Football / Coca-Cola Cup: Poacher Peacock: Bournemouth pay for limp attack

Bournemouth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0

Chelsea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

(Chelsea win on 2-0 aggregate)

IN Europe or at home it is not altogether easy following Chelsea these days, their travelling support forced to endure a trial by patience at Dean Court last night before Gavin Peacock finally made sure of their place in the Coca- Cola Cup third round.

Returning to one of his former clubs, Peacock twisted smartly on to Neil Shipperley's headed assist in the 64th minute to register the only goal of the game. As so often happens it came just as Bournemouth had passed up the best opportunity of the night in a brief bout of pressure that momentarily hinted at an ability to wipe out Chelsea's first-leg advantage.

The Premiership side had been given due warning of their occasional unease when Scott Mean and Michael McElhatton both sent headers wide that they might have accepted on a better day. Punishment seemed to have arrived for the Londoners when Mark O'Connor split the defensive cover with a through- pass that left James Reeve all on his own and bearing down on goal.

That was Bournemouth's problem. Reeve, 18, and making his first full appearance because injuries had removed both Mel Machin's senior strikers, could one day grow into the confident striker who will take these kinds of openings in his sleep. Here he first allowed Dimitri Kharin to block his shot and then, presented with an open goal as the ball veered up to a nice height, his header demanded more power than he was able to apply and the goalkeeper recovered to paw the ball to safety.

Chelsea had enjoyed overwhelming superiority in the first half and Shipperley alone might have been celebrating four goals. Each time, however, Alex Watson or Ian Andrews stood heroically in the way of his goal-bound efforts.

Bournemouth (3-5-2): Andrews; Watson, McElhatton, Fletcher; Beardsmore, Mean, O'Driscoll (Murray, 76), Leadbitter, O'Connor (Adekola, 76); Aspinall, Reeve. Substitute not used: Moss (gk).

Chelsea (4-4-2): Kharin; Clarke, Kjeldbjerg, Johnsen, Sinclair; Spackman (Newton, 76), Rocastle, Peacock, Wise; Furlong (Lee, 89), Shipperley. Substitute not used: Hitchcock (gk).

Referee: P Durkin (Dorset).