COLIN Clarke – the last Cherries player to feature at a major tournament – insists it is only a matter of time before the Dorset club is represented in one of international football's biggest competitions.

Striker Clarke made three appearances for Northern Ireland at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, coming on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw with Algeria before starting and netting a consolation in a 2-1 defeat to Spain.

Newry-born Clarke, who bagged 26 goals in 46 Division Three appearances for Cherries during the 1985-86 season, also played 90 minutes in a 3-0 loss to Brazil – a side which included the likes of Socrates, Careca and Zico.

Between then and now, only one Cherries player has travelled to a major tournament, goalkeeper Gerry Peyton being part of the Republic of Ireland squad which journeyed to Italy for the 1990 World Cup, although he did not play.

Poland stopper Artur Boruc finally broke the 26-year cycle when he travelled to France for Euro 2016 but whether the veteran will end a 30-year wait for a Cherries player to get on the pitch at a major tournament remains to be seen.

Boruc was an unused substitute as the Poles opened with a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland on Sunday. But even if Boruc does not see match time for Adam Nawalka's side, Clarke says it will not be long before the barren run is broken.

He told the Daily Echo: "Without a doubt, it will only be a matter of time before Bournemouth is represented at a major tournament again.

"The landscape of the game has completely changed. You look at all the teams when I played and the majority of players were British and now that has changed throughout the leagues.

"It's great that Bournemouth have a team of very good players, a lot of them internationals, and after they got into the Premier League it was always going to happen that one of them was going to represent their country at a major tournament.

"Hopefully, Euro 2016 will be the first of many to come."

Cherries came close to having three players involved in the European Championships but Harry Arter and Eunan O'Kane were not named in the Republic of Ireland squad – the former cruelly ruled out of contention by a calf injury.

Carolina RailHawks boss Clarke, whose effort against Spain was Northern Ireland's last goal in a major championship, admits he would have loved to have seen Cherries represented sooner at that level.

He added: "I'd like to have seen it happen sooner because it would have meant Bournemouth would have been successful more quickly.

"The length of time is not something I've thought about much over the years but it's come to the fore now the European Championships are here.

"Hopefully, those that missed out this time will still be there in two years when the next big tournament comes around."