BOSS Lee Bradbury singled out for special praise Rhoys Wiggins and Jon Stewart after the pair had both put testing times behind them to make valuable contributions to Cherries’ draw with Charlton.
Defender Wiggins, fully recovered from a buttock injury, was restored to the Cherries starting line-up just days after he had submitted a written transfer request following interest from Championship outfit Watford.
And goalkeeper Stewart was drafted in for injured first-choice Shwan Jalal having only returned to the club on Thursday after serving a two-week suspension for alleged breaches of discipline and a poor attitude to training.
Wiggins and Stewart both played their part as promotion-chasing Cherries halted a run of three successive defeats and shared the spoils with the Addicks following a Dean Court humdinger.
Bradbury told the Daily Echo: “We showed our desire to keep Rhoys and it was great to have him here past the deadline. He has been a massive part of our success this season and we would have been really disappointed to have lost him.
“We had a chat and he said he was 100 per cent with us. He said he wanted to play and wanted to do well. That was great for me because he has been one of our best players this season and certainly one of our most consistent.
“He was a man about it and said he wanted to get on with it and be a part of the team. If Rhoys is here and fit then he is a massive plus for us. I have got to play the best team for Bournemouth and Rhoys is in that when he is fit.”
Stewart, whose days at Dean Court appeared numbered after he had been given permission to train with West Ham last month, turned in an assured display after coming in for only his fifth appearance of the season.
Bradbury said: “I thought Jon did really well and his kicking was brilliant. He has got all the attributes to be a great goalkeeper. He is a man-mountain and has big shoulders. He just needs to concentrate on his work-load a bit more.
“By his own admission, Jon didn’t feel he was 100 per cent before. With Shwan out, it was just a case of whether Jon’s head was right. We had a chat and he said he was in a positive frame of mind after reflecting on his future.
“He is looking at this as a clean slate and is looking forward to pushing on and pushing Shwan for his number one shirt.”
Bradbury said Jalal had been troubled by a disc problem with his back and had needed an injection. However, he could be in contention for Friday’s trip to former club Peterborough.
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