MANAGER Eddie Howe believes a fierce will to win is underpinning Cherries’ dramatic rise towards the League One promotion mix.

Rampant Cherries made it 14 matches undefeated since Howe’s appointment as they claimed a 3-0 home victory over Yeovil Town this afternoon.

Lewis Grabban’s 10th goal of the season got the ball rolling on 32 minutes before Harry Arter superbly doubled the advantage with 17 minutes remaining.

Brett Pitman completed the win late on with a cool penalty as he netted his first goal at Dean Court since his return to the Dorset club.

The success, which came in front of a bumper home crowd, saw Cherries close to within one point of the play-off places.

Asked to highlight the key to the unbeaten run, Howe told the Daily Echo: “A will to win from the players.

“The lads have showed great character in the tight games and, of course, they have showed real quality in the games we have managed to win and win comfortably.

“A winning mentality is hopefully developing but there have certainly been good signs so far.”

Howe admitted Cherries would need to discover more ways to break down opponents after being made to graft early on against the Glovers.

He thinks teams will come to the south coast in a bid to quell Cherries’ attacking instincts – particularly down the flanks.

Howe told the media: “Teams will come here and make it very difficult for us and Yeovil were no different.

“They played with two left-backs – a centre-half at left-back and their normal left-back at left midfield.

“Teams come to shut up shop and shut us off down the sides of the pitch. No-one is going to come here and say ‘I tell you what, let’s make it a free-flowing and nice football match’ because most teams know that we will ‘out-football’ them.

“I think we have to take that as a compliment but we have to find better ways to deal with the problem.

“We have to respect every opposition and know that they are going to do their home-work on us, see our strengths and try to combat them.”

The task facing both Cherries and Yeovil was made all the more difficult by almost constant heavy rain and a swirling wind at Dean Court.

Howe added: “It was a cagey affair in difficult conditions with the weather and pitch but I thought that once we got the first goal, it certainly settled us down. In the second half, it could have been five or six in the end.”