Football Season Review

Bournemouth's first season back in the English second tier proved to be an unmitigated success for Cherries boss, Eddie Howe. The Dorset club adjusted superbly to life in the Championship, with their expansive brand of football fitting in just fine. They were, of course, indebted to a fantastic goalscoring return from target man, Lewis Grabban, who surprised many with his haul of 22 league goals. Grabban has been the subject of transfer speculation since his fine 2013/14 and the Cherries' biggest task this summer may be to try and hold onto their most prized asset. Howe will be disappointed that club record signing, Tokelo Rantie failed to hit the ground running this term, with the South African international subjected to substitute roles for much of the year. Central defenders, Elliott Ward and Steve Cook impressed greatly as a partnership and were ably assisted by veteran left back, Ian Harte, who displayed all his years of experience to help lead the team over the course of the campaign. Scoring goals did not appear to be a problem, but conceding them was just as easy too. If Howe and his coaching staff can tighten up the backline and retain the services of Grabban, a top six push may be on the cards in 2014/15.

Player of the Season: Lewis Grabban