BOSS Kevin Bond hailed David Forde as "awesome" after the goalkeeper had played a starring role to help Cherries keep alive their slim survival hopes.

The on-loan Cardiff City stopper made a string of fine saves as Cherries recorded a 2-0 victory over League One relegation rivals Millwall at Dean Court on Saturday.

And Forde capped his stunning display by pulling off a crucial stop to keep out a Neil Harris penalty when the clash was delicately poised at 0-0 midway through the second half.

The Irishman dived full length to his right to block Harris's well-struck 64th-minute spot kick to chalk up the first penalty save of his professional career in England. Forde then looked on as two goals from Maxi Gradel - the first from the penalty spot - earned Cherries a fourth successive home league win for the first time in four years.

Bond said: "David was awesome. He made a fantastic save in the first half and the penalty save was everything because no doubt we would have lost if he hadn't kept it out. When he first arrived, he hadn't played many games and he seems to be getting better and better. He was the difference against Millwall and kept us in the game."

Forde, who will stay at Dean Court until the end of the season, also kept his second clean sheet in four games as Cherries edged three points closer to improbable safety.

Bond's charges are still nine points adrift with just five games remaining and will need to overcome leaders Swansea in their next encounter to stand any chance of avoiding the drop.

Forde said: "The first half was difficult. It was windy and, as we weren't on top, we knew we needed to keep it tight and give ourselves a chance in the second half. The crowd was a bit edgy and everybody seemed a bit tense. But we came out in the second half and caused them a few problems and deserved the win.

"For their penalty, the lad broke into the box and I thought he had a bad touch and the ball went away from him. My take was that it was minimal contact and it was hard to believe the referee gave it.

"I have a routine I try to stick to with penalties but I'm not saying what it is! Some days you get a lucky break and we had a bit of luck."

Forde, who was this week asked to extend his stay by Bond, added: "It's a nice bit of security and shows the gaffer has shown a lot of faith in me after an indifferent start at Leeds. I hadn't played for six months and knew there was a lot more to come from me. It's hard to come straight in after only playing a handful of reserve games. It takes a bit of time, especially for a goalkeeper, and hopefully there's a lot more to come."

A tactical switch at half-time saw Brett Pitman replace Jo Tessem before Gradel netted twice inside the closing 15 minutes to seal the points.

Bond added: "I was glad to come in at half-time with the score at 0-0. I decided to change things to give us a bit more going forward and, apart from a 10-minute spell in the second half, we ground out a really good win.

"Players like Max can make the difference and he's made the difference for us on many occasions this season. He can be a bit frustrating and drift out of the game but players with something different have a habit of being able to win a game for you."