Latics dig deep to pick off Cherries

Photo: PICTURES by ALAN HOWARTH

RUNNING GAME . . . Midfielder Ritchie Jones closes down a Bournemouth player.

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Athletic 2, Bournemouth 1

Nobody is making the claim that Athletic have any geniuses among their number.

Under the watchful eye of Paul Dickov, though, the team have this season produced football which has been both smart and attractive.

Against Bournemouth, there was more of the former trait in evidence than was present in the 5-2 hammering at Peterborough the previous week.

And though attractiveness was absent this time — this win was as pretty as an unclothed Frank Butcher complete with spinning bow tie — few home fans were left complaining.

Athletic had to not so much grind this one out as they did excavate it from the jawbone of defeat.

There didn’t seem to be any danger for Bournemouth with 12 minutes remaining at Boundary Park.

Ahead thanks to Rhoys Wiggins’ swinging free-kick in first-half stoppage time, the team so ably managed by Eddie Howe were apparently sauntering to victory in a low-key game, with their opponents never having clicked into gear.

But in two blinks of an eye, the Cherries were behind.

First Kieran Lee produced what is becoming one of his trademark, perfectly-timed runs into the box, finishing off a knock-back from Warren Feeney.

And barely three minutes later, similarly adventurous full-back play by Paul Black enabled Oumare Tounkara to tee himself up and blast home from six yards out.

It ended Bournemouth’s seven-game unbeaten streak while also handing Dickov his first win in six.

It also showed, quite clearly, that Athletic had discovered a valuable route to winning matches even when not playing with much discernible fluency.

Dickov made one change to the line-up which crashed to a 5-2 defeat at Peterborough, with Jean-Yves Mvoto preferred to Sean Gregan as a replacement for Jason Jarrett at centre-back.

The decision to recall the on-loan Sunderland player was a brave one. The French youngster was jittery against Bristol Rovers and absent against Peterborough.

Here, he was far better. Imposing in the air and quick over the ground, Mvoto simplified his game and did a good job as a traditional no-nonsense defender.

The first action of note came amid a bright start by Athletic, with a swift one-touch passing movement involving Lee, Ritchie Jones and Chris Taylor ending with the ever-willing Tounkara hitting a weak low shot at former Athletic triallist Shwan Jalal in the Bournemouth goal.

The hard-working Cherries fought their way back into the contest and with wide men Liam Feeney and Marc Pugh impressing, Mvoto and Reuben Hazell had to produce a pair of telling headers from crosses to halt the visitors’ progress.

Mvoto also made a strong block on Marvin Bartley after he had been neatly slipped in by Pugh.

But there was little Athletic’s generally solid defence could do to prevent the opening goal.

Dean Furman didn’t like the decision made by an assistant referee that he had fouled Bartley near the left corner of his own penalty area.

And he will have enjoyed Wiggins’ strike far less. Was it a cross, or a shot? Only the left-back himself would know, but what is beyond doubt is that the ball floated tellingly over the head of the wrong-footed Dean Brill.

Bournemouth were the better side, but Athletic should have equalised seven minutes into the second half when Warren Feeney fired a snap-shot way over the bar when well-positioned in the area.

Lewis Alessandra’s introduction in place of Jones made a difference and Athletic started to look more threatening.

Neat footwork from the substitute led to a cross which skidded across the no-man’s land of the six-yard area just after the hour.

Out-of-sorts Dale Stephens then fired a 25-yard shot off-target, but premium chances were still few and far between.

Dean Kelly was thrown on by Dickov in place of Furman as a levelling goal was sought.

Lee benefited when Kelly couldn’t quite get a strike off to Feeney’s cushioned pass, and the full-back bounced the ball home.

Three minutes later, Athletic were ahead. Black overlapped past Feeney, his cross was deflected into the path of Tounkara and the big man did the rest.


Dickov hails show of character

TEAM spirit, a strong work ethic and high fitness levels were the three key components identified by Athletic manager Paul Dickov following an important win over Bournemouth.

A 5-2 loss at Peterborough the previous week had increased the club’s winless run to five matches in all competitions.

And the manner of that defeat — which came after Athletic had been two goals up at one stage — caused some disquiet.

Here, while Athletic were far from at their best, Dickov’s side ground out a victory thanks to goals from Kieran Lee and Oumare Tounkara.

And in coming from behind at half-time, the three points understandably left the Boundary Park boss delighted.

“The boys have got a fantastic togetherness,” said DicKov, whose side overtake Bournemouth to sit sixth in npower League One.

“You saw that at the end — we told them to have a huddle before the game, not afterwards!

“If you have got that, you always have a chance.

“It doesn’t cost anything to put in the work. We did that and got the rewards for it.

“We worked hard in the week on what we wanted to do and I am delighted with the character the boys showed to come back from 1-0 down.

“We told them before the game that it was all about playing for 95 minutes — not just 20 minutes, 45 or 90.

“We have got the fitness and energy levels to do that.”

Second-half substitutions aided Athletic’s cause. Lewis Alessandra, out for a month with a calf tear, caused upset to the visitors’ defence with his trickery and Dean Kelly’s bustle also contributed to the turnaround.

Prior to Warren Feeney’s withdrawal through injury in the final seconds, Dickov’s side had three strikers — Feeney, Tounkara and Kelly — plus two out-and-out wingers in Alessandra and Taylor on the field as the proverbial kitchen sink was thrown at getting something out of the game.

“We felt we needed to get on the front foot a bit more,” Dickov said.

“Lewi came on and was very positive for us, affecting the game.

“Dean Kelly came on and had an effect, too.

“It is a squad game. We need the subs as much as we need the lads who are starting.”


Latics’ next game — Saturday v Brighton, away, npower League One