REJUVENATED Cherries star Danny Hollands has described losing the team captaincy as “a wake-up call”.

Hollands has enjoyed an upturn in fortunes since being relieved of the skipper’s armband by boss Eddie Howe last month.

The midfielder capped his recent revival by turning in an outstanding individual display to spearhead Cherries’ midweek victory over Notts County.

His double strike in the 2-1 win came just eight days after he had also hit a brace to help Cherries see off Rotherham, another of their League Two promotion rivals.

Hollands, who was crowned supporters’ player of the year in 2008, was replaced as captain by Jason Pearce after suffering a dip in form.

The 24-year-old told the Daily Echo: “I wouldn’t say losing the captaincy has helped. It’s not nice when something like that gets taken away from you but it’s something I’ve had to deal with.

“I’m the type of person who doesn’t like things like that happening to me. But I had to make sure I responded in the right way and bounced back. I feel as though I’m doing that.

“I’m pleased with the way I’m heading but know that if I take my foot off the gas, I could go straight back to where I was. I want to keep going forward and will put in as much hard work as I can to make sure I do that.

“I have got my head down in training and tried to get my game right. I’m concentrating on my own game and trying to do the best for the team. If I could keep it going until the end of the season, I would be very happy.

“I knew I hadn’t been performing as well as I could. I’ve worked hard and, hopefully, I’m slowly turning it around. It can be a cruel game. One week you can be quality and, the next, not so good. I know it’s something I’ve got to keep on top of.

“Jason is doing a great job as captain and if we could achieve what we all want to this season, I would be the first one to congratulate him.”

Hollands’s double, his sixth and seventh goals of the season, helped second-placed Cherries remain eight points clear of the play-off chasers.

Boss Howe told the Daily Echo: “Danny is a very good player. Form fluctuates during a season for a player but we have never had any doubts about his ability.

“He was unfortunate to miss pre-season due to injury. But he has benefited from working hard and has shown great attitude through everything. Nothing has affected or fazed him. We all knew Danny would perform for us and he has been excellent.”