Pitman on target

Brett Pitman was a bit of a surprise hero after his late equaliser against Ipswich Town. He had only been on the pitch for about quarter of an hour when he picked himself off of the floor, after his overhead kick effort, to smash home his first goal since the win against Millwall in October. Grabban has been so prolific up front as a loan striker that both Pitman and Rantie have found it hard to win a place in the team of late, but Brett's goal comes at a good time for the striker as he can now press for a starting place in the next few games.

Will Eddie give Pitman the chance to keep scoring? 

I always feel that Brett does better when he has been knocked back a bit. He comes back with more desire and a higher work rate whenever he misses a few games. I am sure that he tries to give his best all the time, but he certainly comes back hungrier and more determined to show that he is on his game. I always look at him after such games like the Ipswich one and wonder why doesn't he play with that intensity every game? Like all strikers he tends to score goals in spells and it's just possible that Eddie Howe will use him more frequently in the games coming up.

AFCB's away set up looks fairly set with Grabban playing as the sole striker, but at home there is no reason why Brett can't claim his place more regularly. There is added competition with Josh McQuoid having come back to fitness and with Ritchie adding more fire power to the team, Eddie Howe must be starting to smile about his options going forward.

A rest always seems to bring out the best in Brett.

Brett looks like moving back up the pecking order.

I was surprised that Tokelo Rantie was not in the squad for the game against Ipswich Town, but perhaps he is being held back to play in the FA Cup match against Burton Albion to see if he can get a few opportunities to get his goal scoring going against a lower league team. Of course Brett Pitman may also relish the chance to keep his form going with an appearance in that game, although all thoughts are turning to Brighton right now.