Cherries find easy pickings
IT’S THREE AND EASY FOR SLICK BOURNEMOUTH
BOURNEMOUTH hit sorry Birmingham for a staggering eight in 2014.
This time they declared at three.
The Cherries picked off Birmingham and got themselves back on track for promotion after their first Championship defeat of the season in midweek.
“It was important we recovered from that defeat,” said Bournemouth boss Jason Tindall.
“I was concerned about it because it was a little bit out of character for us. Today was about making sure that was a one off and we went about that in the right way.”
Bournemouth had never lost a game at St Andrew’s and they never looked like losing this one either.
That 8-0 thrashing was the last time Bournemouth played at Birmingham in the Championship.
“I was at Bournemouth for that 8-0, that was a bit special for us,” smiled Tindall.
“I’ve just been told we never lose at Birmingham. So can we play here all the time please?”
Dark memories came flooding back for Birmingham though as Bournemouth took control.
That record defeat came at a time when Birmingham were in the middle of one of their regular crises and had just sacked manager Lee Clark.
A i to r Karanka is the latest manager with the job of reviving the Blues but successive home defeats and only three wins in 11 tells you how hard his job is.
“It was hard to try and come back from 3-1 down against a team like Bournemouth,” said Karanka.
“But the players fought until the last seconds. Now we have to rest up, physically and mentally, for another tough schedule after the international break.”
Scott Hogan’s first goal since March lifted Birmingham but Bournemouth were slick and they cut Blues apart in the ninth minute.
The Cherries worked the ball from right to left and Junior Stanislas took on the defence before slipping in Arnaut Danjuma for his shot into the far corner.
It was classy stuff straight from Bournemouth’s Premier League days.
It should have been two in the 25th minute when Jefferson Lema dodged past Harlee Dean and keeper Neil Etheridge saved on the line from Dominic Solanke.
The Cherries deserved a second goal, but when it came in the 42nd minute they were lucky. BIRMINGHAM CITY: Etheridge 7;Colin 6, Roberts 7, San Jose 6, Dean 6, Boyd-Munce 5; Kieftenbeld 6, Gardner 5, McGree 5 (Bela 53, 5); Hogan 7, Jutkiewicz 6.
Unused Subs: Prieto, Lejo, Sanchez, Toral, Dacres-Cogley, Davis.
BOURNEMOUTH: Begovic 6; Stacey 7, Mepham 7, Kelly 7, Rico 7; Brooks 8, Lerma 7, Cook 6 (Gosling 38, 6), Stanislas 7; Solanke 7, Danjuma 7.
Unused Subs: Travers, Surridge, Smith, Riquelme, Simpson, King.
MAN OF THE MATCH: David Brooks.Got help with both his goals but deserved it. REFEREE: Jarred Gillett 5.