FESTIVE cheer was in short supply at the County Ground as Andy King received a reception usually reserved for a pantomime villain.

The strength of hostility directed towards the Town boss during a scrappy 0-0 draw with Bournemouth clearly surprised King but the full time chorus of jeers and boos were directed as much at referee Paul Taylor as they were at the manager.

Both Andy Gurney and Giuliano Grazioli were sent off, as was Bournemouth skipper Eddie Howe.

Yet this was not a game worthy of three dismissals. It was only when the referee suddenly became card happy that the match threatened to boil over.

King promised changes after watching Town crash at Notts County on Friday and he kept his word.

Alan Reeves returned to skipper the side at the expense of the injured Neil Ruddock while Gurney, ironically back in the side after a two-game ban, pushed out the unfortunate Adam Willis.

King also opted for an attacking line-up, playing Eric Sabin, Danny Invincible and Grazioli as a front trio.

Town started well but ultimately paid the price for their inability to convert chances.

Bournemouth offered little or nothing in attack and King's men should have been at least two up by the interval.

The first opening fell to Grazioli on seven minutes after a knockdown but the striker scuffed his 20-yard shot well wide of Gareth Stewart's right post.

But Sabin really should have done better just 60 seconds later when he pounced on a poor back pass from Jason Tindall but was unable to beat Stewart from six yards.

The visitors took almost quarter of an hour before providing any sort of attacking threat. But Bart Griemink, who could almost have stayed home and put his feet up such was the relaxing nature of his afternoon stood and watched as Carl Fletcher's shot flew wide.

But play immediately switched to the other end where Grazioli somehow missed a superb right wing cross from Wayne Carlisle.

The referee was in no mood to offer Town any late Christmas presents as Sabin went down in a heap after a tackle from Karl Broadhurst.

Broadhurst's involvemet in the game promptly ended though moments later when he was injured leading to the appearance of former Town target Shaun Maher.

The closest either side came to a goal came in the 24th minute. Sabin's cross from the right was laid off into the path of Duke who thumped a shot against the outside of Stewart's right hand post.

Although Duke's effort was the closest to finding the net, Sabin was guilty of missing a far easier chance.

Stewart stretched to tip away Invincible's 27th minute cross from the left but as the ball dropped to Sabin at the far post, he was unable to steer the ball into the net.

Matt Heywood failed to trouble Stewart with a powerful shot in the 33rd minute as Town continued to do all the attacking.

Warren Feeney fluffed a rare Bournemouth chance in the 35th minute and the Cherries' attacking ineptitude was summed up just before half time when Richard Hughes tried his luck from 20 yards and saw the ball curve out for a throw-in.

Having been so poor in the opening period, there was only room for the visitors to improve after the break.

This they did and Wade Elliott should have done better with a 47th minute effort.

All too often Town's final ball was lacking and on two occasions Carlisle's crosses found the Town End rather than the head of a colleague.

Bobby Howe and Steve Robinson attempted to create chances from midfield but their colleagues and the County Ground faithful grew increasingly frustrated.

Invincible and Robinson both stretched but fail to meet Carlisle's 57th minute cross and the Northern Ireland man was involved again on the hour when his free-kick was blocked by the Bournemouth wall by Howe blasted the rebound way over the bar.

But the match exploded with just over 20 minutes left.

Gurney was booked for a foul on Bournemouth substitute Tresor Kandol but yellow turned to red less than 60 seconds later when the referee penalised him for a challenge on Fletcher.

The Town defender was furious and had to be restrained from confronting the fourth official as he walked towards the tunnel.

Feeney then headed just wide as tempers began to fray.

Carlisle was replaced by Mark Robinson, while Duke made way for Sol Davis.

With 15 minutes remaining, Reeves appeared to be held down in the box but penalty pleas were waved away again.

Invincible made a total hash of a free-kick awarded just outside the box, which one fan greeted with a cry of 'your not playing Aussie Rules'.

Elliott cracked a 20-yard shot wide and Feeney saw his 87th minute shot ruled out for offside as the match looked to be petering out for a draw.

But the match erupted in stoppage time when Cherries skipper Eddie Howe was given his marching orders for a second booking but what really had the Town fans howling was the dismissal of Grazioli.

The straight red seemed to suggest violent conduct in the referee's eyes while Graz indicated he had been sinned against.

But Town are faced again with seeing key players sitting in the stands after falling foul of officials.