CHERRIES chairman Bill Foley hopes first team head coach Gary O’Neil is “around for a long time” at Vitality Stadium.

In his first role as boss of a senior team, O’Neil has managed to steer Cherries to safety despite the club being heavy favourites for the drop following their promotion from the Championship last season.

Although not directly appointed by Foley as the Black Knight Football Entertainment takeover had not been completed, the American backed O’Neil to take over as Scott Parker’s permanent replacement after impressing enough in his interim spell.

LONG READ: Bill Foley promised survival, but Gary O'Neil delivered it

A decision questioned at the time, Foley and the rest of the Cherries board’s trust in the rookie head coach has paid off, with Cherries all but confirming safety with four games to spare.

Reportedly there is a clause in O’Neil’s contract that will see an automatic one-year extension come into effect once survival is mathematically secured.

O’Neil’s initial contract was set to expire next summer, with Cherries confirming at the time there was a “provision” for it to be extended by a further 12 months.

In an interview for the club’s matchday programme, Foley commented: “He’s done a great job.

“We got a lot of criticism when we made the decision but I’d spent time with Richard (Hughes) and Neill (Blake), and we looked at Gary and what he had accomplished after the change and while we started stumbling a bit in November and we were certainly stumbling after the break, we always felt with the new players coming in, once they assimilated, they would take us to a different spot.

“I feel Gary has the talent and the tactical finesse to allow this team to win and he’s proving it and he’s got the team with him, which is the most important thing as a coach, to have the confidence from the players that they want to support you and want to win for you.

“I hope Gary is around for a long time, he’s the right kind of guy, he’s the type of coach that I really like, that I get on with."