HOWE MUST INSPIRE HIS STRIKERS OR SINK
AFTER the party comes the cleaning crew. For Eddie Howe that not only means picking up the pieces of a loss that could have been a win but also finding a way to alleviate the anxiety among Bournemouth’s front men. The fact that they felt nervous on their big day was entirely natural but Howe admitted this will be a short adventure if impressive performances such as this one against Aston Villa lack the kind of finishing touch his team brought to the Championship. For that, he accepted they will need to add greater composure to their excellent passing. Marc Pugh, Dan Gosling and particularly Callum Wilson all had good first-half chances to make a statement on behalf of the small club in the big time. None got the job done and it was left to Rudy Gestede to win it for Villa. Howe said: ‘The margins between success and failure were small in the Championship. I think they are even smaller here. I think our style of football can be successful. We are not going to veer from our principles.’ Gestede, 26, could not have wished for a better impact following his £6million move from Blackburn as replacement for Christian Benteke. Manager Tim Sherwood said: ‘He is like a moving car. You don’t mind standing in front of a parked one but you want to move out of the way when it is coming at 30mph.’
SUPER STAT: Villa have won their opening fixture for a third straight season. All were away from home.
AFC BOURNEMOUTH (4-4-2): Boruc 6.5; Francis 6.5, Elphick 6, Cook 6, Daniels 6; Ritchie 7, Gosling 6 (O’Kane 84min), Surman 6.5, Pugh 6 (Gradel 68, 6.5); King 6.5 (Kermorgant 53, 6), Wilson 6.
Subs not used: Mings, Smith, Federici, Distin. Booked: King, Cook, Gosling.
ASTON VILLA (4-4-2): Guzan 6.5; Bacuna 6, Richards 7.5, Clark 5.5, Amavi 6.5; Veretout 6 (Sanchez 71, 6), Gueye 6.5, Westwood 5; Ayew 5 (Gestede 59, 7), Agbonlahor 5.5, Sinclair 6 (Richardson 78).
Subs not used: Baker, Cole, Hutton,
Bunn. Scorer: Gestede 72. Booked: Clark, Gueye, Westwood, Bacuna.
Man of the match: Micah Richards. Referee: Mark Clattenburg 6.5.