AFC Bournemouth
Goal heroes Marc Pugh, Brett Pitman and Matt Ritchie have recalled the day AFC Bournemouth wrote a new chapter in the Football League record books.
The trio were all on target as the Cherries trounced Birmingham City 8-0 at St Andrew’s in October 2014 – setting a new post-war record for the biggest away win in the second tier.
The game is the next part of the Cherries Repicked series, which has seen the club relive the full 90 minutes of famous fixtures on YouTube.
The memorable day will be streamed here live tonight (Wednesday 27th May) at 7.30pm.
Pugh led the rout with a hat-trick, while Tokelo Rantie netted twice and Callum Wilson once as the club registered its most convincing victory since joining the league in 1923.
Pitman paved the way for Birmingham’s heaviest losing margin at home in their 139-year history, the hosts having David Edgar sent off and seeing Artur Boruc save a Paul Caddis penalty.
Wilson and Ritchie struck to make it 3-0 by half-time before Pugh and Rantie, his first a penalty, ran riot in the second half.
Pugh told afcb.co.uk: “These are the things you dream about when you are growing up. It’s a day I will never forget and I will treasure the matchball forever.
“But it could have been very different because I’d had an absolute shocker in the first half. Although we were 3-0 up at half-time, I couldn’t keep the ball and couldn’t pass water!
“I scored my first goal early in the second half and grew in confidence from there. I got my second and then we were awarded a penalty.
“At the time, TK needed a goal so I let him have the penalty and he scored. Fortunately, a couple of minutes later, the ball fell to me and I scored my third.
“It was an amazing feeling because it was my first professional hat-trick. I can’t remember where we were in the table but, after that game, we all started to really believe.
“We went into games thinking we were going to win. We had that mentality that we were going to beat everyone and it was pivotal in our push for promotion.”
Asked whether there had been any sympathy for Birmingham, Pugh replied: “Absolutely none whatsoever!
“You have to be ruthless and that game helped our goal difference quite significantly.
“It was a great feeling to win 8-0 and great to be able to give the supporters the satisfaction of seeing such a comprehensive performance.”
Ritchie added: “I scored my first goal of that season at Birmingham and can remember how desperate I was to get it. I was wearing white boots with no insoles.
“I was trying everything to change my luck in front of goal. I took out the insoles thinking I’d get more of a feel for the ball. Small things like that stick in your mind.
“I remember my celebration. I had both fists clenched and Harry Arter was whacking me on the head!
“TK scored a couple and we were all so pleased for him because he had been getting a bit of stick.
“Pughie got his hat-trick, including two headers at the back post, and it was a really special day.”
And Pitman said: “It was an incredible day. Most people will go through their whole career and not experience winning a game as convincingly as we did that day.
“I remember coming off just after we had gone 4-0 up and being devastated because you just knew there were more goals to come!”
Don’t forget to relive the memories from the game on the club’s official YouTube account tonight by watching live at 7.30pm.
