EDDIE Howe said Cherries’ lack of home wins had been indicative of the strength of the Premier League – but acknowledged their form at Vitality Stadium would have to improve.

Cherries registered five victories in front of their own fans this season – the fewest since they joined the Football League in 1923.

However, it was also their debut campaign in the top tier of English football and they played just 19 times at Dean Court, the fewest number of home games in a season in 86 years.

Goals from Callum Wilson and Matt Ritchie saw Cherries open their win account on home soil against Sunderland in September.

They beat Manchester United and Norwich in December and January, respectively, before back-to-back home wins against Southampton and Swansea in March proved crucial in them securing their top-flight status.

Asked for his thoughts on their home record, Howe told the Daily Echo: “Can do better would be my summing up and, next season, we will probably have to do better if we want to move the club forward.

“It may well have been the fewest number of home wins but look at the teams we were playing. We had never played some of the clubs we have this season so that is a statistic which is in line with being in the Premier League.

“The objective has been reached and hit. Don’t get me wrong, we want to win in front of our supporters. That is one of the first things you want to do.

“Thankfully, our away form has been very strong. We have been to some tough places and been able to dig out some points.

“How we improve our home form is a puzzle for us to try to solve for next season.

“The difference between the Championship and the Premier League is huge. There are no easy games and you have to fight for every point and perform at your best levels.

“We didn’t perform at our best levels against West Brom but got something from the game. At this stage of the season, and with Manchester United away to come, it was very important for us.”

Asked what he felt Cherries needed to do to push on next season, midfielder Harry Arter said: “I think we need to get better at what we are doing at the moment. The manager will never change the way we play and rightly so because it is without doubt the right way.

“It’s the hardest way and we have to work really hard day in, day out. It would be easy to just lump balls to a big man up front and play for set-pieces but we are not about that.

“We want to play football, we want to entertain our crowd and we want to try to be successful. We don’t just want to stay in the Premier League every year, we want to try to achieve big things.”