STEVE Cook offered a frank assessment of Cherries’ alarming drop in form, admitting “we’ve been poor all round” this season.

Having sat top in December, a run of seven defeats from 13 matches since has seen Cherries slide down the Championship table, now sitting outside of the top six for the first time all season following Wednesday night’s 2-1 defeat to Cardiff.

Jonathan Woodgate’s side are level on points with the sixth-placed Bluebirds, but are now 11 adrift of the automatic promotion spots and will be nervously looking over their shoulder at a host of other clubs looking to force their way into the play-off picture with 14 games to play.

“It’s very difficult for me to sit here and say that we’ve been anywhere near our potential this season,” captain Cook told the Daily Echo.

“We’ve been poor all round. We’re probably lucky to be still level with the play-off positions with the amount of games we’ve lost and given away.

“But the only positive thing I can say is we’ve got 14 games left and we’re still in there. We’ve got big games coming up, big games at home. Can we turn it around? 100 per cent.

“But it’s got to be soon.”

Cherries were second-best in the first half against Cardiff, going in at the break 2-0 behind thanks to a Sean Morrison header and Kieffer Moore penalty.

Substitute Shane Long pulled a goal back during an improved second-half display, but it counted for little.

“Cardiff are a big, strong side. In the first half, from our point of view we didn’t deal with their threats well enough,” said Cook.

“We gave simple balls away, we gave a lot of fouls away and we played into their strengths. Second half it’s the same old story this season for us.

“We go behind and then we start to try and get on the ball and move teams around. At the moment, the way we’re starting games and the intensity of our play is really poor.”

Asked why he thinks the side take so long to get going in games, the centre-back added: “It’s been relatively the same old story this year. I haven’t got an answer for you. I don’t know why.

“Cardiff were front foot, played to their strengths, but we didn’t play to ours. I don’t really know what we were doing, what angle we were going for first half. And when you’re losing first contacts and second balls to this lot, you’re ultimately going to lose the game.

“We conceded from a corner and then a penalty. So for them it’s probably a perfect game.

“Their keeper has made some outstanding saves in the second half, I thought we were better, we had chances, but again same old story.”

Quizzed further on the costly first half, Cook added: “It would be wrong for me to say we don’t know what we’re doing on the pitch because we get told how to play.

“We didn’t press them high enough, we didn’t stop forward balls, we gave away stupid fouls. When you’re marking six foot four, six foot four, six foot four, six foot five, the list goes on, eventually you’re going to give a chance away if balls are coming into your box. And we’ve been punished for that."