DEFENDER Simon Francis underlined how Cherries had come a long way – as a club and team – since their chastening Hillsborough defeat in March 2012.

Francis, one of the players to have been on the wrong end of that 3-0 hammering, will be hoping for better fortunes when he returns to face Sheffield Wednesday.

The experienced right-back, who had a spell with the Owls’ Steel City rivals United early in his career, is set to start in Saturday's Championship clash (3pm).

And the 28-year-old is adamant Cherries will arrive as a team transformed from the one which suffered a demoralising loss under then-boss Lee Bradbury after conceding three times in a torrid opening 10 minutes.

Francis told the Daily Echo: “It was a dreadful start. I will try not to think of that too much when we go up there on Saturday.

“It shows how far this club has come. We went up there in League One and were probably given no chance of getting a positive result.

“Now, when you look at the table, we are above a massive team and a club with a Premier League kind of set-up.

“With the ground, the fans and the atmosphere, it will be a hostile time but we will try to stick to what we do – passing the ball and creating chances – and, hopefully, our luck will turn and we can start to go on a run again.

“Some of the bookies might look at us as favourites, being where we are in the league, and that is massive credit to the club, to how well the gaffer (Eddie Howe) has done and to the people upstairs for backing the manager and getting in players.

“We have some talented players with a lot of ability and there is no reason why we can’t go to somewhere like Sheffield Wednesday and win the game.”