TOWN 5 BOURNEMOUTH 1
Vaughan hat trick earns first home league win
James Vaughan’s hat trick helped Town earn their first home league win of the season against AFC Bournemouth.
The striker took his tally to seven for the season with a superb treble, which included a penalty. Adam Hammill and Adam Clayton scored either side of Vaughan’s hat trick; Clayton’s was the pick of the bunch, a superb 25 yard strike to seal the points.
Marc Pugh replied for the visitors, but it was nothing more than a consolation.
Mark Robins had the luxury of naming an unchanged starting XI for the visit of Bournemouth.
That meant that Adam Hammill kept his place on the right wing and he was first to test Ryan Allsop with a drive from the edge of the area.
Harry Arter had scored the only goal of the game when the sides last met in Huddersfield and he was the first to try for the visitors when he headed over in the 5th minute.
Robins had called upon his players to lift the goal scoring burden from James Vaughan during the week and he got his wish in the 14th minute. Hammill, who had started impressively, played a neat one two with Jonathan Hogg into the box before beating his man with a step-over and poking a shot, via the post, past Allsop.
Bournemouth’s reply was impressive with both Brett Pitman and Lewis Grabban going close courtesy of good wing play by the tricky Ryan Fraser.
Apart from picking the ball out of his net, Ryan Allsop had done very little until the half hour mark when he was called upon to make two fine saves. Firstly he did well to tip Vaughan’s viciously struck shot over before he palmed away Hogg’s drive from the resultant corner – both efforts were assisted by Hammill.
Hammill and Town’s day was to get even better, though, in the 37th minute when James Vaughan climbed highest to power home a header courtesy of the winger’s innovative cross.
It was three in the 42nd minute when Vaughan’s purple patch in front of goal continued courtesy of strike partner Martin Paterson’s superb threaded pass. The former Norwich man took one touch to steady himself and then one more to beat Allsop from 12 yards.
Vaughan went close to securing his hat trick within a minute of the restart when he fired wide from Oliver Norwood’s deep long ball. However, he was provided with the perfect opportunity to do so in the 57th minute when Simon Francis bought down Jake Carroll in the box. Vaughan raced to grab the loose ball, placed it on the spot and fired past Allsop to give Town a now unassailable lead.
Eddie Howe’s men reduced the deficit to just three with just over 20 minutes of the game to go. Ryan Fraser, who had impressed in the first half, swung a hopeful ball into the box, which substitute Marc Pugh did well to head home under the close attentions of Hammill and Peter Clarke.
Adam Clayton put the icing on the cake for the Terriers with the pick of the goals in the 78th minute. The midfielder picked the ball up 25 yards out and cut inside his man before unleashing an unstoppable left footed shot into the roof of Allsop’s goal.
Town’s team (3-5-2):
Alex Smithies; Joel Lynch, Anthony Gerrard (Calum Woods, 76), Peter Clarke (c); Jake Carroll, Adam Clayton, Jonathan Hogg, Oliver Norwood; Adam Hammill; Martin Paterson (Sean Scannell, 80), James Vaughan (Jonathan Stead, 80)
Unused substitutes:
Ian Bennett, Oscar Gobern, Danny Ward, Jack Hunt
Town bookings: Martin Paterson 20; Oliver Norwood 66
Bournemouth bookings: Brett Pitman 8; Richard Hughes 69
Gate: 12,025
Away: 335
