Defoe's perfect ten

Jermain Defoe is aiming for more records

Jermain Defoe has written himself into the record books by scoring in 10 successive league games. BBC Ceefax Sport's Mark Mitchener saw history in the making.

Bournemouth have enjoyed a special relationship with West Ham since former manager Harry Redknapp took over at Upton Park.

Rio Ferdinand spent two months in the centre of Bournemouth's defence four years ago and was playing for England a year later.

Matt Holland arrived on a free transfer and captained Bournemouth before leading Ipswich into the Premiership.

Hero

The latest, Jermain Defoe, joined on loan from West Ham just after his 18th birthday in October.

Three months on and Defoe is a cult hero at Dean Court.

He has scored in every league game since his arrival and the club are selling "Who let Defoe out?" T-shirts to help raise funds for their new stadium.

In a swirling wind and torrential rain at Cambridge, the odds looked against the record being broken when Bournemouth's Wade Elliott was sent off.

  Historical hotshots

All-time scoring

14 - Pele for Santos

Football League consecutive scoring

12 - Dixie Dean for Everton 1930/31

10 - John Aldridge for Liverpool split over 1986/87 to 1987/88

9 - Kevin Russell for Wrexham 1987/88

Premiership

7 - Mark Stein for Chelsea 1993/94

7 - Thierry Henry for Arsenal 1999/2000

But Bournemouth's 10 men held firm, and cometh the hour (well, the 64th minute), cometh the man in form.

Cherries skipper Steve Fletcher and namesake Carl combined to knock the ball into the path of Defoe who slipped his marker, took the ball around the goalkeeper and wrote his name into the record books with his 12th in 10 league games.

Redknapp's number two, Frank Lampard, watching in the main stand, would have been impressed as well.

Bournemouth manager Sean O'Driscoll is wisely trying to protect his young charge from the inevitable media attention, but was proud of Defoe's achievement.

"I think Jermain appreciates that you don't win records in football playing on your own, so it was a team effort and the boys have had to work hard.

"He's a young lad who's come into a young side and they've done their bit to improve him as a player," O'Driscoll said.

Dixie Dean scored in 12 successive league games

Midfielder Richard Hughes told BBC Sport Online: "Before the game, we all hoped he'd go on to break the record, and you always fancy him to get a goal.

"With them playing offside, if it wasn't going to be from a set-piece, it was always going to be Jermain."

Cambridge's veteran defender John Dreyer admitted: "His goalscoring record speaks for itself - he's only really had one good chance and he's taken it. He's very quick off the mark, and he's not somebody I'd relish marking week in, week out."

The next milestones are the all-time League record of Dixie Dean, who scored 23 in 12 successive games - and the world record of Pele, who managed 14 consecutive goals for Santos.

Can Defoe rewrite the record books even further? You wouldn't bet against it.