GOALKEEPER Mark Travers revealed how he had been working on playing out from the back with his feet to fit Cherries’ philosophy.

The Irish stopper, signed by the Dorset club following a successful trial in July 2016, also said he had been a handy midfield option as a youngster in Ireland.

Travers found the spotlight during the latter stages of last season, having been handed Premier League starts against Tottenham and Crystal Palace.

But he insisted his hard work to adapt to boss Eddie Howe’s playing style had stemmed from much earlier.

Asked about the need to be comfortable with the ball at his feet, Travers told the Daily Echo: “Since I came here three years ago, that’s what I have been trying to work on.

“Playing out from the back - that’s the way the gaffer and the club wants to play, so it’s something I have brought into my game and keep improving on.”

A fractured thumb meant the 20-year-old was forced to pull out of Ireland’s summer Euro 2020 qualifiers.

But it was in his homeland where the Cherries keeper discovered his love of goalkeeping.

“I started outfield and gradually found myself sliding back into goal. It was something I always enjoyed and did it with my friends on the green,” he said.

“That feeling of stopping shots was always something I loved doing.

“I had played centre-mid and I did all right to be fair – goalkeeper was better for me though! I have always had a love for it since a young age and that hasn’t stopped now.”