DUNCAN Wells has had two stints as the Cherries’ kit manager – and they could not have been more different.

He first held the position in the late 1990’s when a fresh-faced Eddie Howe, aged just 20, turned out for AFC Bournemouth in the Auto Windscreens Shield cup final at Wembley.

Now he’s back for a second spell and Eddie is the manager, taking the team to unprecedented heights.

“We were struggling to even afford washing powder in those days and the kit wasn’t my only job back then,” said Duncan. “Everyone was just dipping into everyone else’s job, just trying to keep the club going.”

The 37-year-old left AFC Bournemouth shortly after the Wembley match but kept in touch with people from the club. Less than six months ago he was approached and asked if he wanted to come back.

The club he left was struggling for survival but he has come back to a club on a secure financial footing. Duncan recently accompanied the players to their warm weather training in Dubai.

“I love football and it was too good an opportunity to turn down,” he said. “I started coming to watch the Cherries when I was about seven years old. It’s a job but it’s an added bonus that it’s with the club that I support.

“It’s a bit of an eye opener how much things have moved on. Back then, the players used to get their training kits at the start of the season and it was then theirs to look after.

“The kits were a lot simpler then too. There were no squad numbers, just numbers 1 to 11. It was a lot more straightforward. Players were probably less demanding in those days.”

Duncan and another full-time member of staff are responsible for preparing and arranging all the training kits and matchday strips for the first team squad and the development team.

Players come in for their daily training session, get given a full training kit and hand it back afterwards, so it can be washed and dried ready for the following day.

The challenge is in remembering every player’s individual requirements: “Some are very particular about what shirt they wear, or what socks. They tell you once and you’ve got to remember that day to day, week to week.

“I’m a bit of a worrier so on away trips, as soon as leave the ground I’m worrying about whether we packed everything that we need.

“Touch wood we have had no major disasters so far but I’m sure in my life as a kit man it will happen because it happens to everybody.”