GOAL hero Dan Gosling insisted Cherries’ priceless victory at Chelsea had to be the catalyst for positive results going forward.

The 29-year-old, on his first league start since April, proved the match-winner, hooking home a sublime 84th-minute winner to seal a 1-0 victory for Eddie Howe’s men at Stamford Bridge.

Gosling’s goal, which came after a lengthy VAR check for offside, help put to an end a run of five successive defeats for the Dorset club.

They moved on to 19 points from 17 games this season, four above the drop-zone.

Asked whether victory over Frank Lampard’s men could be a springboard going forward, Gosling told the Daily Echo: “It has to be, we can’t keep having inconsistencies. We need to back this result up.

“We can’t rest on our laurels here. Not me, or the team. We’ve got to come in Monday happier but focused for the week ahead.

“We had been on a bad run. Confidence was low but to come here and put on a performance that we did – it was a huge battling performance.

“It was fantastic for everyone. You could see by the celebrations from all the lads.”

Brixham-born Gosling, who was making his first start since recovering from calf and hip injuries, celebrated prematurely after finding the net against the Blues in west London.

But he admitted he always felt confident the goal would stand after referee Graham Scott consulted VAR Simon Hooper.

“I had an inkling it was a goal straight away but being made to wait and celebrating too early – I looked over to the bench and they see it before everyone,” he added.

“They said it was good, so I was just praying for a bit of luck on the screen. When the ref said goal, I was over the moon.

“The hard work that I did when I was injured behind closed doors, that no-one sees, all the long sessions, you keep your head down and work hard.

“I got my reward for all of that work. It has not been easy missing the majority of the start of the season, I have only been back five or six weeks with the lads.”

Skipper Simon Francis added: “I am delighted for Goso. He has had his setbacks with injury.

“He came in and that position suits him. He has that natural instinct of arriving late in the box and gets on the end of things.

“He was rewarded with that.”

Giving his take on how events unfolded for the goal, the club captain added: “I (initially) thought it was miles offside from what I saw. It just looked it.

“Then Goso ran off when it still said ‘checking goal’ rather than an actual goal. I was thinking don’t do that too prematurely!

“The bench were almost celebrating before because they knew it should have been given, thankfully it did and it was a great time for us.”