MARC Pugh insists he does not fear the influx of attacking options at Cherries and vowed to have the last laugh over his detractors in the Premier League.

Pugh, the club’s longest-serving player, has racked up more than 40 league appearances in each of his five seasons in red and black.

Since manager Eddie Howe returned to Cherries in October 2012, the former Hereford and Shrewsbury wideman has seen off the likes of Ryan Fraser, Mohamed Coulibaly and Junior Stanislas to retain his place in the starting line-up.

Howe has again upped the ante by recruiting Ghana international Christian Atsu on a season-long loan from Chelsea and frontrunner Joshua King from Blackburn Rovers but the 28-year-old reckons his lessons from football’s school of hard knocks can aid his bid to keep the shirt.

Pugh told the Daily Echo: “For the past three or four seasons, we have been bringing in players. We are another step ahead now in the Premier League but I hope I have proved my worth to the club.

“We may bring more bodies in but I have to show the confidence and belief that I can do just as good a job as, if not better than, other people.

“Going back to when I was younger, I had to deal with a lot of setbacks. People were very quick to tell me I was not good enough but experiences like that make you grow as a person.

“I have had to constantly work at my game and believe I have improved. You just have to go out and show what you can do on the pitch and that is the one thing that never changes.

“My mentality is that we are all human and everyone is built the same way, you just have to do everything in your power to make sure you’re better than whoever comes in.

“It will not be easy because we have some very talented footballers and massive competition for places but I was delighted with my input last season.

"I played 40-odd games like I did in the previous four seasons and I don’t see why I can’t do that again.”

And Pugh believes his colleagues will be equally motivated to upset the apple cart with the watching world ready to write off Cherries before a ball is kicked.

“You always have your doubters and the whole squad will have to put up with that,” he added.

“The Premier League is new territory for everyone and we will probably be one of the favourites to go down but we can’t let those negative vibes affect us.

“Personally, every time I see negative things it spurs me on. When I was younger it used to affect me a bit, maybe I read too much into it but I just have a laugh about it now. It’s part and parcel of the game.”