CHERRIES goalkeeper Asmir Begovic insisted his decision to leave Chelsea had been vindicated but acknowledged there was still room for improvement.

Begovic, a £10million buy from the Blues in the summer, is the only player to have started all 36 of Cherries’ games in the Premier League this season.

And with two games remaining, he will be hoping to maintain his ever-present record, a feat he last achieved when he was named player of the year at Stoke in 2013.

Begovic, who played eight times for Cherries during a loan spell from Portsmouth in 2007, marked his return by finishing on the losing team in his first four games.

But after playing his part in a 0-0 draw with Leicester in September, the 30-year-old kept a hat-trick of clean sheets against Newcastle, Huddersfield and Swansea in November.

Begovic also starred during a seven-match unbeaten run which saw Cherries pull clear of the drop zone, the sequence including a shut-out in a 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge in January.

Although just one win in their past 10 games has slightly taken the gloss off his debut campaign, Begovic believes there is more to come from him and Eddie Howe’s team.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo, the Bosnia and Herzegovina international said: “I think it has gone okay. I have been delighted to play every minute and to contribute to the team.

“It has been great to have the trust of the manager and the players so, hopefully, I have been consistent enough.

“Like anything, there have been some good things and some things you want to work on and improve for next season.

“I have learned a lot from the manager and what he expects from the team. But the season is not over and I am just really focused on Swansea.”

Asked whether he felt his move had been vindicated, Begovic replied: “Yes, pretty much. For the short term, yes.

“I want to keep achieving, keep winning and keep this club moving in the right direction so there is plenty more to achieve.

“We just need to pick up points against Swansea and finish our home campaign on the right foot.

“This club has the platform and the potential to keep progressing and can be anything it wants to be.

“But as a group of players and everyone involved, we have to keep pushing, keep setting high expectations of ourselves and just keep going in the right direction.”

Cherries have conceded 24 times in their past 11 games and Begovic knows he will need to be on his toes if he is to repeat the clean sheet he kept against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium.

“Games at this stage of the season are tough,” he added. “There is a lot of pressure on them, every point means so much and Swansea will be no different.

“We need to perform, we need our fans behind us and, hopefully, we can put things right.”