Bournemouth boss Kevin Bond paid tribute to the "heroic" performance by his injury-hit side after they earned a deserved 2-1 win over Tranmere.So depleted were Bournemouth by injuries manager Bond was forced to give full debuts to teenagers Josh McQuoid and Billy Franks.

The Cherries were given a huge boost after only 40 seconds when Tranmere defender Ian Goodison turned in a cross from Max Gradel at full stretch for an own goal.

The Cherries, playing with only one striker, went further ahead in the 34th minute when Jo Kuffour bundled in a Danny Hollands corner for his 10th of the season.

Tranmere owed a big debt to goalkeeper Danny Coyne who made important saves in the second half from Kuffour twice, Hollands and from Jason Pearce.

Bond said: "In all my years in the game I have not had many wins more rewarding or surprising. With the team we had out we were nothing short of heroic."

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