Match 35
29th January 1994
Bournemouth (home)
Cooper sees struggling City picked off by the Cherries.
Exeter City 0
Bournemouth 2 (Woods, Chivers)
Match Report by Simon Mills
PERHAPS Terry Cooper was keeping his eyes shut. Exeter's new boss might even have been forgiven for turning down the chance to take control at St James' Park after watching City crash to their fifth defeat in a row.
Bournemouth's Paul Wood and Gary Chivers gratefully accepted the chances to give the Cherries' a two-goal victory that must have been their easiest of the season.
They were hardly going to be tested by Exeter, who haven't scored for five games now in over 500 minutes of playing time. And the 88 days that have passed since their last win, against Fulham on November 2, are starting to drain the patience of fans who watched them soar into the top ten in September. That all adds up to a crisis that even the prodigal Cooper will do well to escape from. Bournemouth's recent record and City's failure to win in the League since November were always going to make this a dour battle be tween relegation strugglers.
But City's early play was bright enoughSimon Davies tested right-back lan Pennock, Stuart Storer used his pace on the rightand Danny Bailey snapped at the heels of O'Connor in midfield. If that sounds familiar, so will the news of poor defending that allowed O'Connor and Chris Ledbitter to rampage down the left.
As will the two soft, car bon copy goals they con- ceded, that will give their defenders nightmares for weeks to come. Despite a neat break by Gary Worthington that put 18-year-old keeper Neil Moss under pressure from Mike Cecere early on, and some good crosses from Davies, there was an inevitability about both the Cherries' goals. Both came from simple crosses and both owed more to slack defending than razor-sharp finishing. Wood took the first coolly, when he volleyed in O'Connor's cross from close range. after the ball had drifted over a clutch of defenders. The Cherries could have had a couple more too as O'Connor and Leadbitter swung in crosses from the either flank. Only a brilliant Ken Veysey save denied Warren Aspinall just before half-time. Wood crossed from the right and Aspinall's header drifted towards the bottom left-hand corner, only for the former Torquay keeper to touch it round the post with his left hand. Aspinall let City off again, just before half-time, with a terrible mis-cue when he had the goal at his mercy. City rallied briefly at the start of the second halfwith Scott Daniels turning a cross back in front of goal for Worthington to head over. But they were immediately punished when Bournemouth defender Gary Chivers thundered a header in at the near post from O'Connor's corner after 60 minutes. After that all City could offer were long range efforts from Jon Brown, Storer and substitute Mickey Ross. Sadly, the 18-year-old Bournemouth keeper Moss, playing only his second league game after an injury to Vince Bartram, won't have many easier games than this.
Exeter City 0
Bournemouth 2 (Woods, Chivers)
Match Report by Simon Mills
PERHAPS Terry Cooper was keeping his eyes shut. Exeter's new boss might even have been forgiven for turning down the chance to take control at St James' Park after watching City crash to their fifth defeat in a row.
Bournemouth's Paul Wood and Gary Chivers gratefully accepted the chances to give the Cherries' a two-goal victory that must have been their easiest of the season.
They were hardly going to be tested by Exeter, who haven't scored for five games now in over 500 minutes of playing time. And the 88 days that have passed since their last win, against Fulham on November 2, are starting to drain the patience of fans who watched them soar into the top ten in September. That all adds up to a crisis that even the prodigal Cooper will do well to escape from. Bournemouth's recent record and City's failure to win in the League since November were always going to make this a dour battle be tween relegation strugglers.
But City's early play was bright enoughSimon Davies tested right-back lan Pennock, Stuart Storer used his pace on the rightand Danny Bailey snapped at the heels of O'Connor in midfield. If that sounds familiar, so will the news of poor defending that allowed O'Connor and Chris Ledbitter to rampage down the left.
As will the two soft, car bon copy goals they con- ceded, that will give their defenders nightmares for weeks to come. Despite a neat break by Gary Worthington that put 18-year-old keeper Neil Moss under pressure from Mike Cecere early on, and some good crosses from Davies, there was an inevitability about both the Cherries' goals. Both came from simple crosses and both owed more to slack defending than razor-sharp finishing. Wood took the first coolly, when he volleyed in O'Connor's cross from close range. after the ball had drifted over a clutch of defenders. The Cherries could have had a couple more too as O'Connor and Leadbitter swung in crosses from the either flank. Only a brilliant Ken Veysey save denied Warren Aspinall just before half-time. Wood crossed from the right and Aspinall's header drifted towards the bottom left-hand corner, only for the former Torquay keeper to touch it round the post with his left hand. Aspinall let City off again, just before half-time, with a terrible mis-cue when he had the goal at his mercy. City rallied briefly at the start of the second halfwith Scott Daniels turning a cross back in front of goal for Worthington to head over. But they were immediately punished when Bournemouth defender Gary Chivers thundered a header in at the near post from O'Connor's corner after 60 minutes. After that all City could offer were long range efforts from Jon Brown, Storer and substitute Mickey Ross. Sadly, the 18-year-old Bournemouth keeper Moss, playing only his second league game after an injury to Vince Bartram, won't have many easier games than this.
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