AFC Bournemouth 1-1 Town Sunday, 29th Dec 2013 16:55 Town stretched their unbeaten record to seven games as they drew 1-1 with AFC Bournemouth at Dean Court. Daryl Murphy put the Blues in front in the 59th minute but Brett Pitman equalised for the Cherries on 74. Mick McCarthy named the same side for the fifth successive game, lining up in their now familiar ¬4-3-3 formation, while the Cherries replaced suspended midfielder Harry Arter, a Town trialist back in 2009, with Josh McQuoid. The Blues started brightly and in the third minute Charlie Daniels did well to turn an Aaron Cresswell freekick from the left behind from the corner, from which the ball flicked off Christophe Berra’s head and away from goal. The early stages of the game were played almost entirely in the Bournemouth half with Town winning a succession of corners. After the Cherries had failed to clear one of those flagkicks, former Bournemouth loanee David McGoldrick hit a looping half-volley which gave Cherries’ keeper Lee Camp little trouble. The Blues continued to dominate with the home side unable to string two passes together. On 13 Frank Nouble hit a 25-yard strike which Camp claimed at the second at the second attempt. Despite Town’s dominance at that stage, the Cherries almost went in front in the 15th minute when McQuoid fed Lewis Grabban on the right and the former Millwall man cut the ball back to Ryan Fraser, whose shot was deflected wide. The Cherries were gaining the upper hand and on 21 Berra was forced to head Simon Francis’s cross from the right behind. A minute later, Cresswell almost gifted the home side a goal when his wayward pass across his own area to keeper Dean Gerken played in Fraser, who should have done better than his shot over the bar. The Blues were by now the ones under pressure and on 24 Gerken tipped wide Eunan O’Kane’s 30-yard attempt at catching him off his line, then saved low from Francis after Town had only half-cleared the corner. Bournemouth went close to going ahead again in the 36th minute when on-loan Norwich midfielder Andrew Surman played Grabban in on goal with a backheel, but Gerken came off his line quickly to block superbly. Three minutes later Smith got in the way of a Grabban strike at the far post with the home side as dominant as Town had been in the opening stages. Daryl Murphy curled a rare Town shot over two minutes before the break, then Hyam struck a deflected effort wide. As the third official’s board went up signalling a further minute, Cole Skuse crossed from the right but Nouble couldn’t find a Town team-mate with a header. After the Blues had dominated the opening minutes, the Cherries had taken over and only an excellent Gerken save and some poor finishing had prevented the home side going in ahead at the break. Referee Phil Gibbs waved away an early and hopeful Bournemouth penalty appeal when Fraser fell when battling with Chambers, but it was Town who created the first significant chance of the second period. Skuse sent Murphy away down the left and the Irishman cut back to Hyam, the ball initially getting caught under the midfielder’s feet before he hit a shot which struck Elliott Ward and then Nouble before going wide. Grabban wasted a great opportunity for the Cherries in the 56th minute when sent away in space down the right by O’Kane. With several players waiting for his cross, the striker hit the ball against Berra. Cherries skipper Tommy Elphick went close with a header which flew just wide from a Matt Ritchie cross in the 57th minute, but two minutes later, the Blues went in front. From a Chambers freekick deep on the right, McGoldrick chested the ball down to Nouble, who whipped over a low cross which Murphy slammed into the net from five yards. Moments later, the Irishman, who has now scored seven goals this season, had another opportunity, but smashed his shot wide when in space on the left. Gerken saved down to his right from Fraser on 66, then at the other end Ryan Tunnicliffe’s deflected strike bounced somewhat fortunately into Camp’s arms. Having gone in front the Blues were content to sit back and they seemed to be comfortably soaking up their pressure until the 74th minute when the Cherries got back on terms. Gerken superbly saved down to his left from Surman’s edge of the area effort, but sub Pitman reacted quickest to slam the ball into the roof of the net. The momentum was again very much with the home side and in the 78th minute they thought they’d got their noses in front when Gerken mishandled Ritchie’s cross into the net, but referee Gibbs felt the Blues keeper had been pushed by Elphick and awarded a freekick. After Hyam had been booked for a foul, Pitman headed across the face of goal from another sub Marc Pugh’s cross in the 83rd minute with the home side looking the more likely winners at this stage. As the game moved into its final five minutes, Gerken saved down to his left from Surman, and despite the Cherries continuing to put the Blues under pressure during four minutes of injury time no one was able to find a winning goal. Town boss Mick McCarthy is unlikely to be too disappointed with the point, despite having gone in front. The Blues were put under pressure by the impressive Cherries for long spells with keeper Gerken outstanding and in the end a draw was probably a fair result. McCarthy will be more than happy with four points from the two away Christmas fixtures ahead of the New Year’s Day home match against Charlton. AFC Bournemouth: Camp, Francis, Ward, Elphick (c), Daniels, Ritchie, O'Kane, Surman, Fraser (Pugh 74), Grabban, McQuoid (Pitman, 60). Unused: Allsop, Addison, Harte, Hughes, Thomas. Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Berra, Smith, Cresswell, Hyam, Skuse, Tunnicliffe, Nouble (Taylor 76), McGoldrick (Mings 87), Murphy. Unused: Loach, Tabb, Edwards, Anderson, Graham. Referee: Phil Gibbs (West Midlands). Att: 11,096 (1,412).
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