IS the dream still as vivid second time around?

Unquestionably, yes.

There’s little chance of the Cherries fans becoming jaded by life at the top.

Or at least in the top league.

AFC Bournemouth kicked off their second Premier League season against Manchester United today.

It was the toughest possible test as Eddie Howe conceded in his programme notes.

And indeed the start of the toughest but possibly the most exciting season in the club's history.

The result, or at least the way it came about, was also tough to take – again the manager’s words.

The game was on a knife edge until the first, scrappy goal.

The fans outside the Vitality Stadium before the match had the inevitable mixture of anticipation of anticipation and trepidation.

Ian Trist, whose first game was at home to Colchester on a cold Tuesday evening in 1977 said: "It doesn't matter who you are playing. You just want the three points. You want your team to win. But I think we’ll be okay.”

Programme seller Trevor Mansell who has been doing that job for  23 years told the Daily Echo: "You have to be optimistic. Otherwise you wouldn't be a football supporter.

“You have to look at every new season as an opportunity. I think we will stay up again but it's always going to be a challenge in this league. There is so much money in it."

Peter Alison has also been following the club for 70 years.

"We have come a long way I think we have done enough in the transfer market to stay up. The new signings looked impressive, especially Cook.

“However a couple of places higher than last season would be a bit more comfortable."

At the final whistle he was disappointed by the result but encouraged by the performance.

“Staying up won’t depend on beating the likes of Manchester United,” he said.

The international dimensions of the English Premier League were illustrated by the presence of several football students from China studying at Bournemouth University.

It is part of the AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust and BU partnership to deliver a football study programme for coaches.

60 student have spent three months on the south coast completing FA qualifications and gaining an understanding of English football and the culture of a Premier League club.

Visiting BU professor Richard Li-Hua said: “We can learn a lot from the Premier League and clubs like Bournemouth. Football is very important for the local economy and of course it is getting bigger and bigger all the time in China.”