seconds.

Having taken Tommy Elphick’s lofted ball in his stride, Pitman took on dithering defender David Edgar and simply stepped into the space his flat-footed adversary graciously left on the edge of the penalty area.

Needing no second invitation, the revitalised striker steered past exposed stopper Darren Randolph. Birmingham probably didn’t have a bubble, but if they were hiding one somewhere, Pitman burst it.

City’s dreadful defending got no better. Callum Wilson almost profited from latching on to a sluggish backpass before isolating the dazed Edgar on the left moments later.

As Wilson breezed inside, his marker desperately clutched at his shirt and denied Cherries’ hotshot a clear run at Randolph.

Referee Keith Hill had no choice but to brandish red, ending Edgar’s reunion with former Burnley boss Howe after just nine minutes.

Whether that caused the mauling or merely spared Edgar any further blushes was debatable but one thing was for certain, the dismissed defender did little to stifle Cherries’ momentum during his brief contribution.

Ex-Cherries striker Wes Thomas received sarcastic cheers from the away end having been sacrificed following the red card, while Cherries stroked the ball about with patience and poise.

The warning signs were there for City’s frail defence as Pugh flashed a shot wide and Pitman spurned two presentable chances and it came as no surprise when the visitors finally doubled their lead 10 minutes before half-time thanks to another head-in-hands moment from the hosts.

A woeful kick from Randolph landed at the feet of livewire Matt Ritchie who played in Wilson to spring the offside trap, round the keeper and roll home the second.

A chorus of boos rang out which only heightened the panic and when Blues substitute David Davis dallied on the ball, Ritchie charged down Paul Robinson’s clearance before dinking a deft touch over the on-rushing Randolph for number three.

Game over, it would seem.

However, Blues wasted a lifeline seven minutes into the second half when Elphick dragged down Donaldson in the box but Paul Caddis – who had supplied the cross that led to the spot-kick – saw his effort from 12 yards calmly turned out of the bottom left corner by the firm hand of Artur Boruc.

To their credit, Birmingham still tried to build up a head of steam but as the gaps started to emerge, Cherries looked increasingly dangerous and a sublime fourth provided the platform for their history-making exploits.

Simon Francis galloped into space and swung in a delightful centre which Pugh met with a bullet header, the winger getting in front of Pitman who was gearing up for a bicycle kick. It killed the last bit of fight left in the home side.

From there, Cherries waltzed round as if their opponents were mannequins, caring for the ball with a delightful simplicity that carved open their opponents without the need for brash showboating.

Another delicious invite from Francis was gleefully accepted by Pugh who ghosted past Caddis to cushion home his second and Cherries’ fifth with a little over 20 minutes to play.

The fresh legs sent on by Howe completed the rout and how fitting it was that Tokelo Rantie helped cap the memorable display.

Fellow substitute Ryan Fraser combined with Pugh before Francis was felled by Cotterill while tussling for the loose ball in the penalty area.

Despite Pugh being on a hat-trick, Rantie took the ball to set up the most nerve-wracking point of the afternoon.

The world and his wife drew breath as the South Africa international stepped up and stroked home from 12 yards his first goal in English football since February.

But neither Pugh nor Rantie were done as the relentless Ritchie helped quench their thirst for more goals.

Ritchie’s cross was met with an awkward clearance from Robinson and when Dan Gosling fired across goal, Pugh claimed the match ball courtesy of an outstretched right boot.

Ritchie then cut back for Rantie to drift into a pocket of space and steer inside the far post past the helpless Randolph, carving his name into Cherries folklore as the man that capped their record Football League victory.

Star man - Marc Pugh

THE obvious choice, but not for obvious reasons.

Cherries have enjoyed a meteoric rise since boss Eddie Howe returned to the club and that success has seen an array of talented players arrive in several positions.

Every time a new wide man comes in, many make the same, tired assumption – that Pugh will become the outcast.

The ever-improving wideman has always had craft and guile but the technique he showed for his first before cushioning home a true poacher’s finish with his head proved his versatility.

The game was won when he selflessly stood back and watched team-mate Tokelo Rantie rattle home from the penalty spot but there was still enough in the tank to grab his first professional hat-trick.

Howe’s empire has been built on individuals constantly improving while giving their all for the cause. Marc Pugh is a shining example of that.

Match facts

Cherries: Boruc 8.5, Francis 9, Cook 8, Elphick 8.5, Daniels 8, Ritchie 9, Arter 8 (Gosling, 56), Surman 8.5, Pugh 9.5, Pitman 8.5 (Rantie, 64), Wilson 9 (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).