JIM Curtin reckons Cherries have surpassed Philadelphia’s famous fictional export Rocky Balboa by reaching the Premier League and is backing them to pack a punch among England’s elite.

The Union head coach likened the club’s story to that of Sylvester Stallone’s character in the boxing films shortly after the Cherries squad had visited the city’s famous steps while over in America.

Curtin said: “Rocky always comes to mind when Philadelphia gets brought up but Bournemouth’s story is a real one. They actually did it on the field and got promoted to the best league in the world so their story is special.

“They have young but good staff and a great team. Any team that gets a plus-53 goal difference in a season is doing a lot of things right. It means you’re not just scoring goals but preventing them as well and that is something we try to emulate.

“There are similarities between the clubs. Obviously, they have a much longer history and have done some special things on the field and now get to test themselves against some of the top teams in the world.

"I think they will be up to the fight.”