BOSS Eddie Howe masterminded the latest leg of Cherries’ survival mission and then threw down the gauntlet to his players to keep their heads above water.

A 2-0 win over Aldershot Town at Dean Court last night saw Howe’s braves claw their way out of the League Two relegation zone for the first time this season.

Victory came courtesy of goals either side of half-time from Danny Hollands, his sixth of the season, and Steve Fletcher, his first since rejoining the club in January.

No fewer than 10 points adrift when Howe was appointed permanently nine games ago, Cherries are now a point ahead of Grimsby who went down 1-0 against Brentford last night.

Howe, who saw Cherries win for the fifth time since he took charge, said: “We need to keep up the momentum and we need to keep trying to win games.

“I know it’s easy to say but there is a different kind of pressure on us now. We are the ones to be caught, which is sometimes more difficult.

“But we can’t worry about what other teams are doing and we’ve just got to concentrate on our job. That’s what we’ve been doing recently and it’s served us well.

“Of course I’m pleased we’re out of the bottom two but now we’ve got to make sure we stay out of it.

“I don’t think we need to change an awful lot. We just need to take it one game at a time and keep plugging away.”

Hollands, who has been in inspirational form under Howe, settled any nerves in the home camp when he netted with a low drive six minutes before the break.

And Fletcher, who has been a colossus since his return, grabbed a trademark bullet header to seal victory 11 minutes into the second half.

Howe added: “The first half was difficult for us because the wind was ferocious and we couldn’t get out of our own half at times. I didn’t think our shape helped us and I had to change it at half-time.

“I thought we were much improved in the second half and was delighted with the way we played after the break.

“It was a great strike from Danny. He’s been excellent in the past month and he put in another great performance, topped off by the goal.

“I was so pleased for Fletch. He’s done all the hard work without getting any goals since he’s been back. It was a great move and an excellent ball in from Warren Cummings. It was typical Fletch, a great header at the far post.”

Howe also had words of praise for Anton Robinson, who lined up in his more favoured central midfield role, and for Cummings, who enjoyed arguably his best performance of the season so far.

“I thought Anton was good again,” said Howe. “I think he’s done well at right-back, even though it’s not his natural position. We put him back into midfield and I thought he showed the fans what he’s all about.

“It was a terrific performance from Warren and I was so pleased for him. He’s had a hard season but he’s definitely fitter now and has improved over the past three or four weeks. It was his best performance, not only going forward but defensively as well. He just needs to keep it going because I thought he was another good performer.”

Meanwhile, Cherries co-owner Paul Baker is today expected to brief the management, players and staff on the current financial position at the club. Baker was among the crowd at Dean Court last night, although he gave up his executive box to a group of supporters.

Baker, who has made no secret of his desire to sell his share in Cherries, is also this morning planning to hold a series of meetings with potential investors in an attempt to put the club on a firmer financial footing. Adam Murry is believed to be among them.