10th April 2000    

Capitulation........Ritchie

MARK ALLOTT could be out of action until next season after suffering another injury blow at Bournemouth on Saturday. Athletic's top scorer, who had only just made his comeback, aggravated a hamstring problem and looks sure to miss the last six games of the campaign. Allott's hamstring has been troubling him for two months and Athletic — already without fellow striker Craig Dudley — were trying to nurse him along. He started Saturday's game after being rested in midweek but, just past the hour mark, signalled to the bench that he couldn't carry on. It is a relief for Athletic that Dudley is close to returning from a similar injury. The popular 20-year-old has been missing for three matches and, if he doesn't play in tomorrow night's big game against Wigan, should definitely be back for the next fixture, seven days later. But Athletic are also sweating on the fitness of Shaun Garnett, who was another casualty in the mauling at Bournemouth. 

Garnett's right knee was locking when he ran and it's now a matter of waiting to see how he reacts to treatment. If the defender is ruled out, Athletic will be forced into another reshuffle. The most likely move would see Scott McNiven switched to the centre, with Paul Rickers coming in at right wing-back.The injury-jinxed Richard Graham is also hoping to be involved against promotion-chasing Wigan. Like Dudley, Graham has missed three games after falling victim to the Boundary Park hamstring epidemic.

THE darker side of Athletic’s character was back with a vengeance on Saturday as they collapsed to a dismal defeat at Dean Court. The team which had been playing so well on their travels fell apart completely in the second half and were lucky to escape without a bigger hammering. The first 45 minutes were a non-event, giving the false impression that this would be a typical end-of-term affair between two sides with nothing at stake. It changed dramatically when Bournemouth went in front. From that moment on, Athletic were, quite frankly, appalling. They stopped defending, they stopped attacking and, worst of all, they stopped battling. It even reached the point where, after Bournemouth scored their farcical second, Gary Kelly and Paul Jones started arguing and shoving. Albeit without any hint of force, the team-mates also went literally head-to-head. It was an embarrassing sight for anyone connected with Athletic. But at least it showed some passion — and, for most of the game, that vital quality was glaring in its absence.

Athletic were a million miles from their usual away form and never showed the sparkle which had seen them go five games without defeat. Mark Allott dropped deep and moved the ball out wide, Ryan Sugden was industrious and the recalled Mark Innes was always busy. Innes, in fact, was probably the best of a pretty sorry bunch. But Athletic became increasingly lethargic in what must rank as their worst 90 minutes of the season. Home goalkeeper Mark Ovendale didn’t have to make a single save. And his biggest concern was the threat of sunburn on a glorious South Coast afternoon. As Athletic’s attempts to get behind the Bournemouth defence failed, they started to launch long balls which were solidly met by unruffled centre-backs Eddie Howe and Nick Fenton, on loan from Manchester City. That left Sugden to spend a lot of the game with his back to goal, something which didn’t bring out the best in him. It’s nigh on impossible, however, to win a match when you can’t keep the ball. And Athletic, even Sheridan included, were guilty of giving away possession far too easily to compete.

Ironically, the visitors could have set the tone for a different game after only 55 seconds. Sheridan’s left-wing corner found its way right across to Allott, who headed over from six yards as the ball bounced up at him. It was to be Athletic’s only clear sight of goal as, after their early scare, Bournemouth’s neat passing brought half-chances for Joe Sheerin and Brian Stock. Athletic re-asserted for a while as the first half settled into its indifferent pattern, with Lee Duxbury having a long-range drive blocked. They also caused a few problems at corners, the delivery of which by Sheridan was unerring. Neither were Athletic afraid to have pot-shots. Both Sugden and Scott McNiven did so from tricky angles but, appropriately, their aim was wayward.With Bournemouth equally off-colour, Kelly didn’t dirty his shirt until the 42nd minute when he dived into a forest of feet and failed to clutch Stock’s cross. The danger was cleared, but Stock — an 18-year-old who looks to have plenty of promise — was soon back with a 20-yard shot which Kelly watched dip over his bar. If Athletic had begun to relax, they paid a heavy price when Bournemouth stole the lead only two minutes after the break.

Jones was the Athletic defender caught napping, starting a downward spiral in a performance which until then had suited his new, hard-man haircut. Jones had time to clear his lines when Steve Fletcher put him under pressure, but the striker closed him down and got away down the left. He crossed to the far post for Sheerin, who finished superbly with an acrobatic volley for his first goal since moving from Chelsea. There was another setback for Athletic when Shaun Garnett hobbled off clutching his knee in the 58th minute. They lost their way completely and, with Bournemouth looking far livelier than before half-time, Fletcher planted a headed opportunity too close to Kelly. James Hayter also gave Athletic a let-off when he swept over from close range, but things went from bad to worse for the visitors, whose next headache was an injury to Allott. They plumbed the depths, though, with the almighty clanger which presented Bournemouth with their second goal, in the 71st minute.

A hopeful punt upfield by Howe should have been dealt with comfortably as Jones tried to shepherd it back and Kelly waited for the ball to arrive. But it was a case of “after you”, “no, after you”, allowing Fletcher to nip in between the two dithering team-mates. He prodded the ball past a horrified Kelly from the edge of the box — prompting the bust-up which saw both the ’keeper and his defender given stern warnings by the referee. Manager Andy Ritchie faced the crisis with a surprise reshuffle which saw Sugden taken off, Paul Rickers introduced at left-back and Andrew Holt moved to centre-forward. But it didn’t stem Bournemouth’s tide of attacks and there was an air of inevitability about the hosts’ third, which arrived two minutes into injury time. This time, a foul by Rickers gave Christer Warren the chance to whip over a curling free-kick from the right. It was met by the unchallenged Howe and, as Kelly dashed across his line, Wade Elliott nodded home from four yards to put the tin lid on a dreadful day for Athletic.

ANDY RITCHIE launched a scathing attack on his players after witnessing the abject performance at Dean Court. The Athletic manager told his team exactly what he thought of them, and then emerged from the dressing room in the blackest of moods. “That was absolutely disgraceful,” Ritchie raged. “And they know how I feel. “There were a few choice words and the players are as disappointed as I am — so they should be. “We were second to everything. We didn’t have any pride or passion. We capitulated. And it could have been more than three. “I have no idea why it happened. We were just terrible and I find it very hard to pick out anyone who did anything good. “We didn’t pass the ball, we didn’t compete and we didn’t defend properly. “We didn’t do any of the things we have been doing well in the last few games. “I’d love to give Bournemouth credit for stopping us playing, but they never needed to do that. “Everyone knows that sometimes you have days like this — but that doesn’t make it easier to take.” There were three changes to Athletic’s team, with Paul Rickers, Danny Boshell and Steve Whitehall being dropped in favour of Mark Innes, John Sheridan and Mark Allott. Ben Futcher also got a run in the second half when Shaun Garnett went off injured.

Ritchie, however, insisted the disruption was not to blame. “It made no difference,” he said. “We have to look at different players to see what they can do. “Ben came on and he now realises just how hard it is at this level. “Ryan Sugden looked a bit down as well. He had his first game against Stoke the other night and you can get through that on adrenaline. It’s hard to get the same level back in your next game. “But it’s unfair to mention individuals because it was a collective thing — everyone was bad. “You say it was a mid-table game, but it didn’t look like that to Bournemouth. And it shouldn’t have done to us.”

Ritchie declined to comment on the flare-up between goalkeeper Gary Kelly and defender Paul Jones. Kelly himself put it down to “one of those things that can happen in a game”. Cherries boss Mel Machin, meanwhile, revealed that a gamble had paid off to spark his team’s charge to victory. Joe Sheerin scored the first goal in the 47th minute, but Machin said: “The lad was on his knees at half-time. “He hasn’t played many games recently and I was basically just giving him 10 more minutes. He turned out to be a hero.”

Oldham never offered anything in attack and failed to trouble Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Ovendale all afternoon. Wade Elliott scored the third Bournemouth goal a minute from time. Captain Eddie Howe headed a right-wing free-kick back across a crowded penalty area and Elliott, a £5,000 signing from non-league Bashley earlier this year, was the first to react and he headed the ball home from just one yard. Bournemouth manager Mel Machin was delighted with the performance of his debutantes. He said: "Joe Sheerin showed that he has definitely got something to offer us and he took his goal well. When he regains some fitness I think he will be a real asset for us. And Brian Stock produced an excellent performance. That wasn't really a surprise to me because I know what a talented player his is, but it was good to see all the same.

"The youngsters have come along well and it's right to play them at this stage of the season." Oldham manager Andy Ritchie was disappointed with his side's defensive lapses. "We capitulated in the second half and were just terrible today," he said. "We didn't defend well at all and all the plans that we have had just went out of the window. Sometimes you have days like that but it doesn't make it any easier to take." Steve Fletcher was delighted to score after coming back from a hamstring injury last month. He had failed to score since his return to the team but felt that he was due his seventh of the campaign.

"I thought we played well today and it was strange playing up front with two different strikers but my fitness is coming back," said Fletcher.

" I was glad to score like that because it's the third time I've managed to get in between defenders in that way this season.".

Bournemouth 3, Oldham 0

Last three meetings Oldham 1, Bournemouth 0 (3/1/2000) Oldham 2, Bournemouth 3 (6/3/1999) Bournemouth 2, Oldham 0 (26/9/1998)

Final

Final Results Bournemouth 3 Oldham 0 Name, Minutes Sheerin, 47  Fletcher, S, 71  Elliott, 89  Name, Minutes No Scorers Yellow Cards Name, Minutes No Yellow Cards   Name, Minutes No Yellow Cards Red Cards Name, Minutes No Red Cards   Name, Minutes No Red Cards Match Stats 10 Goal Attempts 6 4 (On Target) 2 0 (Bar/Post) 0 12 Fouls 12 5 Offsides 2 2 Corners 5

Match Squads & Ratings  3 stars (out of 5) Bournemouth Oldham G 1. Ovendale - 6 D 2. Young - 7 D 3. Fenton - 7 D 4. Howe - 7 F 5. Warren - 6 6. Elliott - 6 M 7. Mean - 6 8. Stock - 7 D 9. Hughes - 6 F 10. Sheerin - 7 F 11. Fletcher, S - 8 G 1. Kelly - 6 D 2. McNiven, S - 7 D 3. Holt - 6 D 4. Garnett - 6 D 5. Jones - 5 D 6. Innes - 6 D 7. Duxbury - 5 M 8. Sheridan - 6 M 9. Hotte - 5 M 10. Sugden - 5 F 11. Allott - 5 Substitutes Substitutes M 7. Jorgensen (83) D 9. Fletcher, C (45) - 6 F 10. Hayter (56) - 6 12. O'Neill 13. Tindall D 4. Futcher (58) - 5 M 10. Rickers (73) F 11. Whitehall (65) - 6 12. Miskelly 13. Boshell *Players ranked from 4 (lowest) to 10 (highest) Referee: S. G. Tomlin

If that is what Sheerin can do with his feet, who cares if he can't head a ball like Steve Fletcher. Not that Big Fetch needed to use his head when he grabbed Cherries' second goal to make the game safe in the 71st minute. Eddie Howe's long punt forward should have been comfortably dealt with by either Kelly or Jones. But they got themselves in a terrible mess on the edge of their penalty area and left the loose ball for each other. That allowed Big Fletch to bundle his way in between the two Oldham men and apply the finishing touch into an empty net with his right foot from 16 yards. It was his ninth goal of the season and left Oldham with no hope of salvaging a point. The goal also left a bitter taste between Kelly and Jones, who squared up to each other and had to be warned to calm down by referee Steve Tomlin. Oldham, who had just about shaded the honours in a particularly unmemorable first half, were down and out. Cherries, playing more fluently now, went all out in search of a third goal and it came in stoppage time. Christer Warren delivered a pinpoint free-kick from the left, Howe got up to head the ball goalwards and Wade Elliott got the final touch from close range as it squeezed past Kelly at his near post.

The first half had been poor. But it had livened up near the end of the period when Brian Stock, making his full debut in midfield in place of hamstring-victim Steve Robinson, went close to breaking the deadlock. Stock dispossessed Mark Innes on the half way line, ran towards the edge of Oldham's area and rounded defender Shaun Garnett before sending a chip shot just over the bar.  The teenager, who looked far from overawed, made a major impression on his full Cherries debut, just like 'not-so-big' Sheerin. Neither of them could steal the limelight away from Big Fletch, who netted his first goal since December 18, though.

CHERRIES new boy Joe Sheerin admitted he was on his "last legs" before he netted his first goal for the club in spectacular bicycle-kick fashion during their 3-0 win over Oldham Athletic. The 21-year-old former Chelsea striker had been laid low by a mystery bug during the build up to Cherries' mid-table Division Two clash against the Latics at Dean Court. After working hard throughout a goalless first half in which the hot weather made Sheerin's flu-like condition worse, Cherries manager Mel Machin told him he would only have 10 minutes more after the break. Machin said: "Joe was out on his feet at half time so I just asked him to give it all he had got for a short while and then I would bring him off. "What does he do He scores a superb goal and comes off a hero. We had to substitute him because he was dead on his legs." Sheerin, making his full Cherries debut, received a rousing ovation from the home fans in a poor crowd of 3,808 - the lowest at Dean Court for a league match since April 14, 1998 when Walsall lost 1-0 in front of 3,404.The goal, a minor classic, breathed life into Cherries, who went on to win well with further strikes from Steve Fletcher and Wade Elliott and move up into 11th place in the table with 54 points. Sheerin said: "I told the gaffer at half time I wasn't feeling too well and he said just run yourself into the ground and then we'll bring you off. "Two minutes after the break, Steve Fletcher ran down the left flank and I could see he was going to cross so I just made sure I got into the penalty area. "The ball bounced up off their defender and I just hit it as I turned away from goal. It was just instinct. I knew it might catch the goalkeeper out but I was still surprised it went in. "I had a bit of a stomach bug and didn't feel I had much energy left. It was funny, though, because after I'd scored I don't think the bench could bring me off as soon as they wanted to. "The crowd probably wouldn't have been very happy if they had."

Sheerin was eventually replaced by James Hayter in the 57th minute when he was given a heart-warming salute from the Cherries faithful as he left the pitch for the dugout. Machin said: "Joe has not played too many full games in the last few years and that has really showed by the way he has had one or two injuries within that period. "But he showed flashes of what he can do against Oldham and I was very pleased for him." Sheerin admitted he had been frustrated not to start a full first team game since he joined Cherries from Chelsea in February because of a hamstring injury. However, the striker added: "I am hoping to get in as many games as I can before the summer and then look ahead to next season. "If I can hold a place down in the team it would be great and maybe I can score a few more goals like that." Sheerin also paid tribute to strike partner Fletcher, "who wins everything in the air", and teenage midfielder Brian Stock, "who was superb on his full debut".

The striker, who only made one senior appearance for Chelsea, added: "Bournemouth is a totally different club from Chelsea and I have enjoyed my short time here. "There is more of a family atmosphere.  "The other lads are great, the crowd are friendly and you feel it is more personal."