Most Bournemouth fans would sympathise with the size of Kevin Bonds injury list this season, but the table doesnt lie: bottom is bottom. 3 points are needed tonight and AFCB welcome Brighton with their very camp following of supporters to the Fitness First Stadium tonight. Anything less than 3 points will leave Cherries fans sweating, expecially with the tricky remainding fixures left in Ocotber.

COME ON YOU REDS!

Vital win for the Cherries today. On the back of the recent takeover the fans knew today was a massive game. Milwall and their knobhead fans rocked into town buoyed by a recent good run which had left some Lions fans dreaming of the play-offs.

 The Cherries showed a lot of early bite with the loss of the influential Cummings not proving as much of a hindrance as could have been anticipated. Anderton (far too classy for league 1) scored what proved to be the winner with a sweetly struck volley within the first quarter of the game. His legs may not have the pace they used to but his technique and distribution is definitely the best in the division. FACT.

 The final whistle seemed to take an eternity to blow but when it did the reaction was immense. WE ARE STAYING UP echoed around the ground, with news filtering in of other good results elsewhere. Tranmere beware next saturday, AFCB's post xmas record reads: W2, L2, W2, L2, W1....

Arsene Wenger's cup-hungry side faced up to Bolton for their 2nd cup match in 4 days. The starting XI was a reflection of the desire of Arsenal to progress to the next round, coupled with a crippling injury list which would have made David OLeary (never one to shy away from mentioning injuries) round. Walcott made a rare start on the right-hand side of midfield and was given a chance to show the Emirates' faithful what he is undoubtedly capable of. Bolton meanwhile (on current form) would have felt there was little chance of achieving a result in North London, depsite their excellent recent
showings against the reds (notching an impressive 3 wins in the last 4 games between the sides).

The first half proved to be a big disappointment as the fans who previously constituted the "Highbury library" were given little to cheer about. The early chances fell to the Wanderers and without a goal-line clearance from a trademark Bolton set-piece there would have been a suprising first goal. Arguably the highlight of the half came from the unusually subdues Henry, who lived up proceedings with an outrageous back heel having rounded the keeper, with another goal-line clearance necessary to ensure honours were even at the break.

Not entirely against the run of play, the Trotters scored within 10 minutes of the restart. Patient build-up led to Captain Nolan having an tap in to score the easiest of openers. The travelling fans went into raptures and the man overlooked by both McLaren and Eriksson rightly soaked up their adulation. Stung into life, the Gunners pushed on against a resolute and muscular Bolton defence. Many were starting to wonder if an equaliser would come when Toure crept in at the back post to angle a header into the onion bag to the relief of the majority of the crowd. No further goals followed and Wanderers suggested they would be no pushovers for the replay. Arsenal thoughts immediately turned to the their tie on wednesday against their bitter rivals Spurs, and they must hope that the kids can turn on a better display than this to send them through to the CArling Cup final.

The majority of the Cherries faithful would agree that 2 narrow 1-0 home wins in the past 2 home games had gone someway to undoing the abysmal start made by Kevin Bond. All the more frustrating therefore that this tepid home performance kept AFC Bournemouth in the bottom four of League One.

The defensive injusry crisis was eased slightly with Ryan Bertrand rejoining the club on loan from Chelsea. Promising going forward, he could be a major acquisition in the fight against relegation but sadly his team mates were unable to show him much support. Lacking any form of battling instinct or attacking venom, it was no suprise to go 1 down within the first 15 minutes through a breakaway Huddersfield goal. With Championship-manager legend Beckett in particular looking threatening, it was clear to see that Bonds strategy was not working. The equalising goal from Purches was just about
deserved on the balance of possession, but Bournemouth were generally unable to produce many clear cut chances.

All level at the break, and the 2nd half was even more disappointing than the first. Pedestrian in midfield, the home side seemed reluctant to have a crack on goal while Huddersfield continued to threaten on the break. A succession of corners led to nothing, with the goal threat of last seasons leading marksman Hayter notable diminished with his inclusion in the centre of midfield. The promise of midfielder Hollands on the bench and the youthful naievity of Pitman and Vokes upfront make this continued choice a mystery to all except Bond himself.

There was a big air of inevitability when the winning goal came - Huddersfield celebrated as if they had won the Champions League, while those home fans that braved the appalling display by their side were left to wonder if they could somehow scrape enough points together to stay in league 1 for the 2007/2008 season...