MANAGER Eddie Howe admitted Cherries had lacked the incisive edge to make the most of their stubborn resistance in Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat at Derby.

The Championship clash took a dramatic twist midway through the second half when referee Scott Mathieson sent off Cherries keeper Lee Camp and ruled out Jamie Ward’s effort that landed in the back of the net.

Until that point, clear-cut chances had been at a premium for both sides with Howe left to ponder what might have been as County became the first team to stop Cherries from scoring this season.

Howe told the Daily Echo: “We were disciplined but the only disappointment was in possession because in that respect, we weren’t our usual selves.

“We wanted to match Derby for football and try to dominate the ball but we were wasteful in possession at times. Our first pass once was not good enough and our movement and rotations didn’t match our usual high standards.

“Because of that Derby saw more of the ball than we wanted them to.

“The positive side was that our defensive display was good. We were resolute and organised and before the sending off the game possibly had a 0-0 look about it.”

Andrew Surman saw a second-half shot blocked by Rams skipper Richard Keogh before the deadlock was broken, with the Cherries midfielder joining colleague Matt Ritchie in launching a vehement appeal for a spot kick.

However, Howe said he had been “right behind” the incident and admitted “it was not a penalty”.

  • Cherries’ Sky Sports-televised Championship fixture at home to Brighton has been pushed back 24 hours to Saturday, November 1 (5.15pm).

Brighton had originally been faced with the prospect of two games in 48 hours, with their League Cup tie at Tottenham scheduled for Wednesday, October 29.