Bournemouth 1 West Brom 0: Jack Wilshere makes bow as Callum Wilson’s first goal in nearly a year hands Cherries win

CALLUM WILSON scored his first goal since returning from a horrific leg injury as Bournemouth coasted to a 1-0 win over West Brom.

Loanee Jack Wilshere was handed his Cherries debut by Eddie Howe, but neither side could find the breakthrough in a drab first half.

Gareth McAulely came close to putting the Baggies ahead in the second half but was denied by Artur Boruc, before Matty Phillips saw his free-kick strike the woodwork.

But it was Wilson who had the final say this afternoon, with the striker flicking home with the inside of his heel following a cross from Adam Smith.

FACTS, STATS, GOALS AND LOLS

• Jack Wilshere might be adjusting to a new life on the South Coast but at least he will be familiar with his position on the bench.
• Another transfer window has been and gone yet Saido Berahino is still at West Brom. Maybe he’s not as good as he thinks he is.
• Tony Pulis puts in more of a shift on the sidelines than some of his players do on the pitch.
• When Jordan Ibe put a corner straight into touch, he made a big show of stamping down a divot by the flag. Yeah, it was the pitch’s fault.
• Bournemouth fans took to counting the time it took Albion keeper Ben Foster to take his goal-kicks. That’s how exciting it was.

• Guochuan Lai might want to think twice about handing over that £170million cheque to complete his Albion takeover this week.
• Why did Manchester United sell Jonny Evans if they were going to replace him with Daley Blind?
• The TV monitors in the Press box weren’t working, which turned out to be a blessing as we didn’t have to watch any of this for a second time.
• Stats show that Bournemouth cover more ground than any other Premier League team, which proves that you can run but you can also hide.
• Record signing Nacer Chadli is not so much a marquee signing for Albion, more of a one-man pop-up tent.

BIG PICTURE

SOCIAL SAYS

DREAM TEAM RATINGS

BOURNEMOUTH: Boruc 7, Smith 7, Francis 7, Cook 7, Daniels 7, Ibe 6 (Wilshere 6), Arter 6, Surman 6, Stanislas 6 (Gosling 6), King 7 (Gradel 6), Wilson 7

Subs not used: Afobe, Smith, Wilson, Federici

Goal: Wilson 79

Booked: Smith

WEST BROM: Foster 6, Dawson 6, McAuley 7, Evans 7, Galloway 7, Fletcher 6 (Gardner 5), Yacob 6 (Leko 6), Phillips 7, Field 6, Chadli 6, Berahino 6 (Rondon 5)

Subs not used: Nyom, Olsson, Myhill, McClean

Booked: Evans, Yacob, Field

THEY SAID:

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe: “There’s such small margins between teams at this level, we had to be very patient, but it was a great goal by Callum Wilson.

“I’m really pleased for him, players go through highs and lows, he’s had a severe knock with his injury but he always shows enthusiasm and brightness, and you could see from his celebration how much this meant to him.”