EDDIE Howe welcomed a double individual award scoop for Cherries and then insisted both had been down to a collective effort.

Howe and Callum Wilson were this morning named Championship manager and player of the month for October, respectively.

Boss Howe guided Cherries to a clean sweep of wins in October, the run including a club record 8-0 triumph at Birmingham City and victory over West Brom in the last 16 of the League Cup.

Striker Wilson, who was yesterday named in the England under-21 squad for friendlies against Portugal and France, netted six times in the five games, including a dramatic late winner against the Baggies.

Howe told the Daily Echo: “I am really pleased to have got the award because it means we have had a good month.

"But, in my eyes, the recognition always has to go to the team and the players. They call it manager of the month but really it is team of the month.

“The team includes everybody – coaching staff, physios and sports scientists. We have a really good team of people here and everybody played a part in the month.

“Callum will probably say his award was down to the team behind him. He gets it but it has really been a team effort. No goalscorers score on their own so it is recognition again for the team.”

Cherries’ superb run, which has propelled them to the Championship summit, will face a stern examination when they meet second-placed Middlesbrough tomorrow (3pm).

Howe, who said he had no fresh injury concerns ahead of the much-anticipated showdown at the Riverside, added: “I think Middlesbrough definitely improved towards the end of last season. They came here in March and we had a really good 0-0 draw.

“I thought they were very good defensively that day and have taken it into the new season. They have been very good at the back and have been free-flowing up front.

“I think they are going to be up there for the duration and don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t be. They have good players and are very well coached. You can see the influence their manager has had and I expect them to go very close.”

Boro boss Aitor Karanka, who was José Mourinho’s assistant at Real Madrid in 2010, will celebrate his first anniversary in the hot-seat.

“It is second versus first and they are going to be very keen to win to mark their manager’s first anniversary,” said Howe. “It all adds to the occasion. From our perspective, we can’t get caught up in that.

“It is another game. We have to be very professional and have to maintain the standards we have shown in recent weeks. We will have to improve in every department now. The microscope is going to be on us so we want to use that as a positive and try to raise our game.

“We are still relatively new into the season. We know we have done nothing and, as quickly as people can pat you on the back, it can change in the blink of an eye so we have to focus on the short term.”