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Your support makes all the difference.Things tend to go kiln-shaped when Stoke City hit the FA Cup trail, but, with a little help from the referee, who awarded them a penalty and reduced Bournemouth to 10 men in first-half stoppage time, they will feature in the fifth-round draw today for only the second time since reaching the semi-finals in 1972.
Mike Ryan summarily sent off the goalkeeper Chris Tardif, who is on loan from Portsmouth, for bringing down Brynjar Gunnarsson, even though Bournemouth argued that at least one defender had got back behind Tardif. Chris Iwelumo scored from the spot, the first of two goals by the towering Scots-Nigerian striker who wears his socks up over his knees comme Thierry Henry.
Peter Hoekstra added a late third to smooth Stoke's passage into the last 16 after a 16-year absence and ensure a scoreline which did the Third Division side scant justice. Tony Pulis, the Stoke manager who still lives in Bournemouth after a spell in charge at Dean Court, acknowledged as much, saying: "Up to our first goal, they played ever so well, like underdogs do when they have nothing to lose."
Pulis added: "But I was very pleased because we've had a virus flying around the club. We tried to keep it quiet, but we lost Sergei Shtanyuk to the bug just over an hour before kick-off and had to send for a young lad [Richard Keogh] to get on a bus to come down and be 16th man. Now we'd like to draw a big club at home – that would help the coffers and also reward our supporters."
Bournemouth, 35 League rungs below their First Division hosts, were the more cohesive and enterprising side in the first half. Sean O'Driscoll, Pulis's friend and neighbour, went for a bold formation featuring wingers. On the right, Wade Elliott looked the game's most accomplished player when his team still had a full complement of players, sending an angled shot against a post after only nine minutes.
Elliott is a former England schoolboy international and his touch and movement frequently made his slide down the football pyramid to Bashley several years ago appear baffling. Hoekstra, by contrast, is a one-time Dutch international, yet until Stoke gained the upper hand he achieved little in a wide-left role other than a 10th-minute cross which Jason Tindall cleared just as Iwelumo looked set to score.
Tit-for-tat gave way to plain tat, neither keeper being troubled until the incident which turned the match. Tardif, having blocked a shot by Chris Greenacre, promptly found Gunnarsson bearing down on him. The Icelander was clearly upended, but the leniency with which Blackburn's Brad Friedel was treated in similar circumstances against Manchester United last week was not extended to Tardif.
Mr Ryan's firmness would have been more impressive had he had not allowed Iwelumo to fire past the substitute keeper, Gareth Stewart, without noticing that the ball was not on the spot. He was then obliged to ask Iwelumo to beat Stewart a second time after a linesman drew his attention to encroachment by a Stoke player.
A game that had promised much for Bournemouth became a damage-limitation exercise once they went further behind early in the second half. A low cross from the left by the lively Greenacre was bundled in at the far post by Iwelumo for his seventh goal of the season.
With seven minutes remaining Greenacre also sent Hoekstra on the run at a weary defence which produced the third goal. A drive which fairly tore past Stewart from 16 yards was a belated reminder of the former Ajax man's pedigree.
The 1,800-strong following from the south coast, augmented by Tardif for the second half, rose to acclaim a consolation goal at the death as Warren Feeney swerved round Neil Cutler. But with the goal at his mercy, Feeney lost his footing. It was that kind of afternoon for Bournemouth.
Goals: Iwelumo pen (45) 1-0; Iwelumo (51) 2-0; Hoekstra (84) 3-0.
Stoke City (4-4-2): Banks (Cutler, h-t); Henry, Marteinsson, W Thomas, Hall; Gudjonsson (Neal, 82), Gunnarsson, J O'Connor, Hoekstra (Goodfellow, 85); Iwelumo, Greenacre. Substitutes not used: Wilson, Keogh.
AFC Bournemouth (4-4-2): Tardif; Purches, C Fletcher, Tindall, Buxton; Elliott, Stock, G O'Connor, D Thomas (Stewart, 45); Hayter (Holmes, 72), S Fletcher (Feeney, 72). Substitutes not used: Broadhurst, Foyewa.
Referee: M Ryan (Preston).
Booking: Bournemouth: Feeney. Sent off: Bournemouth: Tardif.
Man of the match: Elliott.
Attendance: 12,004.
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