MARC Pugh may have won his last battle with old mucker Kasper Schmeichel but insisted a repeat would be meaningless should Cherries fail to win tomorrow’s war with Leicester (3pm).

It is almost a decade since Pugh and City goalkeeper Schmeichel, both 28, earned their Football League spurs with Bury at the foot of League Two.

Lancashire lad Pugh joined the Shakers from boyhood club Burnley in March 2006, shortly after Schmeichel had arrived at Gigg Lane on loan from Manchester City.

The Danish stopper rejoined on a temporary basis the following season until November, a season which saw Bury lurch to safety in the fourth tier.

Both players made several pitstops elsewhere before blooming at their current clubs and last crossed paths on the pitch in October 2013.

Pugh fired a rocket past his flailing mate at the King Power Stadium, a strike Schmeichel congratulated him for afterwards, but City won 2-1 en route to the Championship title.

And while Pugh is keen for lightning to strike twice, he knows Cherries will have their work cut out against a cunning Foxes outfit that already has seven points on the board.

Pugh told the Daily Echo: “Kasper was in goal that day and when I scored against him, we shared a bit of banter about it.

“I remember saying to him ‘Don’t dive for the ones in the top corner!’ but he was as good as gold about it. He is a good lad and a great keeper who has come on leaps in bounds since we played together. I would love to do the same again but come out with the right result this time.

“It will be a tough one because they are clinical. Jamie Vardy has pace to burn and they have Riyad Mahrez who is flying. Like every club at this level, they have quality all over the pitch.”

Meanwhile, Pugh, who started the curtain raiser against Aston Villa before being named as a substitute at Liverpool and West Ham, hopes his goal from the bench at the Boleyn Ground has given boss Eddie Howe food for thought.

“It is always frustrating when you’re not playing and that is me in a nutshell, I just want to play every week,” added Pugh.

“When the team is playing in front of 40, 50, 60,000 people, you just want to be out there but it is important to stay in the right frame of mind so you’re ready when called upon.

“I have given myself a good chance to stay in the manager’s thoughts. Hopefully, it will be an important goal for me personally and for the team’s belief going into a big game for us against Leicester.”