Afobe hails Howe for return to form

BENIK AFOBE has revealed how a heart-toheart with Eddie Howe stopped him from sabotaging his own career. The striker scored one and saw another strike credited as an Alfie Mawson own goal as Bournemouth moved within touching distance of Premier League safety. It was only the fourth goal of the campaign for a £10million striker who was often left out of the side earlier in the season. ‘This is the first time this season I’ve started three games in a row, so it just shows that with hard work things can change for you,’ Afobe said. ‘It has been tough. I had a little knee injury. I lost my head a bit and didn’t train as hard as I could have and it affected me in that I was quiet around the house. ‘But I had a heart-to-heart meeting with the manager and ever since I’ve concentrated on working my way back.’ SUPER STAT: This was the first time Bournemouth have delievered back-to-back league wins for a year. BOURNEMOUTH (4-4-2): Boruc 6.5; A Smith 6.5, Francis 6.5, S Cook 7, Daniels 6; Fraser 7 (Wilshere 74min, 6), Surman 7, Gosling 6.5, Pugh 7 (Ibe 90); King 7 (Gradel 90), Afobe 7.5. Subs not used: Allsop, Cargill, B Smith, L Cook. Scorers: Mawson (og) 31, Afobe 72. SWANSEA (4-3-3): Fabianski 6.5; Fer 5, Fernandez 5, Mawson 5, Kingsley 5.5; Ki 5 (Routledge 67, 6), Cork 6, Carroll 6; Ayew 6 (Narsingh 56, 6), Llorente 5.5 (Borja 83), Sigurdsson 6.5. Subs not used: Nordtfeldt, Amat, Britton, Roberts. Booked: Ki, Cork. Man of the match: Benik Afobe. Referee: Mike Dean 6.5.