Bournemouth 2-0 Wednesday

WEDNESDAY fell to their first defeat of the new season at Dean Court as Bournemouth put the Owls to the sword in comprehensive fashion.

Goals from Adam Barrett and Harry Arter gave the Cherries their first league victory of the season and left Wednesday licking their wounds after back-to-back wins.

Owls boss Gary Megson made wholesale changes to the side that beat Blackpool in the Carling Cup on Tuesday night, reverting more to the squad that beat Rochdale in the season opener last weekend. There was no place for new signing Chris O'Grady but Paul Lines won a place on the bench.

The hosts were desperate to bounce back from their opening day defeat against Charlton and build on their 5-star cup triumph over Dagenham in midweek.

Wednesday, playing just 48 hours after their cup win on Thursday, took the plane down to the south coast and they started brightly, limiting the early threat from the Cherries and carving out a chance of their own through Liam Palmer.

Clinton Morrison also fired just wide of the goal following good work by Palmer as both sides battled for the upper hand in a timid opening.

Lyle Taylor and Ryan Doble, signed only last week, posed the first threats for the hosts but Owls stopper Nicky Weaver had relatively little work to do.

But the chances for the Cherries gave them a much-needed boost as half-time approached and they broke the deadlock six minutes before the interval.

It came from a set-piece, disappointingly from Wednesday's point of view, as Nathan Byrne swung in a corner and Barrett rose highest to head the hosts into a 1-0 lead.

Half-Time: Bournemouth 1-0 Wednesday

Wednesday would have perhaps been happy with a point from the game but they had to show more of a attacking threat in the second half to get back into the game.

They did just that and almost got on terms minutes after the restart when Jose Semedo headed a Lewis Buxton cross over the bar.

Megson needed to make changes in attack and new addition Lines, signed for £50,000 from Bristol Rovers on Thursday, was brought on on the hour mark to try and make an impact.

Gary Madine also came close for the visitors but the hosts could have sewn the game up not long after had it not been for Owls skipper Rob Jones.

Weaver couldn't grab a cross and Liam Feeney fired a shot towards goal only for Jones to be well positioned to divert the ball off the line and away from danger.

But with the Owls pushing forward for the leveller the Cherries looked dangerous at the other end and they duly doubled their lead on 82 minutes.

Feeney fed Arter and he drilled a low shot beyond Weaver and into the back of the net to all-but seal the three points for Lee Bradbury's men.

Wednesday: Weaver, Buxton, Batth, R Jones, Bennett (O'Connor 80), Palmer, Prutton, Semedo (Otsemobor 75), Sedgwick (Lines 58), Madine, Morrison. Unused substitutes: O'Donnell, R Johnson.

Bournemouth: Flahavan, Malone, Cooper, Taylor (Fletcher 88), Feeney, Pugh, Barrett, Byrne, Molesley (Arter 66) Gregory (Baudry 89), Doble. Unused substitutes: Jalal, Purches.

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