ANTON Robinson is keen to establish himself as a crack long-range marksman after being given a licence to shoot on sight by Eddie Howe.

The midfielder opened his account for the season with a stunning first-half goal during Cherries’ 1-1 draw with Premier League Fulham on Saturday.

Robinson, who netted four times during Cherries’ promotion campaign, beat Cottagers goalkeeper David Stockdale with a thunderous drive from around 25 yards.

His venomous strike was reward after Robinson had spent the close season working hard on his shooting following a pep talk from manager Howe.

Robinson, who will be looking to again take aim when Cherries host Portsmouth on Wednesday (7.45pm), told the Daily Echo: “I was very happy with the goal and it was the best of my career so far.

“At the end of last season, the manager said he wanted me to work on my shooting and I did over the summer. Liam Feeney and myself grabbed a bag of balls and went to Canford to practice.

“We are using a new ball this season and it swerves all over the place. It’s going to be a nightmare for goalkeepers and there could be a few long-range strikes and rebounds to be had. We have been striking the balls in training and they have been going all over the place!

“Hopefully, I can pop up with more goals from outside of the box this season. As a midfielder who tries to get forward, I would like to get into double figures. Scoring 10 goals has got to be my target and that would be a good return in League One.”

Robinson, who has impressed during Cherries’ warm-up campaign, added: “I think it’s gone really well so far.

“Credit to Fulham because they put out their full team. I thought we did well against them and kept the ball well. We worked hard in training on passages of play and it showed on the pitch. We played some good football and showed we are getting better.

“We have been working hard in pre-season and everything is coming together. I know the results count for nothing but we have approached the games with the right mentality and our performances are improving.”

Top scorer Brett Pitman hit 26 of Cherries’ 61 league goals last season, while no other player reached double figures. Danny Hollands, with six, was their second highest league marksman.

Boss Howe said: “It was a really good goal by Anton against Fulham and is something he has worked on over the summer so full credit to him for that.

“We need goals from everywhere and it is important that your central midfielders chip in like Anton did last season. With his ability and the positions he gets into, hopefully, he can try to get more this season.”