SIMON Francis admits that becoming a more resilient unit was high on Cherries' agenda entering their second Premier League campaign.

Eddie Howe's side conceded 67 goals last season – only bottom of the table Aston Villa shipped more – and kept just five clean sheets in 38 games.

But despite letting in six goals across their two most recent outings, Cherries have already recorded four shutouts this season – something they achieved eight games earlier than the 20 it took last term.

Francis told the Daily Echo: "That's been massive for us. It’s one of the huge factors we worked on, especially in pre-season.

"I think we’re one of the best teams in the league at defending set-pieces – in terms of goals conceded from them – and that’s a huge plus for us.

"It's especially pleasing for the manager, having been a defender himself, and Jason Tindall as well. As a defender, when you keep a clean sheet it’s almost as good as getting a win. If we can win games one or two nil that’s massive for us.

"Looking back on last season, there was a real incentive to do something about it.

"The number of clean sheets and goals we let in was something we wanted to improve. And so far we’ve done that."