Cherries: Addison aiming to complete 'unfinished business' (From Bournemouth Echo)

Cherries: Addison aiming to complete 'unfinished business'

7:00am Friday 13th July 2012 in Sport By Neil Perrett

MILES Addison is convinced the harsh lessons from last season’s fall from grace will stand Cherries in good stead for an assault on the Championship.

Addison yesterday put the finishing touches to a permanent move to Dean Court when he joined Cherries for an undisclosed fee from Derby County.

He penned a performance-related three-year contract with the Rams set to receive a nominal fee up front. The deal is also understood to include a series of add-ons and a sell-on clause.

The versatile 23-year-old, who can operate in defence and midfield, becomes Paul Groves’s fourth addition, following the arrivals of Lewis Grabban, Josh McQuoid and Frank Demouge.

Addison made 14 appearances during a loan spell with Cherries last season and was one of the few shining lights as an eventful campaign petered out badly over the closing weeks.

Drafted in by former boss Lee Bradbury, Addison made his debut in a 1-0 home defeat by MK Dons – a match that hit the headlines after the Daily Echo revealed co-owner Maxim Demin’s wife had addressed the team at half-time.

In an interview with the Daily Echo last night, Addison said: “Lee apologised to me on the Monday after the game and said ‘you must think it is a mad club you have joined’. I said nothing surprised me in football any more!

“I know Eddie Mitchell is a character but he is definitely an ambitious man and I don’t think he will stop until this club is in the Championship.

“Coming here was always at the forefront of my mind because I felt there was unfinished business after what happened last season. We were in eighth place when I arrived and looked set for the play-offs before we fell away. It was disappointing.

“There are some stern figures at the top here and I don’t think they will let that happen again. If we get in a good position this season, Paul is strong enough to make sure we don’t let it slip.

“It helped me make my decision when I found out he had got the job. The defensive record was good last season and he recognised the team needed goals. He signed three strikers straight away.”

Groves, who hails from the Midlands and has a house in Derby, has followed Addison’s career with interest and watched him progress through the youth ranks at Pride Park.

The Cherries boss, who said he had no input in the club signing Addison on loan, told the Daily Echo: “Miles brings lots of qualities and is a very good signing. He has played in the Championship and knows this club. He has good characteristics and is somebody you would want in your dressing room and in your team. He is physically and mentally strong.”