The new king Eddie could well have his day against Harry

QPR come to Dean Court having only secured a draw in their last game against Blackpool. That will be sitting uneasily with Harry Redknapp and even if they don't finish in the top two places they will want to come third. AFCB will be seen as a large obstacle that stands in their way, although I am sure Harry Redknapp and Kevin Bond will say he they are delighted to see Eddie Howe's Bournemouth playing so well. You would have thought that this game should have been a scheduled TV covered fixture from the first time the fixture list was drawn up, but the football league show has hastily arranged to bring some cameras down. Perhaps AFCB won't be last on this week, just because QPR are in town! This game is now much more important than the Brighton games ever were and it is at least fitting that the match will be played out ion front of what looks to be a full house.

Redknapp complained about not playing with enough tempo against Blackpool and he will come to Dean Court expecting his players to man-up against an AFCB side that he knows are going to push them back. Set-plays and slowing the game down may well be in his tactics but AFCB have to find ways of out foxing the wily old campaigner. It will be tactical and I expect a close game at least in the early stages with neither side giving much quarter, but AFCB's starts are becoming legendary and QPR are finding it harder these days to come from behind only getting a 78th minute equaliser against Blackpool last time out.

There are players in QPR's side that are big match players and AFCB will have to watch out for them. I particularly don't want to see Benayoun left unattended anywhere around our box, although he did not play in their last game and I hope he is still unavailable. Even then there is Ravel Morrison who has been writing his own headlines just to embarrass Sam Allardyce and is another one for Arter and co to keep tabs on for the whole 90 minutes. Before you think at least Charlie Austin is unavailable, there are rumours that he is almost ready and could make an appearance in this game! You would think QPR have enough talent as it is with Bobby Zamora and Kranjcar, another match spoiler if ever there was one. 

Making QPR defend will be the key because we have seen Assou-Ekotto torn apart by the pace of Danny Ings this season and Lewis Grabban might be able to do something similar. Bournemouth have the players to expose any weaknesses in a QPR side that does not come prepared for a hard game, because I tell you Bournemouth will be up for this one and reputations could be splattered all over the Goldsands stadium after this one. The new king Eddie could well have his day. Getting in the mood yet?

AFCB Home form
LDWDW

QPR Away form
LWLLW

Donal McDermott
leaves the club.

Many of you will have noticed that the club posted a news item that they have parted company with Donal McDermott who is returning to Ireland. I've been a big fan of Donal's football skill and I hope he is determined to keep trying. I'll always remember that play-off goal he scored against Huddersfield Town at Dean Court. We wish him all the best.

Finally,  Cherry Chimes has launched a mobile app that will work on any Android phone as a native app, or in your browser as an HTML5 app on other Smartphones.

You can install it here: http://fanapp.mobi/cherrychimes or you can scan the QR code. Give it a try and let me know what you think. It's free to download.

Those of you who also like to have a punt on the Grand National can do so by registering at  Free Bet Negotiator - Good luck!

McQuoid should get the games at Posh

So Josh McQuoid has managed to get a good loan deal until the end of the season at League One side Peterborough. The timing of the loan window is a good opportunity for him though to show Eddie Howe and other interested parties that Josh has plenty to offer. It should be a good move for him playing in a league has experienced with Bournemouth and where did so well. He has had a chequered career in the Championship at Millwall and Burnley and has not been able to break into AFCB's team following his comeback from injury, so I see it as a positive spell for him to get some matches under his belt with a team that are going well, but need more impetuous.

Josh gets a new project until the end of the season at the Posh.

Josh has only made the AFCB squad a couple of times on the bench at Middlesbrough ans away against Wigan and at the recent home match against Huddersfield, plus in the FA Cup third round Burton game and appearance at home against Ipswich Town. Andrew Surman seems to have the vote at the moment to play off Lewis Grabban. So opportunities were really limited for Josh and he probably needs a run of game to try and get some form going. Now that Yann Kermorgant has joined the team and Rantie and Pitman are also vying for a squad place it must have looked pretty hard for Josh to get a chance at AFCB. A good spell on loan though could help him for next season and when you look at the squad you wonder if Donal McDermott and Mohamed Coulibaly may also look to do something similar.

Josh talks to Peterborough and explains his loan move.

Make or break time for some AFCB players

While Eddie Howe performed miracles with the team last season and has got the players performing at a high level in the Championship it could be a vital period for many of them between now and the summer. It is important that Eddie sifts out the players that are not going to feature in the first team as soon as he can. I had expected more to go last summer, but with the amount of injuries the team has suffered this season it has been good that the squad numbers were kept fairly high.

Still there are players that have not featured this season and perhaps are unlikely to. Joe Partington is a long term project and a young one for the future and his loan move to Aldershot should be just what he needs to get match fit. Jayden Stockley is another that we can put in this category and hopefully he does well in his spell at Torquay. It seems he will now been joined by Chris Hargreaves who becomes Torquay's new manager and leaves AFCB's backroom staff as first team coach. We all wish Chris the very best as his input certainly helped AFCB to the position it is now in with Eddie and Jason.

Looking after our young players is the way to go if AFCB can build a system like the Saints, where local talent is brought through the ranks. It is the big earners who don't quite fit that are probably the ones that need permanent moves.

Keeping the incentive going for our young players could mean loan spells elsewhere.

Yet the club has also bought big with Miles Addison and Matt Tubbs and while they have now gone out on loan, Matt for the second time, I can't see them staying at AFCB beyond the summer. Darryl Flahavan is on a one year contract and may be surplus to requirement with Lee Camp joining the team. At left back Ian Harte may just be here until the summer and Richard Hughes has been used sparingly. 

Ian Harte will still be hoping to play some more games at AFCB.

Other players that are also probably playing to stay part of Eddie Howe's plans going forward could include Josh McQuoid, Donal McDermott and Wes Fogden. None of them have had much time because of injury but they don't have long to impress Eddie before the summer arrives. There are already rumours that Pompey could be interested in Wes Fogden. I have heard nothing about Stephane Zubar who was linked with Bury last season, but he is also still on AFCB's books. Stephen Purches may also end his playing days this summer.

You could also say that there are question marks over Mohamed Coulibaly who has not really played yet and Tokelo Rantie who has not hit the ground running. It is an important few months for them as with all our players.

Whatever the decisions that are made, it is clear that a few players that may not be here much longer and that does not even include Wes Thomas, who has the opportunity to move this January. Andrew Surman is also on loan and will return to Norwich City in the summer.

When you look at the picture as a whole there will be a fair bit of rebuilding and it may be good to move a few out this window with gradual replacement. It should be an exciting period though because Eddie Howe has never really had the money to make his team, and this time around he is likely to be better funded than any Bournemouth manager in the past. Much of the building will probably come this summer, but between January and May it should be a real testing time for players who want to stay at the club.  

Can the Cherries succeed without spending big in January?

Eddie Howe has said in an interview on the BBC that he is not sure if he will have any money to spend in January, but that he hopes to strengthen. Be careful Eddie, some managers in Wales have been told to resign or get sacked for less!

While I am not surprised that Eddie is in the dark over any potential available funds he has to be trying to make things work out well with the players he has already. If he and Jason can get enough points with the players we have to ensure that AFCB are in the Championship next season, I would be pleased that AFCB hadn't spent a stupidly huge amount of money this coming January window.

Rantie was Eddie Howe's last big spend and Tokelo is still trying to
prove his transfer fee. Spurs fans know spending is no guarantee of instant success.

I also feel that it may be that Eddie can start to trim some of the squad who he feels will not be in his plans. If AFCB can cut the wage bill a bit it has got to be good for the club. Does Wes Thomas have a long term future at AFCB and are there others who could be on their way?

It hasn't escaped my notice that Matt Tubbs will also find his loan period coming to an end at Rotherham. Stephane Zubar is also still on the clubs books and he told us back in October that he would be due to be starting some kind of training at the end of this year. I hope he is recovering well.

We also have players who have not really featured this season like Joe Partington, Wes Fogden, Donal McDermott and Miles Addisson. We have already heard that Shwan Jalal can leave and it may be that Lee Camp does not get the move he wants to AFCB with West Brom's new manager. It is understood that Eddie Howe has also been looking at Swindon's Wes Foderingham.

The situation seems very fluid with regards players at the moment, which I hope does not have an unsettling feeling on the squad. I am also keeping quiet about the possibility that some players could also be targets of clubs in the January window. 

The question is though do AFCB need to spend? I feel that a player or two will be bought to make the team a little more solid. That could be in midfield or in defence, but I personally don't think Eddie will buy another striker until next summer when better deals are available. I may be wrong but I still feel leaking goals is more of a problem for AFCB than scoring them at the moment.  

Vote for what position you feel Eddie Howe most needs to strengthen the team this January. See the poll on the right hand side of the blog.

Yesterday Cherry Chimes spoke to Owl Alive about the Sheffield Wednesday squad prior to today's match. Check out how Wednesday fans are feeling about their team by visiting Rival Lines.

McDermott and McQuoid are ready to step in

Both Donal McDermott and Josh McQuoid are not so far away from making a reappearance in the team by the looks of the current situation. The substitues' bench against Middlesbrough was graced by both of these players, although MacDonald was perhaps more surprised than most to be named in the final squad with Ryan Fraser pulling out just before the match kicked off.

The squad is really being tested now and while others are out I expected Eddie Howe to put at least one of these two on to the pitch as it drew towards the end against Middlesbrough, but he chose not to make a change. Eddie did have one substitute left up his sleeve but for once Grabban, Pugh and Pitman were allowed to play out the game with only Thomas and MacDonald coming on in the second 45 minutes of play.

McQuoid will surely be used in upcoming games.

With Pugh, Eddie may have been taking a risk leaving him out because he was on a yellow card. Still, when he kept Pugh on in the Barnsley game and he came up with the vital goal and that could have been in his thinking. So for McQuoid especially, the wait goes on but I don't expect it to be long before he gets his opportunity.

Donal: a late call up to the bench against Middlesbrough.

If Eddie really does see McQuoid as a forward option he might well be selected to come on to replace one of the other forwards ahead of Wes Thomas in one of the next few games. Giving him a bit more time to get over the surgery may not be such a bad thing in the long term. We don't need another player breaking down having only just come back to fitness.

AFCB need to do more when against 10-men

While AFCB has taken most of its opportunities at home, this weekend's defeat was a bit sour because once again the team had a major amount of time to take on the opposition when they were down to 10 men. Playing against a team that has had a man sent off should be an advantage. With Bournemouth;s fast passing style and wide players it was a chance to get something out of a game which had seen two poor goals conceded by AFCB. But it was not to be.

The running power of Ryan Fraser is certainly creating the opportunities for Bournemouth. His quick scampering style is something that the Tangerines could not handle and ultimately resulted in Jack Robinson's dismissal. The way in which Ryan goes down is a bit of concern as he takes a real clouting for 90 minutes. So far he has bounced back okay, but it must shake him up when he continually gets mowed down. I hope someone is telling him just to go down naturally and doing his best to stay on his feet, because that way Bournemouth will get the free kicks and, if he does ride the odd challenge, he might find himself in one-on-one or able to off load a killer pass to a team mate.

Some creativity was missing on Saturday when Harry Arter was unavailable but the players that were on the pitch were good enough to do better at making doors open in that last half hour. I don't think that Matt Gilks hardly had to make a save. Some of that I would put down to great Blackpool defending but AFCB have to get something out of games like that and I would say we could have got a point our of the game.

What was clear though was that Eddie Howe had a weaker bench than I have seen for a while. While it is good to see Harry Cornick get some experience and see him feel involved, out were Andrew Surman, Harry Arter, Mohamed Coulibaly Matt Ritchie and Donal McDermott. I don't quite know what is going on in training last week, but the injuries don't seem to be getting any fewer.

Harry Cornick prepares with the first team for the first time.

Those waiting in the wings

The Capital One Cup tie against Watford will give a few of those waiting in the wings a chance to press their claim for a place in the first team. Eddie Howe has said that rotation will play an important part during the season and he does not feel that some of the players outside the first 11 would weaken the team if they come in. The test will come today, when it is likely that Howe will rest some players ahead of the Doncaster match at the weekend.

Some players still need to get some match fitness soTommy Elphick and Elliott Ward mat form teh centre back pairing. Eunan O'Kane was probably pencilled in for the Watford game but he came off with a twisted ankle injury during the Huddersfield match. Wes Thomas is likely to get a run out and perhaps Richard Hughes, while Donal McDermott, and Miles Addisson could even see some action. It was not mentioned whether Pugh was on the bench for tactical reasons last game or if he would have struggled to play 90 minutes. Meanwhile, Surman only played a half before being taken off.

The slowness of some of AFCB's players to come back after injury is now starting to show. Eddie Howe has said that players will be returning this week and that could mean that Wes Fogden, Mohamed Coulibaly and Charlie Daniels get some opportunity to play. There is also Stephen Purches and Shwan Jalal and Darryl Flahavan who have not played many games.   

It is questionable just how much of the team Eddie will rotate. He could field an entirely different 11 from the Huddersfield game or he could pick a few combinations to keep some consistency. While Eddie has said that he wants to do well in all competitions, the real test will come on Saturday and how the team performs against Doncaster. Still, no one wants another drubbing against Watford so it looks like he will not make too many changes.

How important is it that Ritchie plays against Charlton?

Matt Ritchie has not been seen in an AFCB shirt for a long time now. I believe his last outing was in the first half against FC Zurich. His absence from the training pitches and the starting line ups have not been good news for Howe and Tindall. If there is one player that they would like to be fit for Saturday it would be a player who has been the player of his division for the last two seasons. The only pleasing thing that AFCB fans can say is that we are blessed with many great wide players who can cover his position.

McDermott is one of those looking to impress this week.

The question is if Ritchie is not ready who would get the calling? I think we can rule out Fogey and McQuoid who are both yet to recover from their injury worries. That leaves Fraser, McDermott and Coulibaly as my favourites to battle for the place. It will be quite a real feather in the cap of one of these three if they do get the green light. It is possible that the job will be shared with perhaps one of the players covering 60 minutes and another doing the final half hour. Such a prospect is highly likely. Fraser and Coulibaly are probably still getting used to playing the AFCB way, while McDermott has been with the team the longest but is only just coming back to the form that we saw from him when he first came to the club.

This weeks training should be pretty tasty for these three but there are other battles going on in other areas for first team places as well. Eddie has a really busy week. 

Lack of funds should not slow AFCB progress

I am encouraged to hear that Eddie Howe is not that concerned with needing to bring in a lot of new recruits to the club. It is refreshing to hear that a manager actually wants to work with the players he has and to develop them to their best ability.

It may be great to spend what money is available on new talent but it is more prudent to have bought good players in the past that can now be taught to a higher standard as they take on board the experience we have now in the likes of Jason Tindall and Eddie Howe. Sure, fans would love us to bring in some big names like Charlie Austin or Jordan Rhodes, but even Championship players like these were not so long ago players that were learning their trade and developing into the great strikers that they are today.

How quickly can our players mature? This is the vital question. We have some players that could undoubtedly do a good job in League One but it would really be a bonus if they can find their feet in the higher league when called upon. I am talking about players like, Joe Partington, Donal McDermott and Ryan Fraser. These are the kind of players that can either blossom when give their chance or hide in the background and it will be Jason Tindall and Eddie Howe that ensure that when they are ready they come in fully prepared to contribute well when in the first team.

If we can bring on a few players in their development then it will not be such a loss when we find other clubs coming in for our highly rated players. It's up to us fans to get behind the younger ones who are still on a learning curve and try make them feel that they can achieve at this level.

Appetite whetted for more football

The football is really ramping up now. I'm going to give a quick overview of how the players looked to me on Saturday in the defeat to West Ham, but there's much to be positive about at the moment.

Note that there are some great chances to see AFC Bournemouth players in action this week starting off at Poole Town on Thursday in the regular pre-season fixture. The boys also travel to Working on Saturday before taking on that small Spanish team on Sunday.

After Stephen Purches' testimonial game the appetite for the upcoming season has been well and truly whetted. Having seen the team play at the weekend I thought Pitman looked particularly sharp from training and is already trying to do the spectacular. Lewis Grabban was perhaps not as involved as I thought he could be, but he had some nice touches particularly the pass to Thomas early in the second half which was a missed opportunity for AFCB to get a goal. 

I really liked the way both Donal McDermott and Ryan Fraser played. Donal seemed much more at ease than I have seen him for a while. He was working hard and was willing to have a shot at goal when ever he had a half chance. Marc Pugh could find that his competition comes from Fraser next season. Ryan was sending in some excellent crosses and it is about time our players started to make the most of them. Sam Matthews also did not look out of place on the big stage.

Ryan Fraser looks set for a big season.

I felt Harry Arter was still recovering from his calf injury and was not quite up to his usual hounding best. Next Sunday though he will have even better players to try and keep quiet. MacDonald also worked hard but was not as quick as his opponents on Saturday.

I was fairly impressed with Elliott Ward. I don't think he is overly flamboyant and he did the simple things well. Ian Harte found it a bit more of a struggle against West Ham's wingers, but he'll get up to speed no doubt. I was pleasantly surprised that Miles Addison put on a good performance, although he was not on the field for long and there were a lot of changes in the second half.  

Put it all together though and there was a lot to be pleased about. The result is not so important at this stage, although the first goal was disappointing with no real challenge on Nolan. AFCB are gong to have to deal with aerial threats in the Championship and it was a good reminder of that.

Christchurch 1 v 7 AFCB: bad day at the office for Thomas

AFCB's first X1 line up at Christchurch was fairly strong as had been promised. It was a combination of youth and experience with Matthews, Cornick, Fraser and Stockley joining the more established players in the Cherries ranks. From what I could tell, Fraser was playing left midfield and Mathews and Arter in the middle and Cornick on the right in the first half and it was all change again in the second half. Some 722 fans attended the pre-season game at Hurn-bridge.

The stars of the show were Matthews, Arter, Fraser, Stockley, McDermott and Cargill. But it wasn't Thomas' best 45 minutes in an AFCB shirt.

Pictures from Michael Dunne - All Departments

Here is a match summary of the goal action

It was Christchurch who made Darryl Flahavan make the first save after 4 minutes, blocking Dan Soul's close range effort.  Max Smith also tested Flahavan who was equal to the task. However when Fraser sent in a low cross Pitman put the Cherries 0:1 up after just 8 minutes. Matthews was said to offer good support in the build up.

There was little else mention until Cornick fed Fraser in on 21 minutes but Max Frampton made the save. Then on 27 minutes Christchurch equalised through Sam Purdy who got the better of Wes Fogden at right back. Oh, dear Foggey! Apparently, it was a ball over the top and Wes was beaten for pace at this early stage of the season.

Harry Arter then broke through on 34 minutes to make it 1:2 to the Cherries. It was a low shot the the bottom left hand corner. He then made it 1:3 moments later - in a rush to get on with the scoring.

Fraser sounds like he was having a great game and crossed to Stockley to head home, but Jayden couldn't direct it on goal. Then with another chance Jayden did finish a smart move on 43 minutes - 1:4 to the Cherries at half time. Matthews, Stockley and Fraser had a very good 45 minutes according to Robert Lee who tweeted me from the game.

I thought the second half AFCB team looked even stronger. It seemed that way when Wes Thomas put the first chance wide, on 49 Minutes, from just inside the box. Two minutes later Lewis Grabban went even closer, only inches wide.

McDermott was playing centre midfield. I think he is good there as he is capable of going on runs either side when he opens up. Wes Thomas sounded like the only player with no number on the back of his shirt, which may not have been helping his shooting.

Grabban was hot though and he made it 1:5 on 57 minutes - a solo goal from 18 yards out. Wes Thomas next slid in to connect with Baily Cargill's cross only to see the ball come off the wood work. Chris Willis tweeted that Thomas was only a yard out and had an open goal! Good job AFCB were 1:5 up and could be charitable. And then, just to compound things Thomas missed a penalty on 71 minutes, well I'll give the keeper credit as Gareth Hicks saved to his left.

Baily Cargill then added a sixth AFCB goal, volleying home at the far post from a Francis cross on 76 minutes. Donal McDermott also got on the score sheet as he dispossessed a defender and curled the ball from the edge of the box into the top corner. A stunner by all accounts! 78 minutes gone.

Simon Francis came close on 88 minutes, before Wes Thomas hit the post this time and McDermott hit the ball over in the 89th minute. So it finished up 1:7.

Cherries line up first half:
Flahavan, Fogden, Addison, Ward, Daniels, Matthews, Arter, Cornick, Fraser, Pitman, Stockley.

Cherries second half team:

Flahavan; Francis, Elphick, Cook, Harte; McDermott, MacDonald, Cargill, Wakefield; Grabban, Thomas.

Fans predict Demouge set for early departure

Well we had some fun in seeing which players Cherry Chimes' readers would select as early departures from the club over the summer and top of the poll was striker Frank Demouge. Twitter has been going mad with his expected move to Roda JC in The Netherlands, but there is no official news of even a bid yet. Frank managed to get 80% of the vote so most of you do not expect to see him at Dean Court next season.

Poll closed - Which players will leave AFCB in the Summer?

Demouge	20 (80%)
Jalal	11 (44%)
Zubar	9 (36%)
Thomas	16 (64%)
McQuoid	4 (16%)
Tubbs	17 (68%)
Addisson	10 (40%)
Other	4 (16%)

Just nudging into second place is Matt Tubbs with 68% of the vote. While Crawley Town has long been linked with Tubbs return, again no bids have come in for the striker from what we have been told. Matt himself has said that he wants to be in the south as his family is settled here so a move to Rotherham seems to be ruled out.

Matt is closely followed by Wes Thomas in the poll on 64%. Current AFCB squad strikers are clearly not in favour with Cherry Chime readers. I have a feeling that there will be news on Wes Thomas sooner rather than later. Watch this space, as they say.

The Bristol City rumours certainly have pushed Shwan Jalal up the rankings for a swift move out of Dean Court and with opportunities being restricted it is possible that he will seek a loan move if he can't get into the squad.

Miles Addisson and Stephane Zubar are really the only others that raise a question with you, but I have only seen a couple of posts that Bury FC maybe being interested in Stephane, while know one has been shouting about being after Addisson's services.

Josh McQuoid may have got away with a low poll as I had a typo there in his surname! Sorry, Josh. Sadly, I can't edit the poll once someone has voted. Lesson learnt for me.

Those who were very observant will know that I could have added a few more star candidates like Harry Arter or Matt Ritchie but I am quite happy to let the rumours about our top players being targeted to die down a little.

You also seem not to have given many votes for others leaving the club although it is possible that such players as Donal McDermott, Wes Fogden or Joe Partington could at least be facing loan moves elsewhere.

Donal: Express yourself...come on and do it!

Irishman Donal McDermott has not been talked about too much of late. He featured quite heavily early on last season in the squad and yet did not get seen often when the team managed to put its strong run together that eventually got the Cherries promoted. Donal made 8 first team appearances in 2012/13 and 6 of those were as a substitute.

Donal with Fletch and Tubbs during the warm up before the
Colchester away game near then end of last season.

I was encouraged when we signed him permanently in January 2012 from Huddersfield Town, but that excitement over his dribbling and shooting ability as well as his creative spark is not something we have seen of late at Dean Court. This coming season he really needs to climb the ladder and get himself in front of Eddie and Jason and prove to them that he is the player that so thrilled us all during the end of the 2010-11 season, and the play-off games we had against Huddersfield when he scored that terrific goal in the 1st leg at Bournemouth.

What do we want Donal to do? 'Express Yourself' as the lyrics in NWA's 1980s hit would say. I would love to hear AFCB fans chanting 'Express Yourself, ...Donal...Donal... Do it .. Do it well'  Express Yourself, Come On, Come On.. Donal do it well.' You can see I'm a lost in the 80s child!

Having not played a great deal, I do suspect that if Donal cannot get into the first team or win a place even on the bench, he is one that is likely to be encouraged to at least go out on loan. At 23 he is still very young and it must be frustrating for him not to be playing more regularly. The Development squad does not have as many games or play at the same kind of intensity as the first team and Donal is good enough to play in the Championship in my opinion. I don't want him to be sold if he can make the grade, because he can be so exciting on the ball.

Hopefully, he is coming back to the Goldsands Stadium with the attitude to get his head down and really do everything he can to impress Eddie and Jason. He is not alone in being in his situation, but I believe Donal can step up his game and become a player of better value at AFCB. The friendlies offer a good opportunity for him to impress.

I would like to see him get a chance at some stage to play in midfield, possibly even centrally behind the front two. The competition is really tough for him, but it's up to Donal to give the management that option by regaining some of his past form and showing it to them on a regular basis on the training ground. Express yourself Donal!

Youth and breaking into the first team at AFC Bournemouth

There is no doubt that AFCB is keen to harness and develop local talent. You can see this in its Academy, Youth and Development teams, and its efforts to sign local players like Harry Cornick from Christchurch.

Josh Carmichael, 18, and Jayden Stockley, 19, are two of the young players who have broken into the first team in the past. Another is Dan Strugnell, 20, who this week we have learnt has chosen to moved on to Havant & Waterlooville on a permanent deal. Dan's first team experience was to come on as sub to replace Stephen Purches at Rochdale, in February 2012, when Stephen had his double leg break, but Dan has not had another chance to play for the first team. Loan spells at Bashley and Havant & Waterlooville followed before his decision to now leave AFCB.

Getting such young players to the first team or on the edge of it has proved to be quite a challenge. Now that the club is in the Championship it is likely that the young talent is going to have to be even more exceptional to get an opportunity of the big time.

Joe Partington, who was a Pompey youth player, is probably highest in the pecking order of those who have been developed locally, but he is now 23. It will be of great interest to see if he can become more of a regular face in and around the first team in the next couple of seasons or if he will find loan moves the best way to continue his development. Having been a Welsh U-21 international you would have to say that Joe has the talent to make an impact in the future and hopefully it will be for AFCB as a central defender.

Other 23 year olds at the club include, Matt Ritchie, Donal McDermott, Harry Arter, Josh McQuoid and Eunan O'Kane, while Steve Cook is a year younger. So AFCB does have a youthful squad and youth is not a barrier when you look at 19 year old Ryan Fraser, who was signed in January 2013 from Aberdeen. I think the whole club is excited to see what this young man can do and the stage is really set for him to grab some headlines in the Championship when he gets his opportunity.

At the moment we have a good balance of youth and experience at the club. We will have to wait to see what the squad lacks or doesn't lack next season, but all the time the club will be scouting locally, as well as further afield, to see if better players are available. It should be an exciting summer.

Some players will leave AFCB this summer but who?

I don't want to depress you all having had such a great last week, but there is a real chance that this weekend is the last time you will see some of our players at the Goldsands Stadium. Some of our players will be off to pastures new in the summer and guess what, neither you nor I get to decide who. Thank goodness for that, how do you decide who to let go?

There is no doubt that AFCB's squad is still fairly large and while it is hoped that we can play in the Championship next season, before that first game there will be some decisions to be made at Dean Court, especially over who stays and where we need to strengthen.

I am sure that Eddie and Jason already have a good idea in their mind of potential targets if (or should I say when?) we do get promoted. While the generosity of Mr Maxim Denim has given the team a good platform from which to climb the leagues, it is likely that such funding is not limitless. Mr Mitchell is keen it seems to do some restructuring and this summer is a good opportunity to make sure we are shipshape for next season.

Cherry Chimes can only guess who may leave AFCB over the summer.

As Darrel Flahavan was not one of Eddie's signings I think he will be under most pressure to keep his place at the Cherries and I expect him to move on with the younger keepers we have already on our books.

Dan Seaborne is on loan to us at the moment from Southampton and his future is uncertain as he will enter new  contract negotiations over the summer with the Saints. I have a feeling he may return to AFCB.

Miles Addison is also likely to be leaving having resigned the captaincy. Moreover, if Eddie prefers Dan Seaborne and wants to keep hold of Joe Partington as a young central defender, Miles may be on his way.

Stephane Zubar has been injured but will make pre-season training. The trouble is I am not sure he is a player that Eddie wants, even though he is adored by the fans. I think he makes great cover for Francis. I hope he stays, but fear he may be allowed to go.

Donal McDermott is young but has not forced his way into the team much this season and he may be surplus to requirements.

Wes Thomas has stated that he does not want to be a Cherry any more so if the price is right I am sure he will be off when this current season ends.

There are one or two others that I feel are borderline like Josh McQuiod, Charlie Sherringham and maybe even Wes Fogden and Richard Hughes.

It is not just the players current form, age and contracts that have to be taken into consideration, but also if other players become available that Jason and Eddie think can do the job better.

As for Steve Fletcher, he promised that he would lead the team out for the first match if they reached the Championship and I'm holding him to it. You'll have to do a whole pre-season though for the privilege of 10 minutes Steve!

Of course Bournemouth may receive other offers for players and will decide if they can release any of their players if a top Premiership or Championship team comes in for them. It should be quite an exciting summer ahead.

Who do you think is heading out of Dean Court? Add your comments.

Youth gets its chance, now can Fraser thrive?

Eddie Howe talked about how the current squad is having to take on players that have had experience in the Championship already in sides like Sheffield Utd, Coventry City and Doncaster Rovers. While we do have some players with similar experiences it should not be over looked that AFCB do have a fairly youthful squad and they are learning all the time.

It won't have escaped anybodies attention that Ryan Fraser has managed to feature in the last two matches for the side coming on in his favoured position of right winger. Ryan is now on a three year contact with the Cherries having signed for a fee of £400,000 in the January window. He only turned 19 four days ago, sorry I forgot to say happy birthday a few days ago Ryan! And yet he was prepared to make a huge move away from his Aberdeen roots to the south coast in an attempt to play for our team, as he believes it has Championship promise. 

While Ryan will be hoping to extend the 24 minutes of playing time that he has had so far when the team go to Leyton Orient at the weekend, he has some tough competition for the remaining games of the season. That is unlikely to concern him though having made his first team debut for Aberdeen against Heart of Midlothian at the age of just 16. We back him to make a start during the Cherries run-in.

While Ryan has been winning some playing time, I can't help but think that Donal McDermott, who is also a young dynamic midfielder at the club, has been a bit unlucky not to get more match experience this season. Still, Donal's stats say that he has made eight appearances and six of these were as a sub. While he hasn't got on the scoring sheet this season he has made two assists. I hope his development continues here as I think fans will be excited about both players perhaps one day playing together, one on the right wing and perhaps one in the hole.

If AFCB can develop these and other young players in the squad to relish the opportunity they have and to enjoy what time they get on the pitch, the future looks bright for the Cherries.