AFC BOURNEMOUTH 0 CITY 2
League Division 2
1st December 1987
attendance 9,499
Scorers White(13), Stewart(61)
Ref R Groves
City Nixon, Gidman, Hinchcliffe, Clements, Lake, Redmond, White, Stewart, Adcock, McNab, Simpson – subs Varadi(79), I Brightwell(unused)
Bournemouth Peyton, Langan, Morrell, Coleman, Williams, Whitlock, O’Driscoll, Puckett, Aylott, Goulet, O’Connor
FROM THE PRESS BOX
DAVID LACEY WRITING IN THE GUARDIAN 2ND DECEMBER 1987
Manchester City are no longer a tale of the unexpected.
They won their sixth match out of‘ seven at Bournemouth last night because while their defence and goalkeeper had some bad moments their attack possessed the sharper finish,
Goals from David White and Paul Stewart, who, between them have scored 31 times this season, took City to their most challenging position yet in the Second Division.
A friendly apart. the clubs had never met before last night, which was slightly surprising. These days, given the proliferation of competitions, you would have thought that everybody had met everybody else.
It was a good moment for Manchester City to break new ground. They came to Dean Court unbeaten in eight League matches, during which time they had scored 26 goals, 10 of them against Huddersfield. Bournemouth. in contrast. have won only two of their last 15 League fixtures.
The statistical difference was born out on the field. Manchester City had the brisk confidence of a team expecting to score sooner rather than later.
Bournemouth began more in hope than anticipation although from the outset they managed to force enough corners to reveal a certain hesitancy in the City defence.
Even so, City went ahead in the 13th minute. McNab’s short corner on the left went to Hinchcliffe and from his cross White scored with a header that went in off the foot of the near post.
Bournemouth’s aggression preyed on the nerves of the City defence in general and their goalkeeper in particular. Nixon looked as if he was about to be impeached. After all, the opposition were fielding a genuine American, Goulet, starting a League match for the first time.
Almost every cross or corner found Nixon wanting and Aylott’s diving header went wide of a gaping net after the City goalkeeper had found himself stranded near the left-hand byline. Then Nixon was left groping by O’Driscoll, who whipped the ball away from the
advancing goalkeeper near the penalty spot but just could not turn it back into an empty net.
Even when City were reduced to attacking in breakaways. Stewart’s pace and strength in possession. added to the speed with which McNab. Simpson. Adcock and White gave him support, promised them another goal.
Nevertheless Bournemouth went into the second half deserving to draw level and continued to come close to doing so. Aylott’s angled pass sent Coleman in on the left for a shot that skimmed the bar and from Goulet’s cross Puckett had a sharp shot on the turn
smartly saved by Nixon.
When Puckett’s shot hit a post on the hour Dean Court held its breath, but before Bournemouth could draw another, City had scored again. Stewart exploited hesitancy by the central defenders, controlled Hinchcliffe’s long clearance and swerved past Whitlock and Peyton before tapping the ball over the line.