FANS UNITED FOR BROOKS
Applause for Cherries star after cancer diagnosis
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BY GRAHAM THOMAS
JAMAL LOWE thanked Bristol City fans for their respect and solidarity in sending a message of support to David Brooks.
Surrounded by his Bournemouth team-mates, Lowe held up the No.7 shirt of the absent Brooks after giving the visitors the lead with a well-struck volley .
Brooks, 24, has revealed he is starting treatment for cancer and the reaction of the home fans was as dignified as their applause in the seventh minute, moments earlier.
“To be fair, the home fans had really responded in the seventh minute with the applause for Brooksy,” said Lowe.
“He deserved that and Bristol City’s fans did it really well. Ordinarily, I think they might have booed me for celebrating in front of them. But they couldn’t really do that this time.”
Bournemouth’s players had arranged before the game to show their support to
Brooks, their Welsh international teammate who was diagnosed last week with Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma.
Lowe admitted he struggled initially to locate the shirt placed behind the goal – about the only difficulty the Championship leaders had all day as they moved back to the top and remained unbeaten.
He said: “We said we would have a shirt near the goal. It was case of trying to find it. It took me a while to see it! “Brooksy is obviously going through a really tough time but he knows that he has people around him who care about him and wish him well.”
For a contest between the clubs laying second and 10th in the table, this was ridiculously one-sided. The Cherries went 2-0 up before the break with a belter from Jordan Zemura (left) but should have scored at least four more.
It means Bournemouth and Liverpool remain the only two clubs in the four divisions yet to have tasted defeat this season.
The Robins have now gone 16 matches without a home win – a club record – and skipper Dan Bentley said: “We gave them a little bit too much respect. They’re top of the league for a reason, but we could have taken the game to them a little bit.”