BULLISH chairman Jeff Mostyn has backed Cherries to keep defying expectations in the Premier League – including his own!

The Vitality Stadium chief admitted to viewing a prolonged stint in the Championship as the club’s ceiling in the past but now believes Cherries can continue their upward tangent while battling the best England has to offer.

Mostyn played a pivotal role in saving the financially-stricken Cherries during the dark days and acknowledged that good fortune, aligned with the efforts of a raft of people behind the scenes, had brought about this most historic of seasons.

Mostyn told the Daily Echo: “I feel so very proud of everything achieved by everyone at the football club, including our preparations to get the stadium ready on the back of an incredible journey over the past 12 months.

“From where we were six years ago, who would have thought we would have staged a Premier League match so there were a lot of goosebumps when we stepped out for an inaugural game.

“Had it not been for a modicum of good fortune and the incredible work of our owner Max Demin, Saturday would not have been a reality.

“He has committed himself and his investment has been fantastic but wisely spent and as soon as Eddie Howe came back to the club, you could see the catalyst was there to achieve great things.

“When we were promoted to the Championship, we thought that was the great thing and the highest level the club could go to. To be in the Premier League now is incredible.

“People ask about numbers and there is always that question ‘are you going to survive?’ but we are not competing here just to survive. I think if you do that, you end up treading water and you drown.

“Eddie (Howe, manager) has improved this team year after year and of course, we will need to dramatically improve again to be competitive.

“But we will be competitive in our league within the Premier League and I have no doubt we will bring a lot of joy to a lot of people.”