PROMOTION ‘veteran’ Andrew Surman believes a combination of mental toughness and fond memories could help Cherries over the line.

Surman played a starring role as Cherries maintained pole position in the Championship thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 win at Reading on Tuesday.

The midfielder, one of only two outfield players in the starting line-up to have appeared in the Premier League, was a steadying influence during a tense encounter at the Madejski.

And Surman insists cool heads and keeping sight of what has led to Cherries’ rise to the summit will serve them well over the final three games of the season.

The 28-year-old, who made 29 appearances in the top flight after helping Norwich win promotion in 2011, told the Daily Echo: “We just need to keep believing in what we’re doing and remember what has got us to where we are. Nobody needs to change their game or the game-plan.

“We believe in our ability, we know how good we can be on our day and just have to keep striving for that. We feel we are where we are because we’re the best team in the league and have to keep believing that, irrespective of who we come up against.

“If we go behind in games, we have to be patient, stay positive and not panic. I know it is easier said than done and it is easy to panic when you are 2-0 down. But we learned a lot from the spell we went through when we didn’t win for five games so need to take that into the last three.

“I don’t think anyone can take their mind off it and you think about it every day from the moment you wake up to the time you go to bed. It is very difficult to keep a lid on it because it is getting so close now. We have come this far and want to keep it going.

“Mental strength is what it takes every day and not just in games. I think we are showing that we are mentally strong enough to see out the final three games. People have been saying we’ve got the easiest run-in but we know that is not the case.

“All the games are going to be tough and teams are going to try to stop us playing. It could end up being frustrating at times but, if we show the same attitude and character as we have all season, it will stand us in good stead.

“We are finding ways to win games. We did that against Birmingham after going 2-0 down and probably weren’t at our best at Brighton. We had some good spells at Reading and managed to hang on to the early goal.

“The manager puts massive emphasis on every game, whether it’s the first or last of the season. Everyone knows the importance of the final three games and, hopefully, our winning mentality will continue.”