CHERRIES will embark on an historic first season in the Premier League in August. Here, we look at the nine dates with destiny which helped get them there...
1. Huddersfield Town 0 Cherries 4
A rip-roaring signal of intent from Cherries on the opening day, even if many didn’t realise it at the time.
From the moment Marc Pugh notched after a mere 26 seconds, Cherries never looked back as new star Callum Wilson shone with a brace on his debut.
The victory got somewhat nudged out of the national spotlight by the departure of Terriers boss Mark Robins immediately after Huddersfield’s hellish curtain raiser but the strong signs were there for Cherries fans to see.
2. Bolton Wanderers 1 Cherries 2
It seems a million miles away now but Cherries sat 15th in the Championship with 12 points from 10 matches at the end of September.
Yann Kermorgant saw red for a high challenge in the first half but Wilson’s brace pouched a precious three points from a resolute display by the 10 men.
The victory kicked off October in perfect style and triggered a 14-match unbeaten league sequence which would extend beyond the turn of the calendar year.
3. Sheffield Wednesday 0 Cherries 2
On a cold, November night at Hillsborough, Cherries won their sixth consecutive league match and hit the summit for the first time since the second Saturday of the season.
In truth, there was not much for the hardy travellers from Dorset to see apart from well-taken goals from Andrew Surman and substitute Ryan Fraser but the result was groundbreaking.
4. Cherries 2 Watford 0
Table-topping Cherries played host to a Watford side that sat sixth, just four points off the summit when the Sky cameras came to town.
Cherries produced a dominant display but were unquestionably helped by the harsh dismissal of Hornets defender Gabriele Angella after 28 seconds.
Kermorgant and Matt Ritchie scored the decisive goals as the club’s march continued.
5. Cherries 2 Wolves 1
After Cherries had slipped to fourth with a February to forget, the world and his wife had started to write off their chances of automatic promotion.
Up stepped Kermorgant with a timely brace either side of Benik Afobe’s goal for the visitors.
And like the Bolton victory in October, it instigated a remarkable run...
6. Fulham 1 Cherries 5
Back under the Friday night lights, Cherries sent shivers down the spines of a dazzled television audience with a merciless thumping of Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Brett Pitman mesmerised his opponents with a mazy run from the halfway line before coolly finishing, a wonderstrike which was only topped when Steve Cook’s Exocet rounded off an incredible evening in the capital.
7. Cherries 3 Middlesbrough 0
Such was the nip-and-tuck nature of the Championship, Cherries had slipped to third as a result of their 1-1 midweek draw at Cardiff, two points behind weekend visitors Boro.
With an international break on the horizon, the stakes could not have been higher but penalties from Kermorgant and Pitman sandwiched Harry Arter’s goal to put Eddie Howe’s men back on top.
8. Cherries 4 Birmingham 2
Down to second as a result of a keenly-contested 1-1 draw at Ipswich, the pressure was back on when Cherries returned to home soil – only this time it showed.
Blues pair Clayton Donaldson and David Cotterill stunned Dean Court with two goals only for Cook and Wilson to level matters before half-time.
Kermorgant and Charlie Daniels completed a show-stopping comeback as Cherries seized control of the title race once more.
9. Cherries 3 Bolton 0
Wins at Brighton and Reading were followed by last-ditch heartache in the home draw with Sheffield Wednesday.
But favourable results elsewhere put Cherries’ fate back in their own hands. Beat Bolton and they would be as good as promoted.
Under the ultimate pressure, Cherries thrived and ripped the poor Trotters apart on a Monday night that will live long in the memory.
Perhaps some might argue the title-winning 3-0 success at Charlton eclipsed that but the way Howe’s troops coped with the pressure of playing for Premier League football was a sight to behold.
Did we pick the right matches? Which result did you think was the most important of the campaign?
Let us know in the comments section below or tweet us @BmthEchoSport
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