JONATHAN Woodgate hailed the “impressive” debut of Cherries’ new recruit Ben Pearson and added: “He will give a different dimension.”

The midfielder, signed from Preston North End during the January transfer window, made his first appearance as the Dorset club sealed a 2-0 FA Cup fifth-round victory over Burnley.

Pearson played 90 minutes alongside Jefferson Lerma as a pair in midfield, a move which allowed Philip Billing to be thrust into a more advanced position.

Asked about the debut of 26-year-old Pearson, Woodgate told the Daily Echo: “He was really impressive. He did a good job in there with Jeff. He won a lot of balls.

“He looked tired towards the end of the game, I thought he was very good.

“He will give a different dimension moving forward but every single player was good.”

Pearson made 165 appearances in all competitions for Preston, having originally come through the youth ranks at Manchester United.

Asked how much the Oldham-born star’s experience in the Championship would benefit Cherries, Woodgate replied: “Massively, because he has been there and done it and the Championship is a totally different league to the Premier League, as we all know.

“It’s something he can build on.

“I think he hadn’t played for a couple of months – he had an ankle injury – so it was good for him to come on and get 90 minutes under his belt.”