Is the Cherries' champagne football here to stay?

The wins keep coming and Bournemouth have suddenly entered the frame to be wait for it...shush, late play-off contenders! It is hard to see what has changed in the last month. At first we had a great team to watch that was doing okay but just hovering around the bottom third of the Championship with a group of players that were learning their trade and progressing well. Now AFCB are a team that is taking the Championship by storm, dispatching opposition teams with great skill, precise passing and deadly finishing. The ingredients have probably always been there, but someone changed the menu and AFCB supporters are suddenly dining at the top part of the Championship table. 

AFCB are taking the shackles off and going for the wins. 

If anyone thought it is was a bit premature to think of a top six finish, you can't ignore the possibility any longer. It may be a long shot, but it is potentially there with the fixtures the Cherries have left to play. I was watching everybody's faces during the Birmingham game when the goals were going in during that first half and they showed a mixture of astonishment, pleasure and sheer delight. Eddie Howe has got the team to click and it is running like an express train. If there are any slip ups from teams above AFCB, you get the feeling that the Cherries are more than capable of taking anything that is left on offer. The results last night certainly did no harm.

The team's play has changed. It is more than just confidence. They are playing with a swagger and are almost dismissive of whatever team is put in front of them. It's not arrogance or misplaced belief it's based on a knowledge that any team is beatable in the Championship and that the Cherries are just as good as the so-called big teams. It may surprise you but AFCB are already probably one of the big teams in terms of the players they have on the pitch. Those teams above AFCB will not be relishing having to play the Cherries in the run in.

To a large extent the run was going unnoticed by many, but the form that has been evident throughout March is a standard that no other team has matched. Expect people to be looking closely at AFCB coming up on the rails. The players have given themselves a chance and with a rest this week they have two massive games coming up next - QPR and Reading. Two wins against those teams and it's game on for the shush! (play-offs).

I just hope that Leeds and Birmingham were just the start of the champagne football that we are witnessing. If the team loses to QPR and Reading, AFCB has still had an amazing season so my advice is to just enjoy the games.