MANAGER Eddie Howe saw Cherries end their five-match winless run and then praised his players for showing “real mental strength”.

Yann Kermorgant’s double – his second a penalty – earned Cherries a 2-1 victory over fellow Championship high-fliers Wolves at Dean Court tonight.

Cherries, pegged back on several occasions this season, took the lead through Kermorgant after 10 minutes before Benik Afobe levelled for the visitors with his 25th goal of the season.

GALLERY: VIEW ALL THE PICTURES FROM CHERRIES' WIN OVER WOLVES HERE

But after Kermorgant had restored their lead from the spot in the 49th minute, Cherries stood firm and were rarely troubled during an impressive second-half showing.

Howe said: “I am very proud of the players. A lot of questions would have been asked of us at 1-0 and 2-1 up. We have taken the lead in near enough every home game and haven’t held on to some of those leads.

“I thought the players showed real mental strength and dealt with that situation well. They also had to deal with not having won for five games and to do it with very few scares was a compliment to them.

“We showed another side to our game at the end – real professionalism, discipline and hard work and I was very pleased to get the win.

“It was a good performance if slightly scrappy at the end. But you would expect that because we were digging in and protecting our goal. Some of our passages of play were excellent, we broke their lines really well and created the best chances in the game.”

Afobe’s finely-taken leveller came somewhat against the run of play after Cherries had enjoyed the better of the opening period.

Howe said: “That has been the story of the past five games for us. We have dominated teams, dominated games, scored goals and then, out of nowhere, we have conceded. It hasn’t been due to pressure or individual mistakes, as such, it has just happened and most of the goals have been out of context with the games.

“It is a difficult one to coach and rectify because they are just moments in the game that take you by surprise. Tonight’s was another one. It was a good goal from their perspective but a poor one from ours. We weren’t under any pressure. Thankfully, we responded really well and the goal just after half-time gave us a big lift.

“Wolves are a good side and you can see from the make-up of their team that Kenny has some good athletes in the team. They counter-attack very well with the pace they have in the side.

“We knew all about their strengths and how they play and knew we would have to deal with it. But we didn’t want to tinker too much with what we do well and have done that well consistently for a long period of time.

“When you have the strengths that we have in our side, it is a delicate balance between changing for an opposing team and making sure you keep your identity. I thought we got the balance just right and thought the players executed it perfectly.”

The win owed much to the exploits of Callum Wilson who teed up Kermorgant’s first with a 10th minute cross and then won the second-half penalty after being felled by Richard Stearman.

Howe added: “Yann and Callum were a real force and, when they play like that, they are a real handful because of their different attributes.

“Yann’s technical ability for a big guy was top drawer and his work rate was excellent for the type of player he is. Callum was back to his best. He covered every blade of grass and was a real nuisance.

“I believe in both players so much. Callum’s goals speak of themselves and Yann’s goals-per-game are of a very good standard.

“But it is not just their goals, it is what they bring to the team. They give us a platform to build on so hopefully that will give them a lift heading into a busy run of fixtures.”