SEAN O'Driscoll's rain-sodden troops were given two key objectives when they went into battle last week - and their tough mission was duly completed on Saturday.

The Cherries boss demanded two victories - one in the LDV Vans Trophy against Orient and the other against Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup.

Orient were put to the sword on Tuesday night and Rovers succumbed to superior firepower on Saturday in a thoroughly entertaining blood-and-thunder clash.

The game against Rovers, flying high in the Conference, was always going to be a potential banana skin.

It was a tie which witnessed a blatant Cherries penalty appeal turned down in the first minute, a fair bit of the nasty stuff (Rovers' Justin Jackson was sent off a ridiculous assault on Carl Fletcher) and a downpour which could have ended the game if there had been too many more minutes left to play.

And, when Bournemouth's coolly-taken opener by Danny Thomas was cancelled by Robert Gill's header, there was a brief, nervous feeling the game could have gone either way.

It was left to Wade Elliott to secure Bournemouth's seventh consecutive home win with an excellent 25-yard strike and only the sad sight of Warren Feeney being carried off marred the occasion.

Elliott said of the goal: "Sean (O'Driscoll) has been telling me to have more shots so I did when the ball came to me. I've been pretty pleased with my performances but goals put a special gloss on it."

The creativity and general nuisance value of tricky Elliott continues to be a key factor in the Cherries armoury. When he's on fire, defences can be carved open with the ease of a knife through butter and his clever footwork was combined with some excellent crosses on Saturday. A couple of defenders are now routinely dispatched to stifle him.

"I'm aware of that and it's something I've just had to learn to cope with", says Elliott. "It's a question of adding another facet to your game by running off the ball and creating space for yourself and others."

So Bournemouth went into the hat for the second round FA Cup draw - to be handed a trip to either Division 3 leaders Hartlepool or Southend - while the regional quarter-final of the LDV Trophy will see Cardiff City visit Dean Court in the week beginning December 9.

However, it's back to league action this Saturday at Southend.

FA Cup draw: Page 12 Sport on Monday