EDDIE Howe’s promotion-chasing Cherries are on course to rewrite the Football League record books – with just five goals standing between them and history.

Howe’s charges face Cardiff tonight bidding to set a new club-best for away league goals – and also edge a step closer to racking up the highest tally in the second tier.

Formed in 1892, the record for the division currently stands at 46 having been set by champions Sheffield Wednesday in 1951-52 and matched by title-winners Chelsea in 1988-89.

Cherries have plundered 42 on their travels this season and need just one more to pass the previous club best, achieved during the Jermain Defoe-inspired play-off near miss in 2000-01.

And with trips to Ipswich, Brighton, Reading and Charlton to come, Howe’s class of 2015 are also on target to carve their names indelibly in English football history.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo, Howe said: “It’s a surprising stat for me and it would be a great one if we could do it. You never set out to break records like this but the goals have flowed away from home this season. It is down to how we play and we don’t want it to stop in the final five games.

“We would love to hit that record but it will be tough because we have five very difficult away games, beginning with Cardiff. I have always said any away win, let alone scoring goals to go with it, is a real achievement in the Championship. I would take 1-0 wins every day of the week because that has always been the main focus.”

Cherries, who are also looking to equal a club record of 11 away wins, boast 11 different goalscorers on the road in league games this season with Callum Wilson leading the way with 10.

Howe added: “It shows we have goals in the team and are not reliant on any one individual. That is very important for any team which scores consistently because if you are relying on one man then teams can work out a plan to stop that one player.

“The beauty for us this season is the fact that if you stop one player then another one may potentially hurt you and we have benefited from players having excellent seasons in all areas of the pitch and it is that form which has carried us through.”

Discussing records in general, Howe said: “It would be great to break them and I would love to sit here at the end of the season with those records having been achieved.

“The reality is that they are not important or the focus. The focus is to win and we would always take a 1-0 because winning is a hard enough objective without worrying about goals.

“If goals come as a by-product of good performances and good wins then we would take that but the focus for us has to be the three points.”

Stat attack - goals, goals, goals

Club record away wins

  • Cherries have this season won 10 away league games. The club record is 11 in 2013 (League One), 2005 (League One), 1982 (Division Four), 1948 (Division Three South). 

Club record away goals scored

  • Cherries have this season scored 42 away league goals to equal the club record set in 2000-01.

Football League record away goals in second tier

  • The Football League record for away league goals in the second tier is 46, set by Sheffield Wednesday in 1951-52 (21 games) and matched by Chelsea in 1988-89 (23 games).

Other clubs to have hit 40 away league goals in a second flight season since 1989

  • Since Chelsea in 1988-89, only 15 times has a team scored 40 or more away league goals in a season and only four have bettered Cherries' tally of 42. They are - 

12-13 Watford (44)

11-12 West Ham (40), Birmingham (41)

09-10 WBA (41)

06-07 Southampton (41)

05-06 Reading (41)

02-03 Pompey (45), Wolves (41)

01-02 Man City (45), Wolves (43)

00-01 Fulham (41)

99-00 Charlton (42), Barnsley (40)

98-99 Sunderland (41)

96-97 Bolton (40)

Cherries' away goalscorers in the Championship 

  • Cherries have had 11 different goalscorers away from home in the league this season. They are:

Callum Wilson – 10

Marc Pugh, Matt Ritchie – 6

Brett Pitman – 5

Harry Arter – 4

Yann Kermorgant – 3

Steve Cook, Tokelo Rantie, Andrew Surman – 2 

Tommy Elphick, Ryan Fraser – 1

TOTAL – 42