SKIPPER Tommy Elphick revealed Cherries’ clean sheet in their rout of Birmingham City had given him more satisfaction than their eight goals.

Elphick and the Cherries defence were rarely troubled as Eddie Howe’s men put 10 man Blues to the sword with a rampant attacking display at St Andrew’s on Saturday.

Their only real scare came after Elphick had conceded a second-half penalty for a foul on Clayton Donaldson – although Artur Boruc’s stunning save from Paul Caddis’s spot-kick preserved the shut-out.

Elphick told the Daily Echo: “We have to take huge confidence from this. It was an amazing scoreline and an amazing day for the club. We have created another piece of history and I am sure the supporters won’t forget it.

“You look at the great teams up and down the country and in other countries as well and they are ruthless at both ends.

“The only blemish was me giving away a penalty but Artur came to my rescue and we kept another clean sheet. I know Birmingham are struggling and lacking a bit of guidance at the moment but you still need to take your chances.

“One of the biggest positives was that we didn’t rely on Callum or Brett for the goals. People were popping up all over the place and it could have been more.

“The first half was a bit of a false economy. We got caught up with what they were doing and seemed happy to keep the ball and keep it at three. Understandably, the manager wanted more and his nature is to always push us on. He gave a great team-talk at half-time and I thought the second half was exhibition stuff.

“Apart from the penalty, they didn’t get near our goal. We still had to break them down and there were some experienced players in their back four who we carved open.”

Elphick added: “I think it means more to the strikers if I’m honest. I get more satisfaction from winning 1-0 away from home and having to fight and scrap. It wasn’t the most enjoyable game for me and Cookie. It was a little boring at times. But to watch the lads in front of us doing their stuff was amazing.

“You get highs and lows in football and everyone who played will remember this. But it was one game. We are in a fantastic position and ready to kick on and have to keep our feet on the ground, keep level headed and keep pushing.

“Getting into the habit of keeping clean sheets is a wonderful thing and that is what wins you leagues. Winning 8-0 once isn’t going to win you a league but keeping clean sheets week in, week out is league-winning material.

“We have a fantastic squad and are on a roll at the moment. It is time to kick on and hopefully do something special.

“Everything can be eclipsed and that is one of the mentalities we have at this club. We are always looking to improve and push on. We have a board in one of the meeting rooms with all the history and landmarks the club has made and set and there will be another entry going up on Monday. Now we need to move on to the next one.”