Yeovil 0-1 Bournemouth

After four long, painful matches, AFC Bournemouth finally secured their first win of the season on Saturday at close southern neighbours Yeovil Town. Yeovil, had come into the game joint second, having 3 games and drawing one so far. However, their small squad appeared to haunt them yesterday, as they were second best to a rejuvenated Bournemouth side throughout.

The opening minutes were typical of a match, nobody willing to make a risky move, hoping to make it through the beginning without letting in a goal. Yeovil soon pressed forward though, and a Tommy Elphick mistake let Sam Foley dribble the ball into the penalty area, only to drag his shot just wide of the post. As the game settled down, Bournemouth retained possession often and passed it comfortably along their defence, wearing down Yeovil's forwards, James Hayter and Rueben Reid. Crosses were whipped in by Simon Francis, Grabban and McQuoid tried to get on the end of them but to no avail. A clattering tackle by Byron Webster on Wes Fogden just outside the box gave Bournemouth a free-kick in a prime position. Experienced midfielder Richard Hughes stepped up, and used his left foot to blast past Marek Stech and into the top corner. Gary Johnson, clearly unimpressed with his team's display, made a double substitution,  not waiting for half-time to make the change. The remainder of the first half saw the Cherries continue to press, and Josh McQuoid almost doubled their lead, but Richard Hinds made a heroic block to keep the deficit to one. Ed Upson hit a volley just over the bar, but the teams went in with the Cherries leading 1-0.

Many, including myself thought half-time might be a chance for Yeovil to regroup and come out with all guns blazing. This was not to be the case, as Yeovil continued their lackluster performance, with James Hayter often stranded up front with no help or support. The Glovers tried to push on, but they often gave the ball away, with the main culprits being the central midfielders. When Bournemouth got the ball back they often found Yeovil with only two or three defends back, leaving miles of space for Grabban, McQuoid and Fogden to exploit to their advantage. Numerous chances came Bournemouth's way, notably when Fogden nor McQuoid could manage to score even in a 3 on 1 situation. Though Yeovil never actually looked like scoring, a 1-0 lead is never secure, and as the Cherries continuously missed chances fans grew increasingly frustrated. Paul Groves brought on Joe Partington, Wes Thomas and Marc Pugh but none of them could score that vital second goal. Unusually for a 1-0 game,  Bournemouth did not face a barrage of attack in the last ten minutes from The Glovers, and all three 3 points ultimately went back to the seaside.

Bournemouth's performance was very impressive, they won all challenges, passed well and looking a constant threat when they went forward. The worrying part is though, that two games in a row we could have scored 4 or 5 goals, but easy chances were completely wasted by the forwards and midfielders. One thing certain with this team is that we can easily control and dictate games, but eventually our lack of finishing may come back to haunt us. That said, it could just be bad luck, and one team is about to get thumped, such is the mystery of football. Groves has clearly got the side playing better, and with Harry Redknapp in as an advisor, the sky is finally clearing.

On the other side, Yeovil will be hoping to improve on that performance for their game next week against MK Dons. Bournemouth fans know what it's like to have a young, thin squad and it can often be challenging to keep up with the amount of fixtures. This will likely have just been an off-day for Gary Johnson's men, and as they have proved so far this season, they are more than capable of having a successful year.