Two goals in either half succumbed Cherries to a 4-0 home defeat against Port Vale.

Cherries: Moss, Young, Howe, Connolly, Broadhurst, Anderton (Hollands 59), Cooper, Gillett, Ainsworth (Foley ht), Pitman, Claridge (Vokes 59).
Subs: Stewart, Fletcher.

Port Vale: Goodlad, Pilkington, Sonner, Harsley, Constantine, Smith, Whittaker, Abbey, Miles, Moore (Sodje 78), Fortune.
Subs: Anyon, Husbands, Walker, McGregor

Port Vale took the lead just three minutes into the game. The visiting side broke down the left and Karl Broadhurst took a swing at the low cross. His contact wasn't sufficient and danger man Constantine was there to make sure he paid for the error.

Ten minutes later Vale doubled their advantage. Stefan Moore won a corner on the right and Sonner's deep cross was headed back across goal by Pilkington over a clutch of players in the penalty area.

Cherries responded when Simon Gillett ran from midfield to take a return ball from Claridge, but hsi shot rolled wide of goal.

Lionel Ainsworth was getting a lot of the ball without making too much of an impact with the final touch, but he did have a shot at goal before the half hour mark. Pitman helped the ball on and Ainsworth shot on the turn into the gloves in Goodlad.

The play was reasonably even throughout the first half, but it was Cherries who created what few chances presented themselves. Connolly ran through the middle and fired in a shot that Goodlad had to parry away from the oncoming Claridge.

Paul Harsley had a long range effort for Vale just before the break and there was also time for Ainsworth to supply a far post cross for Gillett prior to the half time whistle, but he couldn't quite send the ball goalwards.

Half time: AFC Bournemouth 0-2 Port Vale

A slip from Connolly gave Stefan Moore the first opening of the second half. He had half the pitch to cover from out wide, although still had more time than he thought when the final shot fell safely wide of Moss's goal.

Chances were even harder to come by in the second than the first with Vale happy to sit on a two goal lead and deny Cherries a way through to goal. Stefan Moore was again involved when he beat the offside trap in the Cherries penalty area only for Connolly to recover well and do enough to put the Villa striker off his attempt.

Midway through the second half the game was as good as over when Constantine grabbed his second of the match. Jess Smith had been a terror on the wing for the entire match and his low cross was lashed home by the in-form striker inside the six yard box.

Stefan Moore then had a shot blocked at his feet by Neil Moss and substitute Sam Vokes came close to a firsts enior goal when his flicked header was saved by Goodlad.

With twelve minutes to go Port Vale brought on Akpo Sodje. His first impact was to fire in a shot that deflected for a corner. However with ten minutes remaining he scored a spectacular goal from twenty yards curling the ball beyond the dive of Neil Moss and the goal earned applause from the Cherries fans at that end of the ground.