Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries star Feeney: The boo boys aren't helping
TERRACE favourite Liam Feeney has pleaded with the Dean Court boo boys: We need you behind us. Feeney faced the music following Cherries' 2-1 defeat by Bury on Saturday, their second suc cessive home reverse of the year. Goals from Stephen Dawson and David Worrall saw the Shakers claim a 2-0 half-time lead with Eddie Howe's troops booed off by some fans at the break. Brett Pitman's injury-time effort proved a mere consolation for Cherries and there was further unrest among home supporters as the team left the pitch. And clearly stung by the reaction of a minority of dissenters, the players ditched their customary post-match huddle following the final whistle. The backlash was a new experience for Feeney, a star performer as Cherries have gone from relegation candidates to promotion contenders during his 12 months at the club. Asked by the Daily Echo for his response to the boos, the 22-year-old, pictured, said: Although we hadn't played well in our past couple of home games, I thought we played as well as we have for a few weeks against Bury. If you give people something to shout about then they will. But I've rarely seen anyone perform better once they've been booed. I think encouragement is a better way to try to get someone to play well. Under the circumstances, I think we've done brilliantly to get to where we are and I know the majority of our fans agree. They give us their full support and we can hear them all around the ground. I know it is only a minority but if you are getting booed and then you make a mistake or misplace a pass, it can make you nervy the next time you try to do something. We need people behind us when things aren't going our way. Asked whether he felt the expectations of some supporters were too high, Feeney replied: No. Expectations are not higher than they should be because we know what we can achieve this season. We're a good team and we believe we are the best team in this league. Our expectations are probably higher than those of the supporters but if they aren't being met then perhaps booing isn't the best way to put it right. We are all grown men and have got to do it as a squad. If things aren't going right, we've got to put them right on the pitch and the fans can't do it for us. But a little bit of help wouldn't go amiss.