BOSS Kevin Bond admitted his players' confidence is "smashed to pieces" after Cherries stumbled to a narrow 3-2 FA Cup victory over non-league Barrow last night.

Bond's remarks came following a troubled night at Dean Court, with Cherries extremely fortunate to scrape into the second round.

Danny Hollands' last-gasp winner in added time at the end of extra-time saved Cherries from the embarrassment of defeat at the hands of the impressive Blue Square North outfit.

Bond, who bore the brunt of the home fans' frustration when his team were trailing 2-1 with time running out, said that he "wouldn't be sure" that the victory could be seen as a turning point for his League One team.

"I know all the fans want to do is see us win and they're not interested in the fact we've got no options in terms of who we play," said Bond.

"I'm not looking for excuses. I would've expected us to beat them and beat them better than we did.

"But I have to say as much as the crowd want to see Bournemouth win, inadvertently they're not helping the players doing that.

"You can see as the game goes on there's the situation where players become nervous, introvert as opposed to extrovert, make poor decisions and lack confidence.

"All these things are as a result of not winning at home.

"Bravery comes in many forms and we need to show that, and want to play, and want the ball when circumstances are difficult.

"We need a couple of results at home and hopefully that will lift the atmosphere."

The few bright sparks in a largely poor Cherries display came from winger Max Gradel, who made a shock comeback after more than six weeks away on compassionate leave.

Bond revealed that the Leicester City loan star arrived at 5.30pm, just over two hours before last night's kick-off, and described the player as a "miracle" after he performed well for the whole 120 minutes.

He scored the penalty at the end of normal time to keep Cherries in the game, although a talking point was the fact he and Brett Pitman spent much of the time after the spot-kick was awarded arguing over who would get to take it.

"Max wanted to take it - we all know why - he's an impetuous young man," said Bond.

"He knew it wasn't his job but what can you do? In the end I was just thankful it went in the back of the net.

"There's no way I'd have played him in normal circumstances, or Warren Cummings, but we had to."

Bond was also disappointed that referee Roger East opted to hand Hollands a second booking for his exuberant celebrations following the winning goal.

He said: "When you look at how the night has gone, the referee has see it all - the rollercoaster that is the game.

"He'll say it's what the law says but I do think common sense did not prevail."

The Cherries boss admitted his team "didn't deserve the win" but added that he was "thankful and grateful" to book a second round clash at Millwall.