STEVIE Lovell remained coy ahead of today’s contract talks, admitting he was unsure about his Cherries future.

The out-of-contract striker is set to meet boss Lee Bradbury to discuss whether he will remain at Dean Court.

Lovell, signed by brother and then-manager Eddie Howe last summer, put pen to paper on a one-year deal when he rejoined the Dorset club.

He spent much of the season sidelined by a frustrating ankle injury but returned to boost Cherries’ promotion hopes late in the campaign.

The former SPL star displayed his quality in Wednesday night’s dramatic play-off defeat at Huddersfield, scoring twice to help Cherries force a penalty shootout.

When asked whether he was hoping to stay at Dean Court, Lovell kept his cards close to his chest ahead of today’s talks.

He told the Echo: “I need to speak to the manager. We have got a meeting today to go through things, so we will see how it goes.

“I would like to speak to him and see what the options are because at the moment, I don’t know where my future stands.”

Lovell said it had meant a lot to him to be back with Cherries for the first time since leaving the club for Portsmouth as a teenager, but he admitted it had been a tough campaign.

He said: “After being out injured for so long, it takes a long time to get back to the way you should be. People, sometimes, don’t appreciate how long it does take to get back to the form you should be in.

“I felt that, each game, I was getting better and better. Now I am sad it (the season) has come to an end.”