Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries: Howe believes squad has been lifted
BOSS Eddie Howe watched Cherries finally end their away win drought and then admitted victory over Swindon had given his squad a timely lift.[LNB] Goals from Marc Pugh and Jason Pearce earned the visitors a 2-1 triumph at the County Ground as Howe's men won on the road for the first time since August.[LNB] Victory also halted a run of three successive League One and FA Cup defeats, a worrying sequence that had seen Cherries end 2010 in less than convincing form.[LNB] On the back of three defeats, it was a massive win for us, said Howe. Firstly, we needed a performance and got one. The result was more than welcome, not for anything other than the players and their belief and confidence.[LNB] I don't think the away results had been playing on their minds. You have a problem if performances and results are bad but our performances had been good. We know we should have won several other away games but haven't for whatever reason.[LNB] I was always confident we would perform. We had a strong team and a strong bench and there was no reason why we shouldn't have come to Swindon and won. They are a good side so it was a valuable win and will give us a lift at a time when we need it.[LNB] Pugh opened the scoring when he followed up to net the rebound after his 11th-minute penalty had been saved before Pearce bagged a stunning second-half winner with a spectacular overhead kick 10 minutes from time. Both goals came about after Steve Fletcher making his first 90-minute appearance for nine months had caused mayhem in the Swindon ranks as the hosts tried to defend long throws into the danger area from Liam Feeney.[LNB] Howe added: The two goals were a bit unlike us really but we will take them and, hopefully, kick on from here. We showed great character, we were aggressive and defended really well. We thoroughly deserved the win.[LNB] We dominated the second half and were excellent. Apart from one chance when Shwan made a good save, we had most of the possession without creating too many clear-cut chances. We also had a number of chances in the first half and should have had a second penalty.[LNB] Howe also had words of thanks for Cherries' army of travelling supporters with 929 making the short trip to Wiltshire.[LNB] He said: The win meant a lot to them and their support meant a lot to us. It was a two-way thing. I think they knew the importance of the victory and the scenes at the final whistle were really great to see. They have travelled a long way not to see a win for a few games.[LNB] Cherries were forced to make a late change to their squad after goalkeeper Jon Stewart had sustained a fractured finger during the warm-up. He was replaced on the bench by Joe Partington.[LNB]
