BOSS Eddie Howe has highlighted the importance of “discipline and self-control” after seeing Cherries climb another rung on the League One fair play ladder.

Matt Ritchie’s booking was Cherries’ only blemish against leaders Shrewsbury on Saturday as Howe’s men leapfrogged Tranmere into fifth place in the table.

Positions in the FA’s fair play league are determined by disciplinary points, with four given for a yellow card and either 10 or 12 for a red, depending on the severity of the offence.

Cherries are one of only two clubs in League One to have had just one sending off this season, a statistic which compares favourably with MK Dons and Notts County, who have both had eight.

Harry Arter’s dismissal for two yellow cards against Preston in August came before Howe’s arrival, while Charlie Daniels is the only other player to have served a first-team suspension this season.

Howe told the Daily Echo: “You have to say being fifth is a good thing from our perspective. I would like to promote fair play within football and certainly want to see sportsmanship and discipline within my team.

“We want to win and we want to win at all costs. But we also want to win doing it the right way and respecting the rules and the officials. We ask a lot of our players, both individually and collectively, and discipline and self-control are certainly high on the agenda for us.

“You have to have a disciplined team and you have to have a team that thinks of the consequences of everything they do.”

Cherries are guaranteed to reach the end of the regular season without having any more players banned for bookings-related suspensions.

Players with nine or fewer yellow cards had the slate wiped clean following Sunday’s cut-off, while Arter – with 11 bookings – is four away from triggering another suspension.

However, a player would still be banned for one match should he get sent-off for collecting two yellows in the same game, while punishments for straight red cards still apply.

There is no prize money for finishing positions in the fair play league.

Fair play top-10 (with points): 1 Shrewsbury (184), 2 Crewe (214), 3 Walsall (242), 4 Hartlepool (274), 5 Cherries (278), 6 Tranmere (280), 7 Carlisle (292), 8 Sheffield United (300), 9 Stevenage (300), 10 Crawley (300).