Bristol Rovers' Bournemouth jinx continued as they were thoroughly outplayed by the Cherries in the first round of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for the second season running.

Pirates' coach Paul Trollope named his strongest side but the Cherries, shorn of sacked manager Kevin Bond and playing for places in front of a new management team of Jimmy Quinn and Jason Tindall, enjoyed a deserved 3-0 win.

New striker Jeff Goulding put them ahead in the first-half before former Pirate Sammy Igoe and midfielder Danny Hollands finished off the game in the second half.

If Rovers are to make an appearance at Wembley this season, it is going to have to be in the play-offs.

It seemed to be Rovers' night when Brett Pitman missed an open goal for Bournemouth after Rovers' Steve Elliott was forced to clear off his own line shortly before the break.

But Goulding, the Cherries' new signing, from Conference South side Fisher, Goulding, connected with Warren Cummings' 38th-minute corner to open the scoring.

It gave the Cherries' faithful something to cheer about in what has been a grim start to the season. The club was hit with a 17-point deduction by the FA at the start of their League Two campaign and had yet to win a match this season.

They must be wishing they could play Rovers every week as it is now four wins in a row over the Pirates.

Rovers have not found goals hard to come by at the start of this season and last night's game kicked off with a show-case demonstration of where they came from. Summer signing Darren Duffy stretched his legs, chasing a through-ball and Rickie Lambert displayed good agility with a sharp turn and shot to test the Cherries' new goalkeeper Shwan Jalal.

But after Rovers' initial bluster, Bournemouth had it mostly their own way.

Rovers' old boy Igoe fired narrowly over from 25 yards early on before Scott Wagstaff gave Steve Phillips his first touch of the contest with a tame punt from closer range.

The Cherries may have lost Bond but they still have former England and Spurs midfielder Darren Anderton and his pin-point passing.

One such pass started a move that nearly drew first blood for the hosts, Wagstaff whipping in a teasing cross and no doubt wishing Pitman had been a second quicker to the back post.

Ryan Green got his first start of the season for Rovers in place of David Pipe due to illness, the only change from the side which has started every game for the Pirates this season. Perhaps that was the problem, for the home side had the greater energy.

Wagstaff had Phillips back peddling again midway through the first-half as Bournemouth started to press and test Rovers. Anderton may still look like a 12-year-old with his foppish mane of hair but he was given far too much room in the middle and Aaron Lescott was having his work cut out stopping Charlton-loanee Wagstaff on Rovers' left flank.

Pitman too forced Phillips into action as the home side cranked up the pressure.

Elliott said on Monday he was looking forward to Rovers' first clean sheet of the season. Luck was on his side when he cleared the ball off the line in the 36th minute straight into the path of Pitman who, with Phillips out of the way and Elliott flat on the deck, blazed wide with an open goal begging.

Gould saved Pitman's blushes and crushed Elliott's hopes of a clean sheet by nodding home Cummings' corner two minutes later.

Rovers were not the only ones lacking zip. In one of football's more unusual moments there was an appeal to the crowd for an FA qualified official to help out in the second half after one of the referee's assistants had to retire.

Trollope made a substitution of his own in the 61st minute, bringing on Sean Rigg for Jeff Hughes but it was a Bournemouth sub who made the difference.

Josh McQuoid left Green for dead as he latched onto Danny Hollands' weighted pass and whipped a teasing ball, low across the face of Rovers goal. Igoe popped up to stab it home, sealing a fine flowing move and a miserable night for the visitors.

Hollands could have made it three with a rasping drive just wide of Phillips' far post. Duffy made way for Ben Hunt to show what he learnt while at West Ham but he could do nothing to stem the leaks in Rovers' defence.

Hollands beat Phillips to a poor backpass from the head of Elliott in the 76th minute, gifting Bournemouth's third goal of the night.

Igoe was substituted to a standing ovation late on and Lambert proved it was not Rovers' night when he looked to have grabbed a consolation goal in the 88th minute only to see Jalal somehow bundle his close range effort to safety.