Steve Foley and Steve Fletcher returned to the starting eleven with Fordyce and Pitman dropping to the bench.

City: Basso, Orr, Carey, Fontaine, Woodman, Cotterill, Noble (Brown 82), Skuse (Russell 78), Murray, Brooker, McCammon (Savage 78).
Subs: Phillips, Keogh.

Cherries: Stewart, Purches, Brown, Young, Hart, Cooke, Rix (Griffiths 80), Browning, Foley, Fletcher, Hayter.
Subs: Moss, Tindall, Fordyce, Pitman.

Att: 11,058
Away 725

Bristol City played direct from the off trying to utilise the strength up front of Brooker and McCammon. Steve Fletcher started the game in an advanced position with Hayter dropping in just behind.

The home side took the lead on seven minutes through the latter of the pair as Cotterill took advantage of a rare Neil Young error. Stewart went to close the angle, but Cotterill picked out McCammon and he placed the ball into the empty net.

City could have doubled their lead on eighteen minutes and it took a superb double save from Gareth Stewart to deny them. McCammon rose highest to head at goal from a corner and with Stewart still on the ground from the first save he blocked Brooker's follow up with his legs and Cherries escaped.

The Bristol City defenders weren't always picking up Hayter's forward runs and a long ball over the top looked to have set Hayter away, but a brave challenge in the air from City keeper Basso cleared the danger.

Cherries first shot of the game came on twenty-nine minutes and it came through the tenacity of Steve Foley. He battled through a couple of tackles and struck a left footed effort that Basso had to re-adjust slightly to catch high in the air.

Neil Young was then booked for a block on Cotterill. Woodman's strike hit the wall and went behind for a corner, but Young could now be suspended for next Saturday's trip to Walsall. Cherries countered from the corner and Hayter's run was deemed offside by the assistant referee on the near side.

Cherries enjoyed a good spell of possession with around ten minutes remaining of the first half, but were met by a sea of red shirts as the midfield tried to find a way through. Purches' left foot shot was blocked while at the other end Fontaine's far post header fell wide.

Minutes later Scott Murray missed a golden chance to score. McCammon broke the offside trap down the right flank and squared it to Murray, who couldn't make sufficient contact with his shot and dragged the ball wide.

On the stroke of half time Cherries grabbed a sensational equaliser through James Hayter. The striker netted his seventeenth and probably best goal of the season so far. Aaron Brown's forward ball was put into Hayter's path by Fletcher's flick and a thunderous strike sailed over Basso straight into the top corner.

Half time: Bristol City 1-1 AFC Bournemouth

Stephen Cooke started the second half in a positive vain and won Cherries first corner with a skillful run from half way. He received the ball for a second time from Hayter's flick and his cross won Cherries a corner. City couldn't clear properly and Fletcher's shot on the turn was saved low down by Basso.

Cherries looked brighter in the second half and were competing much better in midfield as well as giving Cooke and Foley more time on the ball to forge a creative spark in forward areas.

Eleven minutes into the second half City retook the lead in fortuitous circumstances. Brooker's shot from the corner of the area on the City right was going nowhere until a fluke deflection off Neil Young took the ball rolling into the opposite corner.

Noble's free kick should have resulted in a third goal for City  on sixty-two minutes. Carey met the kick and played the ball across goal. McCammon was left unmarked centrally in the six yard box and somehow Gareth Stewart made a save with his knees.

Two minutes later it was 3-1 and this time there was no denying Brooker's strike. He picked up the ball on the edge of the area and played a low shot right into Stewart's bottom right corner. Cooke had a half chance at the other end to pull one back, but his shot went wide of the near post.

City made a double substitution with twelve minutes remaining although the pair had to wait five minutes for the ball to go out of play whilst stripped by the touchline. Sean O'Driscoll then made a change and gave Adam Griffiths his Bournemouth debut.

The change gave Aaron Brown a chance to impress further up the field playing in a striking position and he had a shot into the side netting with eight minutes remaining. Brown was then harshly ruled offside in picking up a Cooke through ball so the square pass to Hayter and tap into empty net didn't count.

At the other end a saving challenge from Callum Hart denied sub Scott Brown a clear chance at goal following some good work by Savage. It didn't matter though as it was the last action of the game and the three points for City mean the home side leapfrog Bournemouth in League One.

Final Score: Bristol City 3-1 AFC Bournemouth