GOALS from strike partners Wes Thomas and Michael Symes saw Cherries ease to victory over Wycombe this afternoon.

Thomas, now a Cherries player after his loan move from Crawley Town was made permanent yesterday, slotted home from close range after 27 minutes to hand Lee Bradbury’s troops a deserved lead.

And Symes was on hand to bury a close-range header five minutes into the second half as Cherries made it just one defeat in 10 league games.

Bradbury’s side started the brightest, with Thomas and Symes both going close in the early stages.

Leon Johnson was on hand to clear Steven Gregory’s shot from inside the six-yard box on 25 minutes after the midfielder had raced on to Thomas’s header across goal.

But the Seward Stadium faithful didn’t have to wait long for the deadlock to be broken when Thomas fired home moments later.

Wes Fogden went close to doubling the hosts’ advantage early in the second half, but Nikki Bull was equal to his rasping right-foot drive from the edge of the box.

Bradbury’s men, though, got the second goal their efforts deserved five minutes after the restart when Symes nodded past Bull after Stuart Lewis had inadvertently flicked on Marc Pugh’s corner.

Bull got down well to beat away Harry Arter’s long-range effort just before the hour, before the visiting keeper again distinguished himself when saving Symes’s snapshot from point-blank range.

Pugh should have done better on 62 minutes, but Bull was quick off his line and made himself big as the winger pulled the trigger just inside the box.

And Pugh again was found wanting 20 minutes from time when, having been played into space by the excellent Thomas, the Lancastrian took far too long before shooting straight at the on-rushing Bull.

Although the visitors had their share of possession late on, however, Flahavan did not have a save to make.

Cherries: (4-4-2) Flahavan; Purches, Zubar, Francis, Daniels; Fogden (Cummings, 80), Arter, Gregory, Pugh (Parsons, 90); Symes (Taylor, 80), Thomas. Unused subs: Baudry, Jalal (g/k).

Wycombe: (4-4-2) Bull; McCoy (Basey, 64), Tunnicliffe, Johnson, Foster; Ainsworth (Harris, 71), Lewis, Bloomfield, McNamee; Beavon, Trotta. Unused subs: Strevens, Grant, Rendell.

Booked: Johnson.

Referee: Keith Stroud (Hampshire).

Attendance: 7,202.