Perhaps he knew a bit of alcoholic pain relief would be needed to survive the afternoon’s events… | OneFootball

Just outside Pokesdown railway station, while waiting for a bus to central Bournemouth, I saw a 73-reg white Transit van pull up at the Bell Inn. Two wheels on the pavement, two still on the road.

It was adorned with a big Newcastle United On Tour banner inside the rear window. The time, 10.10, nearly four hours till kick-off and at least one guy jumped out and headed straight into the boozer.

As they like to say in Northern Ireland: “Vote early and vote often!”

Change the verb to “drink” and you will get my drift.

Perhaps he knew a bit of alcoholic pain relief would be needed to survive the afternoon’s events at the Vitality Stadium aka Dean Court.

The 1A bus delivered me to within a long throw of The Moon In The Square (other Wetherspoons are available) where the cud was chewed for nearly three hours with fellow travellers.

A quick taxi ride left me grateful the Vitality, in the heart of Boscombe, holds only 11,500. Two body searches, a bag inspection and 10 minutes of queuing later, I was at the electronic turnstile. No joy with the barcode scanner until an NUFC steward showed me how modern technology worked. If AFC Bournemouth do expand the stadium to a longed-for 20,000-plus, the delays will be far worse. As will be the state of the toilets, presumably.

The ground, which bore no relation to the Dean Court I visited in the mid-90s, reminded me of Tucktonia, a model village in nearby Christchurch that featured scale models of British landmarks such as Stonehenge, Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace. It closed nearly 40 years ago, usurped by dynamic theme parks such as Chessington World of Adventures, but its spirit lives on at the home of the Cherries.

As for the match, I enjoyed it. Bournemouth were not as dynamic and aggressive in the flesh as they had been in previous televised encounters with United, perhaps because our 3-5-2, which often transitioned to a 5-3-2, a 3-4-3 or a 5-4-1, prevented them from cutting through our defences.

The flipside of this conservative approach was that we rarely threatened to break the deadlock, despite the best efforts of Livramento and Hall to break beyond their opponents. Are our two young full-backs more suited to playing either side of a central two or a central three?

They can certainly fill both roles with assurance, especially when Thiaw, Botman and Burn are in commanding form. Our recent German recruit started for the first time in the Premier League and on this display will prove an important addition.

His compatriot Woltemade, who was often double-marked and had to scrap gamely for possession outside rather than inside the Bournemouth box, will undoubtedly benefit when Wissa is fit to play alongside him.

On the only occasion Big Nick had the ball under his control near the penalty spot, he tried to turn and was clearly tugged back. Predictably, the incompetent ref Robert Jones declined to blow his whistle and the VAR decided the foul did not warrant intervention.

Based on what we saw from the wing stand throughout the match, the officials believed Woltemade could be impeded unfairly with impunity, presumably because he is 6ft 6in and should be big enough to stay on his feet however much he was kicked, barged and whacked. Exactly how firmly does a shirt have to be yanked for a free-kick to be awarded?

Without a hard-pressing striker, Tonali often found himself farther forward than any of his teammates. He put in a tremendous shift, forever trying to unlock Bournemouth’s defence, while also tracking back to protect his defence. Essentially, he did the work of two men. If he plays in midweek against Bradford City, I’ll be amazed.

Bournemouth were caught offside almost as many times as the assistant referee flagged. Thankfully, he got it right when they did put the ball in United’s net, though the agonising wait for VAR to confirm the call evoked flashbacks of Old Trafford on Saturday evening.

The Tucktonia-sized little big screens in the corners of the ground showed it was a tight call. Those screens! Every time Bournemouth took a corner, the deeply annoying “Bos Combe Back Of The Net” message was repeatedly flashed up, stirring the mainly moribund home fans into action.

United tested Petrovic only once, when Murphy fired into the keeper’s body at the near post after a slick five-pass move in the first half. Pope made two saves, booting clear an Adams drive in the early exchanges and stooping low to push away a stoppage-time free-kick by Kluivert. If either had beaten him, our No1 would have faced serious criticism.

Any point gained away from home is a good point in my book, especially when it comes at a ground where we normally struggle, against a team who finished the day joint-second in the Premier League. Hall, Miley and Botman played an entire match for the first time in yonks. That must benefit them as individuals and the squad as a whole.

Willock should be less satisfied with his afternoon. He seems to have lost the zip of previous seasons, the confidence to take on an opponent, the energy that is an essential element of his play. I would start him in the League Cup on Wednesday in the hope that he can rediscover his best form.

Having stayed on the bench yesterday, our two Brazilians should be raring to go, either against Bradford or next Sunday against the Woolwich. Bruno G and Joelinton joined their teammates and coaches on the pitch after the final whistle to show their appreciation for the non-stop vocal support from the Toon Army.

Three consecutive clean sheets away from home is some achievement, especially after a disrupted summer. It’s a record almost as impressive as that banner in the back of the Transit!

Bournemouth 0 Newcastle 0 – Sunday 21 September 2025 2pm

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Bournemouth:

Possession was Newcastle 44% Bournemouth 56%

Total shots were Newcastle 4 Bournemouth 11

Shots on target were Newcastle 1 Bournemouth 2

Corners were Newcastle 2 Bournemouth 5

Touches in the box Newcastle 18 Bournemouth 16

Newcastle team v Bournemouth:

Pope, Livramento, Thiaw (Lascelles 84), Botman, Burn, Hall, Tonali, Miley, Willock (Barnes 62), Woltemade (Osula 84), Murphy (Elandga 62)

Unused subs:

Ramsdale, Trippier, Joelinton, Krafth, Bruno

(Bournemouth 0 Newcastle 0 – Instant Newcastle United fan/writer reaction – Read HERE)

(Bournemouth 0 Newcastle 0 – A great point and (defensive!) performance from United – Read HERE)

Newcastle United fixtures definitely confirmed dates and times (All of the Champions League matches will also be available to watch on TV in the UK):

Sunday 28 September– Newcastle v Arsenal (4.30pm) Sky Sports

Wednesday 1st October: Union SG vs Newcastle United (5.45pm)