Saturday saw us take on a side who had won their previous seven home games, but the fortnight’s break had given our injured players time to get back into contention, giving Paul Ince the luxury of a strong bench.
Bournemouth started brightly, with players making clever runs from deep, a tactic we struggled with but eventually came to terms with. By contrast, our first meaningful foray forward forced a throw in level with the area. From the long throw, Ricardo Fuller was on hand to head home and give us an early lead. That didn’t last long, as we fell victim to the same tactic barely five minutes later.
The rest of the half was fairly even with both sides unable to achieve dominance, although we went closest to scoring as Ince hit the post following a breakaway. The ref was being particularly fussy, with a number of cards that seemed harsh.
The second half started brightly as we forced a corner, and Bishop got ahead of his marker to score at the near post putting us back in front. The tone of the game then changed as Robinson received a second yellow for an innocuous coming together with their winger. Blackpool reorganised with Bishop at left back and Fuller as a lone outlet, and kept Bournemouth playing in front of us without really threatening.
As the game went on, it was us looking most likely to score on the break, with Delfuenso missing a great chance, and Ince having a goal chalked offside. We hung on and stay top. No-one really expected this start, but long may it continue.
STARMAN: Gary Mackenzie
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