AFC BOURNEMOUTH 2, ALDERSHOT TN 0

BOURNEMOUTH, batting against a 17-point deduction, hauled themselves out of the bottom two in League Two with a gutsy win in awful conditions at Dean Court on Tuesday night.

Aldershot thus failed to consolidate on Saturday's long overdue victory and it was a night when nothing went right for them, with keeper Nickki Bull and Jake Robinson – two of the heroes from the win over Accrington – both pulling up injured.

But you have to give credit to Bournemouth who, under their young manager, Eddie Howe, are making a valiant bid to escape a second successive relegation, having gone into administration last season.

Bournemouth have been an ever-present in drop-zones in recent times, but goals from Danny Hollands and Steve Fletcher gave them three hard-earned points and Grimsby's 1-0 home defeat against Brentford capped a great night for the Cherries.

The wind blew and the rain poured, but the pitch was in surprisingly good condition and an unchanged Aldershot side, again captained by keeper Bull, made a promising start, with the prolific Robinson looking hungry for more goals.

But the cold, gusting wind turned the game into something of a lottery, with little thoughtful football on show, and when Bournemouth made the vital breakthrough six minutes before half-time, it was with the first shot on target at either end.

Bull got a fist to a dangerous cross from Alan Connell, but the ball carried straight to Hollands who struck home firmly for his sixth goal of the season.

Alec McCarthy was called up to replace the injury-troubled Bull at half-time and the substitute keeper had a busy spell as Bournemouth responded to the vociferous urgings of their supporters in a crowd of 4,556.

Aldershot had half a chance to draw level when Justin Cochrane and Andy Lindegaard combined to set up Marvin Morgan who brought a good diving save from Shwan Jalal, the former Woking keeper.

But again it was Bournemouth who found the net after a rare moment of quality in the 56th minute. Brett Pitman played in Warren Cummings who supplied a perfect cross for local hero Fletcher to nod home on his 502nd league appearance for the club.

Gary Waddock tried a double subsitution, sending on a new strikeforce of John Grant and and Danny Hylton, but nothing much was happening for the Shots and Marvin Bartley, one of the home side's replacement, could have made it 3-0, only denied by Chris Blackburn's timely interception.

It doesn't get any easier for Aldershot as they struggle to find consistency. They travel to fifth-placed Bradford this Saturday and, on Tuesday, they host Shrewsbury, currently eighth.

Bournemouth: Jalal, Cooper, Garry, Pearce, Cummings, Robinson, Molesley (Bartley 78), Hollands, Pitman (Bradbury 90), Connell (Goulding 46), Fletcher. Subs (not used): Pryce, Feeney. Booked: Robinson, Garry.

Goals: Hollands 39, Fletcher 56.

Aldershot: Bull (McCarthy 46), Lindegaard, Straker, Blackburn, Charles, Chalmers, Hudson, Cochrane, Sandell, Morgan (Grant 61), Robinson (Hylton 61). Subs (not used): Winfield, Newman.

Booked: Cochrane.

Attendance: 4,556.

Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands).