TWO goals in as many second-half minutes condemned Cherries to defeat on another disappointing afternoon for the Dorset club.

The Dean Court outfit look set for a long season in League Two after producing an uninspiring display as they lost 3-1 at Port Vale.

The writing was on the wall when the hosts went ahead through Marc Richards after 15 minutes.

Cherries had in-form stopper Shwan Jalal to thank for keeping them in the game during a poor first half, and hopes of a positive result were raised when loanee Craig Lindfield hit a 57th-minute equaliser.

But poor defending allowed Vale to stretch their lead to 3-1 and Cherries never threatened as the Staffordshire side held firm late on.

Cherries boss Kevin Bond made four changes to the side that lost 1-0 against Exeter last week, but the one expected addition was absent at Vale Park.

New signing Alan Connell, who was in line to make his second debut for the club, missed out after sustaining suspected ligament damage when he jarred his left knee in training yesterday.

The striker joined from Brentford earlier this week but was ruled out by the problem, the extent of which will be discovered on Tuesday when he undergoes a scan.

But Bond did hand full debuts to two other forwards - loan men Lindfield and Reniel Sappleton, who were paired in attack.

Fit-again duo Jalal and Ryan Garry also earned recalls, with Scott Guyett (hamstring) and Ryan Pryce (bench) missing out.

And Garry was immediately in the action at Vale Park, but it was not the start the former Arsenal trainee would have wanted.

He misjudged a long ball in the second minute but, when Luke Rodgers latched on to the hopeful punt, Garry would have been relieved to see the lively frontman poke his effort just wide.

The home fans didn't have to wait long for a goal, though, with Vale taking a 15th-minute lead.

Chris Slater found Richards deep in Cherries territory and, when his original 20-yard effort cannoned back off Jason Pearce, the forward made no mistake with his second strike, shooting low and in off Jalal's left-hand post.

The same man almost doubled the advantage on the half-hour, but this time Jalal reacted sharply to keep out Richards's right-foot curler after he had been set-up by strike partner Rodgers.

Cherries, now firmly on the back foot, again had Jalal to thank after the former Peterborough stopper saved them from going further behind in the 32nd minute.

He leapt high to acrobatically tip Simon Richman's 25-yard attempt over the bar.

The south coast side showed glimpses of attacking intent as the half wore on, but Vale keeper Joe Anyon remained untested at the interval, after Lindfield fired Cherries' best effort well wide from the edge of the penalty area, while Sappleton headed way off target from 12 yards.

Cherries began the second period slightly brighter, without forcing Anyon into serious action.

Manager Bond decided he'd seen enough in the 57th minute and made a change, bringing Brett Pitman on in place of Sappleton.

And the visitors immediately levelled matters following the substitution, but it was Pitman's fellow striker Lindfield who found the target.

The Liverpool youngster rose highest to head home his first goal for Cherries after Lee Bradbury had diverted Darren Anderton's free-kick into the danger zone.

Having struggled to register a decent effort on goal before the equaliser, Cherries came close to a second goal moments later. But, after creating space 20 yards from goal, Pitman could only drag a left-foot shot wide.

But the revival lasted all of six minutes when Cherries' defensive frailties were once again exposed as Vale regained the lead.

Rodgers, who had proved a thorn in the visitors' side all afternoon, got in behind and, when Jalal could only parry his vicious effort, Richman was on hand to nod into the empty net from close range.

And just when the small cluster of travelling fans thought things couldn't get any worse, they did two minutes later.

Louis Dodds's cross from the left was missed by Rodgers at the near post, but it also evaded Cherries' backline, allowing Vale centre-half John McCombe to sneak in unopposed and head past Jalal from 10 yards.

Bond made changes as his side looked for a way back into the game. But the introductions of both Scott Wagstaff and Joel Ward failed to save Cherries from another defeat, with Anderton's curling last-minute free-kick being their best effort.

Port Vale: Anyon, Griffith, Slater, McCombe, Collins, Richman (Glover, 78), Davidson (Taiwo, 61), Howland, Dodds (Perry, 78), Richards, Rodgers. Unused subs: Martin, Prosser.

Booked: Richards

Cherries: Jalal, Bradbury (Ward, 69), Garry (Wagstaff, 69), Pearce, Cummings, Bartley, Cooper, Anderton, Hollands, Lindfield, Sappleton (Pitman, 57). Unused subs: Igoe, Pryce.

Booked: Pearce

Referee: Mike Russell (Hertfordshire)

Attendance: 6,048 (including 141 visiting supporters)