Football Season Review

Bournemouth had a rollercoaster ride of emotion which ended in abject disappointment after their play-off semi-final defeat to Huddersfield. After a pulsating 120 minutes at the Gapharm there was still nothing to choose between the sides, with the score locked at 4-4. However, the home side held their nerve and triumphed on penalties, so Bournemouth did not achieve an unlikely second-successive promotion. Nobody was expecting them to even finish in the top half, but under talented young manager Eddie Howe the Cherries were used to surprising people. They proved more than a match for the top sides in the division and were in the hunt for 2nd place all the way until suffering a poor run towards the end of the campaign which ultimately saw them hold onto 6th by just a point. After several offers, including Charlton and Crystal Palace, Howe finally gave in to temptation in mid-January and left to manage Burnley. Before then the club had already lost star striker Brett Pitman early in the season, followed by exciting prospect Josh McQuoid, who joined Millwall shortly before Howe’s departure. Senior player Lee Bradbury took charge and he enjoyed a fine run which saw the club go ten games unbeaten at the start of his reign. However, things did not continue in that vein and, starting with his first defeat, a 2-0 loss at Exeter, the club only tasted victory twice in the final 12 matches. The Cherries’ turnaround over the last three seasons has been nothing short of miraculous and the sales of Pitman and McQuoid have put them on a sound financial footing for the time being at least. They have a young squad capable of challenging at this level, and in Bradbury they appear to have a natural successor to Howe. However, bigger clubs will continue to poach their best young talents, so Bradbury and his back-room team will need to become as adept at uncovering gems as Howe proved. Steve Lovell, once fully fit in the final month of the season, showed the sort of ability that saw the club stick with him despite a lengthy lay-off, while Danny Ings has been touted as the next young ‘star striker’ at the club. In Liam Feeney they have a player capable of unlocking any defence, whilst keeper Shwan Jalal won the side plenty of points over the course of the season. If Bradbury can keep all of these players while adding one or two more over the summer then the Cherries could go one better next term.

Player of the Season: Liam Feeney