It’s stubble trouble as Bond rues costly error

Several Swindon players took to the pitch sporting moustaches, while a collection was made in aid of the Everyman Cancer Charity.

Clean-shaven Bond, however, appeared cut to the quick as he addressed the waiting press more than an hour after the final whistle.

In a nutshell, the thrust of Bond's comments were that his team's defending at the County Ground had been anything but the best a man can get.

Having seen his injury-ravaged side stage a stirring fight back after going a goal behind as early as the seventh minute, Bond must have been contented at the interval.

And after Danny Hollands had restored parity with an exceptional team goal in the 37th minute, the momentum was very much with the visitors.

With the hosts booed off by their disgruntled supporters at half-time, Cherries' second league win, or at least a draw, certainly seemed on the cards.

But just three minutes into the second half, the points disappeared down the pan thanks to Asmir Begovic's calamitous error.

The Canadian goalkeeper failed to take command as Paul Telfer shepherded Sofiene Zaaboub's hopeful pass towards the edge of the 18-yard box.

Begovic apparently gave Telfer no information so the defender rolled a backpass in the direction of his goalkeeper. However, the onrushing Begovic then promptly sliced the ball straight at Telfer, the ricochet presenting Swindon striker Billy Paynter with a simple tap-in.

It was more Peters and Lee than Laurel and Hardy.

"It was a zany goal," said Swindon boss Paul Sturrock. "But a lot of strikers probably would have given it up as a lost cause so Billy did well to keep chasing it."

Among other things, Bond described the incident as "an unbelievable blow".

It was certainly both a major talking and turning point and contributed in no small part to Cherries' downfall.

Paynter had the bit between his teeth and put Cherries out of their misery with a finely-taken goal just 16 minutes later before administering the last rites five minutes from time.

"We were dead and buried once the third goal went in," conceded Bond. "A free-scoring side will think that they can still get back in it but our mind-set is different because we are struggling for goals.

"People get a little bit panicky and have a tendency to go into themselves. That's when you need your strong characters to get it down and play. From that point of view, we're too fragile."

Bond felt Cherries "went too long, too quickly" as they chased the game during the second half, although the introduction of Sam Vokes as a 60th-minute substitute certainly gave the Swindon defence much to ponder.

The manager also felt his team had resembled "a rabble for 15 minutes", a far cry from the first half when they had taken the game to their opponents and enjoyed long periods of possession - a point not lost on Swindon boss Sturrock.

"You've got to give credit to Bournemouth because they caused all sorts of mayhem after we had scored," he said.

"If you give the Andertons of this world time on the ball they are going to cause mayhem."

The Robins rocked Cherries when Reading loan star Simon Cox netted with a stunning right-foot volley after Paynter had flicked on goalkeeper Phil Smith's mule-like clearance.

"It was a shocking goal to concede," lamented Bond. "We had made it our intention to close down the goalkeeper to stop him kicking it long and we allowed him to kick it miles."

Former Cherries star Jamie Vincent, talking with his tongue firmly in his cheek, was not complaining: "It was a brilliant goal! It was route-one stuff. Wimbledon did it for years and we don't mind scoring goals like that." He did add that he thought Swindon's other goals were "good".

The goal sparked Cherries and Danny Hollands twice tried his luck from distance before both Jo Kuffour and Lee Bradbury were unable to put the finishing touches to deft crosses from Telfer and Anderton.

But a sweeping five-man move, started near the halfway line by Anderton, saw Hollands fire home the equaliser after Jason Pearce, Bradbury and Kuffour had created the opening.

"I was chuffed at half-time," said Bond. "We showed character to get back into the game and thoroughly deserved to be level. But I said to the players that if we were going to have any problems, they would be ones that we gave ourselves - and that's exactly what happened.

"You can't legislate for conceding goals like their second one. You can stand on the training ground morning, noon and night and you won't put that right."

Begovic almost repeated his blunder just seven minutes after he had gifted Paynter his goal when another mix-up involving Neil Young saw the goalkeeper's clearance cannon off Clint Easton.

According to Bond, Young also had "a bad day at the office" and the veteran Cherries defender was outmuscled by Paynter for his second and Swindon's third in the 64th minute.

The Liverpool-born striker held off Young on the edge of the box before turning sharply and rifling a low right-footed drive into the bottom corner of the net.

As Cherries went in search of a response, Vokes was narrowly off target after meeting Pitman's looping cross before Hollands volleyed over at the far post.

But the final nail was dispatched when Cox outstripped Telfer down the left flank and centred for Paynter who could not miss from two yards five minutes from time.