MIDFIELDER Dan Gosling revealed how the exacting standards at Cherries had taken him by surprise last summer and vowed to hit the ground running this time round.

Gosling, 25, lifted the lid on how his tumultuous four-year spell at former club Newcastle had taken its toll ahead of joining Cherries as a free agent last July.

The former Everton man admitted he had taken time to recover with his quest for first-team starts further hampered by the eye-catching form of Harry Arter and Andrew Surman.

Gosling, who commanded a £2million fee when he moved to Goodison Park from Plymouth seven years ago, scored five goals in five League Cup appearances but was restricted to just one Championship start at Norwich back in August.

But the former England under-21 star feels ready to make his case for a regular berth as one of the few players at Dean Court to have experienced life in the Premier League.

Gosling told the Daily Echo: “Every season is a chance to come back and start afresh and that’s what I am looking to do.

“When I came back last pre-season I wasn’t really fit. Over the summer, I had a proper rest for the first time in a few years but this time I hope to come back in better shape.

“After last season, I needed time to recuperate and get mentally fresh again. I went through four tough years working through the summers at Newcastle and it didn’t quite pay off. I needed a good, solid rest as well as a new challenge.

“When I arrived, I probably didn’t realise the level of talent we had in the squad. The quality exceeded all of my expectations.

“In that respect, I probably came in with the wrong mentality but everyone involved with the squad, management and staff has been brilliant with me.

“The team spirit was fantastic from the off and something I hadn’t experienced for a few years. I feel privileged to be a part of that.

“I knew from the first training session that everyone was driving forward together. There was a level of intensity from day one which carried right through and our hard work paid off in the end.

“I would like to have played more and it will probably take more game time to get me 100 per cent match fit but the performance levels have been so high that the team has picked itself for the past year.

“It was hard for anyone not playing to knock someone out of the team or complain about any decisions because we finished top of the league.

“Who knows what formation or what kind of players the manager is going to bring in next season? Things could be totally different but I’ll be coming back fresh and determined to kick-start things again.”