STEVE Claridge says it is time Cherries shed their “little Bournemouth” tag – and reckons they should have a “right go” at winning the FA Cup this season.

Cherries launch their cup campaign with a third-round tie at Millwall tomorrow when Eddie Howe – “the best young manager in the country” by Claridge’s reckoning – is expected to make a raft of changes to his team.

But with Howe’s side sitting comfortably in the Premier League, former Cherries and Millwall striker Claridge insists they are perfectly poised for a tilt at cup glory.

He told the Daily Echo: “A great cup run would be fantastic, wouldn’t it? People only think about ‘little Bournemouth’ because of the gates they get.

“They don’t think that because of the money they pay or anything like that.

"I know Eddie’s renowned for making lots of changes in the cups but I don’t think he needs to this season.

"He has a bigger and better quality squad than he has ever had but I don’t think it’ll be a case of making nine or 10 changes like he has before.

"He’ll think ‘we’re in a position now where we’re going to stay up’.

“They are a secure mid-table side, there is no doubt about that.

"Beyond that, you think ‘we have to do two things. We have to entertain people and we have to try to have a go in the cup'.

“That’s exactly what I think he’ll want to do.”

Claridge’s enduring, itinerant career was bookended by his two stints with Cherries.

He made his 1,000th professional appearance for the club in 2006, lining up in a side that also included Howe and which lost a League One game 4-0 to Port Vale.

And the 50-year-old claims players will now be falling over themselves to play for Howe’s team.

“They can pay the money and they are competitive in the league," said Claridge, who described his own time with Cherries as "wonderful".

“You’d think, ‘I’m going to a club that won't be relegated and I’ll be playing under the best young manager in the country'.

“If the stadium held 25,000, they’d probably fill it. That’s where they are now. So looking at the cup, there’s no reason why they can’t have a right go."

Claridge played for Millwall for two years from 2001 before being dismissed just 36 days after being appointed manager at The Den in 2005.

He is expecting current Lions boss Neil Harris to take the fight to his Premier League opponents.

"It’s a really good football club," said Claridge. "You have to be there to understand it. If they like you, they will look after you for life.

“Millwall will view it as a game they can win. The manager will be looking to make sure that, if Bournemouth take their eye off the ball or make too many changes and it doesn’t work, they’re good enough to take advantage.

"I think it will be a fantastic game of football."