ANDREW Surman is backing Cherries to “bounce back” from their FA Cup defeat at Millwall – a result that left him feeling “absolutely gutted”.

The midfielder was one of few Cherries players to emerge with any credit from a dismal afternoon in south London on Saturday.

And he says Eddie Howe’s team cannot afford to spend too long licking their wounds, with a Premier League date with Hull City on the agenda this weekend.

Surman told the Daily Echo: “I don't doubt the character in our team. Since I’ve been here we’ve had a lot of disappointments that we’ve bounced back from.

“We have good characters in the dressing room and a good team spirit.

“Everyone will get round each other. We’ll bounce back from this once we get over the initial disappointment.”

Surman started his third match inside a fortnight at The Den following two months out with a hamstring injury.

A host of other Cherries players were handed rare outings in the third round tie – but Surman admitted nobody succeeded in pressing their first-team claims.

“Whether you’re playing regularly or not, we all needed to play better and give the gaffer something to think about,” he said.

“We didn’t do that. Every player who comes into the team should know his job.

"When players come in or the team changes it shouldn’t affect you too much.

“The gaffer is the only one who knows what he wants to do at Hull. Any players called upon will have to make sure they’re mentally and physically right.”

Surman acknowledged that Cherries’ FA Cup exit represented a bitter personal blow, given it ended his hopes of landing the first silverware of his career for another year.

He added: “I’m absolutely gutted to be honest. I’ve been on the end of a few of these in my career, but I’ve been on a couple of decent runs as well.

“There’s nothing better than going on a cup run. You want to be involved in that, especially when you’re not involved much and those cup games provide an opportunity to play.”