Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Howe: Time for others to discover a scoring habit
EDDIE Howe admits Brett Pitman is an integral part of his Cherries team but has urged his other stars to share the goalscoring burden.[LNB] Pitman has been in sensational form this season, his prolific goalscoring record a major factor behind Cherries' surge up the League Two table.[LNB] The gifted forward has hit 11 league goals and 13 in all competitions to back up his status as one of the club's top players.[LNB] But having seen Pitman net almost half of his team's goals in the fourth tier this term, Cherries boss Howe wants to see more coming from other areas of the field.[LNB] It is six games since a player other than Pitman got on the scoresheet for Cherries and Howe said: Ideally, we'd like more goals than just being reliant on Brett. You don't want to become dependent on one player.[LNB] He's done fantastically well and is an integral part of our team, but we do need goals from other sources.[LNB] We need midfielders, wide men and defenders chipping in with goals and I think that will be crucial because any good side has goals from all over the pitch.[LNB] Howe tried to enhance his striking options during the summer as he made moves to recruit Lewis Smith, Charlie Austin and Steve Lovell.[LNB] But due to the club's transfer embargo, he was unable to bring in additional firepower.[LNB] Despite this, he feels the squad has the necessary personnel to produce the goods in front of goal.[LNB] We've got players capable of scoring goals and it's just a case of creating the opportunities and taking them, added Howe.[LNB] Keen to continue the team's recent solid form, Howe is pondering an attacking change ahead of tomorrow's Dean Court clash against Shrewsbury Town.[LNB] Veteran targetman Steve Fletcher has had to be patient in recent weeks but pressed his claims for a starting place with a powerful second-half performance at Barnet on Tuesday.[LNB] Howe may opt to use the club's record appearance-maker from the start this weekend.[LNB] Fletch is always in your thoughts with regards to starting the game, said Howe.[LNB] He's a threat and no one likes playing against him. We'll have a game plan and we'll see what suits this game.[LNB] Chairman Eddie Mitchell last month said that the prospect of losing any of the club's players was unwanted after Pitman was linked with a move away from Dean Court, with a number of Championship clubs understood to have watched the homegrown striker this season.[LNB]
