Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries: Quality concern for Howe
BOSS Eddie Howe felt Cherries had lacked a bit of quality during their 1-0 defeat at the hands of awayday specialists Hartlepool on Saturday.[LNB] James Brown's exquisite first-half goal earned Pools their fourth League One win on the road and a sixth clean sheet on their travels this season.[LNB] It was disappointing, said Howe, after watching Cherries lose for only the second time this season at Dean Court. We certainly worked hard and threw everything at them. They defended very well and we couldn't break them down.[LNB] We were hoping for the early goal but they got it. Then, it was always going to be difficult because of the way they lined up. We huffed and puffed and worked very hard.[LNB] We created enough chances and should have taken a couple. But I didn't think we played particularly well. We gave away the ball and our play in the final third wasn't great.[LNB] Howe was again forced to shuffle his pack with a niggling injury to Marvin Bartley prompting Cherries to cut short Joe Partington's loan spell with Eastbourne Borough.[LNB] Partington, who was in the second month of his stay with the Conference outfit, was drafted in for his first Cherries start for almost 12 months, the 20-year-old partnering skipper Jason Pearce in central defence.[LNB] And to compound Howe's problems, loan signing Nicholas Bignall succumbed to a hip injury at half-time and had to be replaced by Lyle Taylor, while Harry Arter limped off in the 54th minute after taking a whack to his knee.[LNB] Howe said: We recalled Joe on Friday. We felt we couldn't risk Marvin and he only would have come on in an emergency. It is not Joe's natural position but he did well. We're having a problem keeping centre-halves fit at the moment and he came in and did very well.[LNB] Lyle was excellent when he came on in the second half and I was very impressed. He created a few chances and, on another day, would have scored. But I would much rather he was in and around it and missing chances than not. I was pleased with him.[LNB] Howe is still hoping to extend Bignall's loan spell into a second month, although the striker would not be available for tomorrow's FA Cup tie at Notts County as his parent club Reading do not want him to become cup-tied.[LNB] Liam Feeney and Michael Symes, who both came off the bench in the second half against Hartlepool, are also carrying minor injuries.[LNB]
