MISSED CHANCES COST CHERRIES (From Bournemouth Echo)

MISSED CHANCES COST CHERRIES

5:04pm Saturday 11th April 2009

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By Ian Wadley »

MORE than 1,000 Cherries fans made the journey to Barnet this afternoon – but they went home with little to show for their trip as Eddie Howe’s men fell to a 1-0 defeat.

The Dean Court outfit dominated for long periods of the League Two clash but, for all their chances, failed to make a breakthrough.

And they paid the ultimate price when Barnet’s 40-year-old striker Paul Furlong settled the contest with the game’s only goal – the 200th of his career – on 51 minutes.

But with Chester City and Grimsby Town both losing, Cherries remain four points clear of the relegation zone.

Manager Eddie Howe was forced to change the side which hammered Rochdale 4-0 last weekend, with midfielder Mark Molesley ruled out through illness.

He was replaced by utility man Lee Bradbury, while Jeff Goulding got the nod to partner Brett Pitman in attack as Howe opted to rest Steve Fletcher ahead of Monday’s match against Brentford.

Albert Adomah, who scored both goals in Barnet’s 2-0 victory at Dean Court in December, was named in the Bees starting XI, alongside veteran in-form forward Furlong.

With the large section of visiting supporters in fine voice, Cherries soon found their feet playing down the steep Underhill slope.

And the travelling fans almost had something to cheer of 11 minutes, only for the woodwork to deny Howe’s men.

Rhoys Wiggins delivered an accurate cross-field ball into the Barnet penalty area and Bradbury leapt well to beat his marker at the far post, only to see his powerful header cannon back off the crossbar.

Cherries continued to enjoy plenty of possession and Goulding saw a decent effort blocked as the visitors made most of the early running.

Pitman was the next man to go close as the top scorer latched on to a hopeful long ball, but Barnet keeper Jake Cole produced an exceptional reaction save to keep his volley out.

From the resulting corner – taken by Pitman – Jason Pearce almost broke the deadlock, but his looping header was cleared off the line by the hosts’ captain Neal Bishop.

A warning that Cherries could be made to pay for not making their dominance tell came on the half hour.

In space 30 yards from goal, Yannick Bolasie’s ambitious drive came as a surprise to Shwan Jalal – but it sailed high and wide.

At the other end, Liam Feeney tried his luck from a similar range but that effort, too, proved wayward.

Cherries had a scare when Pearce, again superb alongside Ryan Garry at the heart of the defence, went down following a clash with Furlong. But thankfully, the wholehearted centre-half was fit enough to carry on.

With half-time approaching, Barnet finally started to show the sort of form which has seen them move edge clear of the drop zone in the past few weeks.

The Bees began the second period on the front foot, as well, and they punished Cherries’ first half wastefulness by going ahead on 51 minutes.

Furlong was the man on target as he escaped the tight marking of Pearce and Garry for the first time all afternoon to head home Kenny Gillet’s cross.

Fears that it might be one of those days for Cherries grew again in the 54th minute as Goulding’s goalbound effort was agonisingly hacked off the line with goalkeeper Cole beaten.

Cherries’ frustrations at the quick turnaround in fortunes showed with captain Shaun Cooper and Goulding both going into the referee’s notebook for late tackles.

Howe decided he’d seen enough on 65 minutes and the Cherries boss threw Fletcher and Sammy Igoe on in a bid to get back into the game, with Feeney and Goulding making way.

The move almost paid dividends with 19 minutes remaining when the ball fell nicely for Igoe 20 yards out, but his well-struck effort was straight at a grateful Cole.

With the action livening up, Jalal had to be at his best to tip Adomah’s drive over the bar.

As Cherries struggled to unlock the hosts’ defence, Bradbury joined Pitman and Fletcher in attack, while defender Scott Guyett replaced Cooper and promptly joined the growing frontline.

The chance of an equaliser did eventually come and it fell to Bradbury on 87 minutes.

Joe Devera’s back-header dropped short of Cole and fell invitingly to the former Manchester City star, but the Barnet keeper raced off his line to bravely block the effort.

And that proved to be the last opportunity as Cherries’ dominant first-half display went without reward.

Barnet: (4-4-2) Cole; Devera, Yakubu, Breen, Gillet; Adomah, Bishop, Deverdics (Leary, 77), Bolasie; Furlong, Birchall (Charles, 87). Unused subs: Porter, Nicolau, Kadoch.

Cherries: (4-4-2) Jalal; Cooper (Guyett, 85), Pearce, Garry, Wiggins; Bradbury, Robinson, Hollands, Feeney (Igoe, 65); Goulding (Fletcher, 65), Pitman. Unused subs: Cummings, Pryce.

Booked: Bradbury, Hollands, Cooper, Goulding

Referee: Clive Penton (Sussex)

Attendance: 3,133 (including 1,268 away supporters

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