LOYAL Cherries servant Stephen Purches admitted his testimonial standing ovation had brought “a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye”.

Purches came on as a second-half substitute as Cherries and West Ham today did battle in an entertaining friendly to mark his 10 years at Dean Court.

And supporters from both camps got to their feet to give the 33-year-old a rousing send-off as he left the pitch just seconds before the final whistle.

Purches, who started his career with the Hammers before joining Cherries in 2000, has not featured competitively since breaking his leg 17 months ago.

A crowd of 7,080 – including a sold-out section of away followers – were treated to a high-tempo affair in searing heat, with the Hammers winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Kevin Nolan and Jack Collison.

Purches told the Daily Echo: “It went better than expected and I would like to think everyone got something out of the game.

“I got through a fair whack after having not done anything like that for a long time and it was a good game to watch. I will have the memories, the manager will have points we can work on and the crowd saw a decent match. All in all, it was perfect and I would like to thank everyone for their support.

“Coming on the pitch gave me goose-pimples and it was just nice to get the first touch to get me going. It went quickly even if my legs were telling me it felt slow sometimes! I had been working towards this for a long time so it was great to get through.

“It was emotional because I hadn’t been out there for such a long time. It was also closure after what happened with my injury. Some people didn’t think I would be able to get out there again and, although I am not as fit as I would like, I know now that I am able to cope and felt okay. There were a lot of emotions and I managed to get through everything.”

Purches, who was recently appointed player-coach, with responsibility for the club’s development squad, added: “I have got a great opportunity on the coaching side and to join in with training. It is now a case of getting the balance right and dipping in and out of both to make sure I am ready and available if needed.

“I know I am not going to be a first choice and I know I am not going to be a first choice on the bench. But if I am needed, for whatever reason, I don’t want the manager to think he can’t call on me. I am realistic with where I am and also with what I want to do with the development squad.

“I have been overwhelmed with the support and really appreciated so many people for turning up for what was, effectively, a pre-season friendly. It takes a lot of work to organise a testimonial but it has been worth it and life goes back to normal now.”

Purches was keen to offer a public vote of thanks to the players, management and officials from West Ham, the AFC Bournemouth board of directors for granting him a testimonial, both sets of supporters and to his organising committee.

Hammers manager Sam Allardyce, who paraded a full-strength squad, said: “We were pleased to support the testimonial and somebody who has been as loyal to the club as Stephen deserves to get a good turnout. I hope he has a good career from here on in.”

Cherries: Flahavan, Francis (Fogden, 74), Ward (Addison, 74), Cook (Anderton, 82), Harte (Daniels, h-t), Fraser (Matthews, 59, J Purches, 88)), MacDonald (S Purches, 67), Arter (McDermott, 77, Fletcher, 85), McDermott (Elphick, h-t), Pitman (Thomas, h-t), Grabban (Stockley, 74).

Hammers: Jaaskelainen, Demel (O’Brien, h-t), Collins (Tomkins, 61), Reid (Potts, 61), Rat (Taylor, 61), Noble (Diarra, 61), Collison (Diame, 61), Nolan (Engelaar, 52), Vaz Te (Cole, 61), Magia (McCallum, 80), Jarvis (Morrison, 61).