JERSEYMAN Brett Pitman bagged his third goal in nine matches for AFC Bournemouth yesterday to secure a vital 1-0 League One home win against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Pitman came in to start the match after a good second-half perform-ance in the 3-2 defeat at Scunthorpe on Saturday, the former St Paul’s and Tower man claiming an assist in both Bournemouth’s goals.

Yesterday Pitman won the Cherries their three home points after robbing the goalkeeper, who slipped in the rain, to score from a narrow angle deep into stoppage time.

The goal made up for Pitman’s spurned opportunity on 80 minutes, when he failed to get any power in a shot when well placed.

Pitman netted a penalty strike in the 2-0 home win against League One leaders Nottingham Forest earlier this month and made it two against Bristol City shortly before Christmas when Bournemouth lost a two-goal advantage to draw 4-4 away to Bristol City.

Against Gillingham ten days earlier, in a 1-1 draw terrific work by the former Island under-18 player resulted in a team-mate having an effort cleared off the goal-line.

Pitman also showed his trickery and eye for a goal with two excellent efforts late on in the match.

First a flashing header cannoned back off the foot of the post and then the striker’s audacious curling shot, after turning his defender inside out, had the ‘keeper beaten but not the woodwork.

Following the Forest win, which was Pitman’s first start of the season, he said: ‘It’s good to get the points, and to do it against the side who were top of the table was great for everyone at the club.

It’s the best game I’ve played in.

It felt like an eternity since we last won, so to get the win was great and to be starting the game was brilliant.’ Because of a lack of Combination Reserve games, Pitman, a product of the JFA Centre of Excellence, also turned out for the youth team recently.

‘I went back to the youth team because I needed some confidence.

I hadn’t been playing and I hadn’t scored for a while.

I went back and scored two and that did me the world of good,’ he explained.

Bournemouth’s victory yesterday moved them up two positions, but they are still two points shy of climbing out of the relegation places.