BOSS Eddie Howe insisted his army of trusted core players would help “set the standard” for big-money new recruits to follow.

Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson, who both played for Cherries before they were promoted to the Premier League, netted in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Cardiff.

Victory gave them their first triumph in an opening fixture in the top flight.

Six of the line up started for Cherries in their first Premier League encounter against Aston Villa three years ago.

They were Wilson, Charlie Daniels, Dan Gosling, Andrew Surman, Steve Cook and Joshua King.

With new signings Jefferson Lerma and Diego Rico watching on from the stand, Howe believes his tried-and-tested players helped show what was expected.

He told the Daily Echo: “Those players who have done so well for this football club over a long period of time have just showed the right attitude to keep going, learning, progressing and improving in the hardest league in the world – and they are excelling at the level.

“I am very pleased for those individuals concerned, as I am for the new guys who have come in and made a big difference.

“The ultimate aim is you hope the players who have been here a long time help nurture the new guys who come in.

“They show them what we do, how to behave and set the standard of everything we require. Then the players who have just come in see first-hand what should be done and follow suit.

“That is the culture we have tried to create and, in time, you hope those players who come in will become the lieutenants for the future.”

With David Brooks the only summer signing on show for Cherries against the Bluebirds, suspended Rico and Lerma, who is not yet match ready, were unveiled to home fans ahead of kick off.

And while he would rather have the pair available for selection, Howe believes a gradual integration could be valuable.

He added: “I think it was hugely beneficial for them to see how we play and certain things they would do here they wouldn’t do with other clubs.

“I’d urge every player to get that opportunity – of course it doesn’t work like that but they would have learned a lot from that game.

“They have to understand what you want and how the team plays. There are set-plays, restarts and throw-ins, there are so many things they won’t know and every club does it differently.

“For me, a slow integration is much more healthy. Huge changes are not conducive to success for us, we have known that previously.”

Cherries’ success broke a run of three straight defeats at the start of a top-flight campaign.

“The pleasing thing is we tweaked our pre-season, we made a number of changes to break that duck and it worked for this one,” added Howe.

“We are happy with that but we know we have a lot of hard work ahead to have the season we want.”