FORMER Cherries keeper Jordan Holmes admitted it was a “bit of a culture shock” after he left Vitality Stadium to get regular game time in non-league.

Holmes, 22, moved from Australia to join Cherries’ academy in 2013 and did make the bench for the first team - but never made his competitive senior debut.

He exited Vitality Stadium after his contract expired last summer and has since featured in the National League for Ebbsfleet, playing 22 times in all competitions.

Speaking to The World Game, the ex-Cherries goalkeeper said: “It was a bit of a culture shock going from the nice Premier League grounds.

“You go to United or Liverpool or Chelsea, and now you go to – no disrespect – but the other teams in our league you go to stadiums with only three stands.

“And you can hear every single fan there and every bit of abuse. Just little things, you go to the changing rooms and you bring your own kit.

“At the training ground, people don’t wash your kit for you, small things like that. But I don’t mind that, I enjoy it. It just brings me back to when I wasn’t at Bournemouth before then.”

Despite his departure from Cherries last summer, Sydney-born Holmes said the Dorset club was still “very close” to him.

“They’ve helped me ever since,” he added.

“Letting me contact them, ask for advice if I need anything, if I come in to do a training session, they’re still very close to me, so I can’t complain.

“It’s so rare to get your opportunity straight from the youth team or the under-23s to the first-team. You need to go and get your experience elsewhere and prove yourself.

“Unfortunately, sometimes if you are doing really well, you’ll be kept around the first-team for training purposes and then it’s sort of kills you in that sense that you can’t play.

“But then you’re just so happy in the moment of being part of a Premier League team, travelling to games and all that, you just push all the other thoughts to the back of your head.

“But now at 22, just about to turn 23, it was the right time for me to just go out and play games and experience football.”