Harry's game

Harry Arter’s return is what so many AFC Bournemouth fan has been waiting for. He embodies the spirit and determination of the side that battled its way through the leagues and rose to every challenge put in front of it. Now he is on the verge of coming back after a lengthy injury. I can’t imagine how excited he must feel.

Harry just might be back against Tottenham or Liverpool in the coming days.

There has been part of me that has wanted to say this is not quite the way Eddie Howe will have wanted to start off his Premier league campaign. Not only have there been terrible injuries to Tyrone Mings, Max Gradel and Tommy Elphick, but the omission of Harry Arter from the two months of games was a disappointment, and when that looked like stretching further before we saw number eight take to the field, I was just pleased that the side was coping well without the Irishmen who so often conjures up something special to get us all up and out of our seats.

The pressure on Arter will be immense when he does play in the Premier League. It’s not wise to simply play catch up and put all that pent up energy into 90 minutes only to find you’ve over done it again. The temptation will be there for him to help the team in every way he can of course, but it will be a test to see if we have a Harry Arter that has the team firmly in his mind now. In previous seasons we have seen discipline be a weak point for him, and having already had such a large time out of the game the Cherries need their star midfielder to play as many minutes as he can between now and the end of the season.

What our fans have been deprived of more than anything is the partnership Arter has with Andrew Surman. If anything, Arter’s absence has brought out the best in Surman who has been a passing machine, topping all the charts for successful pass completions. The combination of the two players working together though adds a punch to the Cherries’ attacks and more energy through the middle. As the fans’ and PFA Championship player of the season in 2014-15, you can expect a big cheer when harry does make his entrance. It will be as if the seasiders are then almost complete, and the real AFC Bournemouth has come to play.

One man doesn’t make a team of course, but having one of your pillars back on the pitch does make a difference to the belief and understanding between players when that player has had such an important role in the fortunes of a team. While Tommy Elphick is the general at the back, Harry is certainly one of the brave commanders who will ask questions of the opposition and I’ll be very pleased when Harry features in the side. It should be like adding a new signing in terms of freshening up this Premier league side and yet Arter will be looking to fit in like he was never away, and if he can do that the Cherries will soon be on the march up the table.