Although an away game in the Carling Cup might not be everyone's idea of an enjoyable way to spend the evening, a trip along the south coast was too good an opportunity for the three SussexBaggies to miss. After arriving in Bournemouth just before 3pm, we spent some time wandering around before heading to the ground.
There were many problems once we made it to the ground, as we were informed by a steward that the gates were only opened about an hour before kick-off. By this time, however, there were already nearly 200 Albion fans gathered outside the away entrance due to us not being told about this until we got to the ground.
Once we were inside, we were initially only allocated a block of around 300 seats. The official number of Albion supporters was put at 789 and it became clear as kick-off drew nearer that Bournemouth had totally underestimated the size of our away support, although they were able to make more seats available relatively easily.
Line-up
As most people assumed would be the case, Roy Hodgson made eleven changes from our unfortunate defeat at Chelsea just three days previously.
Our team in full was: Marton Fulop, Billy Jones, Gareth McAuley, Craig Dawson, Marek Cech, Gonzalo Jara-Reyes, George Thorne, Graham Dorrans (captain), Jerome Thomas, Simon Cox, and Marc-Antoine Fortune.
First half
We started relatively slowly in comparison to Bournemouth, with the hosts testing our second-string back four with a number of crosses during the opening exchanges.
However, we took the lead with our first real attack after eight minutes. Jerome Thomas, who returned to the squad following an injury, was the scorer, as he latched onto a perfectly-weighted through-ball from Graham Dorrans and finished well just inside the far post.
It was clear to see throughout the first half that Dorrans and Thomas were the two players in the side who have got the greatest chance of pushing for a regular place in the first team, as Dorrans controlled the game from midfield and Thomas easily had the beating of Bournemouth right-back Nathan Byrne.
We were looking comfortable without really playing brilliantly, but the hosts came close to equalising in the closing stages of the first half when their captain Adam Barrett sent a close-range header just wide.
Just a minute later, we doubled our lead. Although it was Marc-Antoine Fortune who scored the goal, it owed much to the perseverance of Simon Cox, who dispossessed a Bournemouth defender on the byline as he attempted to let the ball run of out play and pulled the ball back for Fortune to finish into the top corner from close range.
Second half
The second half began with Joe Mattock replacing Thomas, who had been on the receiving end of a couple of hard but fair challenges from Byrne on the only occasions when the defender had been able to keep up with him.
Bournemouth pulled a goal back in the first minute of the second half, as a strong run and cross from Scott Malone down the left-hand side ended with Steve Lovell finishing from inside the six-yard box.
This led to a temporary lull into what had, until that point, been a very good atmosphere created by the impressive number of travelling Albion fans.
Despite this, it took us only six minutes to restore our two-goal advantage. Billy Jones created the goal, as he went on a surging run from deep inside his own half, before putting Cox through on goal, with the impressive striker finishing with his usual confidence.
We controlled possession for much of the game after this point, with even Mattock getting forward and hitting the post with an outstanding 25-yard shot.
We were controlling the game mainly due to the performances of Dorrans and George Thorne, both of whom used the ball well in midfield and showed that they were willing to get stuck in when needed.
Our dominance was rewarded after 78 minutes when we scored a fourth goal to seal our place in the third round. Fortune was the scorer, and it was a fine individual effort as he controlled a cross from Marek Cech with his back to goal, before turning past a defender and finishing well past Darryl Flahavan in the Bournemouth goal.
On reflection
This was a professional performance against a Bournemouth side who were committed and worked hard, but who ultimately could not get close to some of our better players.
One area where we did look a bit weak was defensively, as both Gareth McAuley and Craig Dawson appear to suffer from a lack of pace. This was nearly punished on one or two occasions by the Bournemouth strikers, which does not bode well for if and when they are used in the Premier League this season.
However, we looked particularly impressive in midfield. Dorrans, who was captain for the evening, controlled the game and was head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch. Thorne also impressed alongside the Scotland international, as his passing ability enabled us to retain possession with ease at times. Thomas was the other player who impressed, even though he was only on the pitch for 45 minutes. Bearing in mind this was his first appearance since pre-season, he coped well and also took his goal impressively.
As much as Cox in particular worked hard up front, I don't think either Fortune or himself have done enough to really push for a place in the starting line-up. Cox will always score goals when he gets the chance, but he is simply not in the same league as the likes of Peter Odemwingie and Shane Long.
With this in mind, I think the only two players who started last night and who could genuinely be pushing for a place in the side against Stoke City on Sunday are Dorrans and Thomas. Despite this, I would still be relatively surprised to see either of them in the side after our impressive performances against Manchester United and Chelsea.
All in all, it was a good day and evening out and it was good to see Albion pick up their first win of the season, with the atmosphere created by the travelling Albion fans making it even more enjoyable.
Boing Boing!
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