EXPERIENCED Fulham manager Roy Hodgson admitted he had “only got praise” for Eddie Howe and his team after Cherries held the top-flight side to a goalless draw.

Hodgson was generous in his assessment of Cherries following last night’s pre-season friendly at Dean Court.

The hosts produced a good performance against their Premier League opponents and Hodgson, 61, was impressed by what he saw in the entertaining clash.

He said: “They were well organised, worked very hard and I thought that, like ourselves, they were a good team pressurising the ball.

“They try to play football all the time and they probably had their two best chances or two most dangerous moments in the last two or three minutes of the game, which also speaks volumes for them.

“At that stage we were really getting on top a little bit and creating quite a few chances. Many a team would have accepted we’re not going to do this, but they didn’t and they came back and could have scored a goal at the end of the game.

“So they’ve got to be pleased with their performance because they worked hard for their 0-0 and deserved it.”

Hodgson is a vastly experienced manager, having taken charge of a number of teams including the Switzerland national side, Inter Milan and Blackburn Rovers during a distinguished career.

When asked if he had any pointers for Cherries’ young managerial team, he added: “I don’t think they need any advice.

“They did a good job at the end of last season to keep the club in the division against all the odds having had so many points deducted at the start of the season.

“I’m sure the people who are in charge of Bournemouth are very pleased with them and you could see why.

“They’ve put together a team which works very hard, there are some talented individuals out there and I thought throughout the game their pressurising and organisation was good.

“I’ve only got praise for them.”