Howe enjoys history ... then tips Wilson for England
EDDIE HOWE saw his Bournemouth side secure a first-ever home Premier League victory, after which he implored Roy Hodgson to call-up striker Callum Wilson for England.
Bournemouth have earned plenty of admirers with their football this season but what really matters — as he persistently reminds them — is winning games, particularly against sides as abject as Sunderland.
Almost all the home fans at Dean Court remained in the stands to applaud their team off, after Wilson’s strike and a Matt Ritchie wonder goal inside 10 minutes earned a first home win for the Cherries in the 126-year history of the top flight.
‘Today was a really important game and we didn’t try to hide from that,’ said Howe.
Wilson sent the Cherries on their way with his fifth goal in four Premier League appearances in the fourth minute. Dan Gosling nudged the ball into his path with the outside of his foot and Wilson struck it cleanly into the bottom right corner.
‘He has all the attributes a modern-day striker needs,’ said Howe. ‘He’s full of confidence at the moment. There’s never been a Bournemouth player close to being capped for England and I’d like nothing more than that. Roy Hodgson has not been down here yet as far as I know.’
Ritchie made an early claim for goal of the season. The 26-year-old chested the ball and sent his volley curling into the top corner from 25 yards, giving Costel Pantilimon no chance.
‘I think this one, due to the technical difficulty, was the best I’ve seen him score, it really was a wonderful goal,’ said Howe.
Sunderland are still without a win this season home or away and looked totally dumbstruck after going behind, giving Dick Advocaat little to celebrate on his 900th managerial game.
‘I was very, very angry with the way we started again,’ said Advocaat. ‘I will think about myself and what did I do wrong, did I get the meeting or the training or the lineup wrong, but I think at the moment we had the best line up. If you start the first half as we did you’re waiting for defeat. Today was not good enough.’
The Sunderland supporters who made the 700-mile round trip to the south coast were briefly enlivened in the 54th minute when Jeremain Lens found the back of the net from a Yann M’Vila cross, but referee Kevin Friend ruled it offside.
Things got worse as Younes Kaboul was sent off for a second yellow card after hacking down Wilson, who’d been a thorn in his side all day.