AFC Bournemouth, from near extinction to Premier League glory

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There are many fairy-tales we all know. Not all are fiction like Little Red Riding Hood, there are some that happen in real life. One of these fairy-tales is AFC Bournemouth. The Dorset based football club has witnessed many ups and downs during its existence; most recently, the Cherries gained promotion back to the Premier League. This is how Scott Parker, current manager of the club, and the players achieved that this year.

But before all of that, here's a quick history on where AFC Bournemouth have been during the last 20 years.


So now you're up to date. Let's dive in to this season and see how Bournemouth have returned to the promised land.

Before a season starts, the transfer window opens. Asmir Begovic and Sam Surridge left for Everton and Stoke respectively. Joining Bournemouth were Marcondes, Gary Cahill, Ryan Christie and Jamal Lowe.

From August to October, Bournemouth are in full throttle. Unbeaten with 11 games won and 4 games drawn. Some of their biggest games wins were against Barnsley and Huddersfield; both were 3-0 home wins for Bournemouth.

Unfortunately, the Cherries wobbled. From November to January, they lost more than they won. 6 losses, three draws and only four wins during that time of the season. Dominic Solanke, the striker of the team, was finding hard to score and many fans were starting to lose faith with Scott Parker. The biggest low that season was when the club were eliminated from the FA Cup after a shock loss against non league football club Boreham Wood (surprisingly, the filming location of Eastenders!).

Despite all of this, Scott stayed on and kept the 4-3-3 formation throughout the season as he witnessed it working at the start and gained faith with the players.

(Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)

This resulted in the club winning four consecutive games to jump back into the automatic promotion spots. From March to April, the ship was steering and things were getting better with only two losses. They won against promotion rivals Huddersfield Town and drew against Sheffield United and Middlesbrough; both damaging their chances for automatic promotion.

May Day. At the Vitality Stadium, home of AFC Bournemouth. The away team, Nottingham Forest. Their manager, Steve Cooper, took over the club when they were in the relegation zone. Months later, Nottingham were battling for promotion at 3rd place. If Bournemouth win the match, they go through. Draw or lose, it goes to the final day on Saturday. After the news that one of their players, David Brooks, was cancer free, anything could happen.

First half seemed difficult. Nottingham were denied a penalty after one of the players was injured in the penalty box, but were offside by a centimetre. And the second half arrives. Solanke takes a free kick, passes to Keiffer Moore, who scores the penultimate goal to take the lead.

Highlights from Sky Sports

Nottingham Forest kept on pressing, scaring the Cherries. And then the whistle blows. AFC Bournemouth have won. And not just that, they won automatic promotion to the Premier League. Scott Parker did it with one game to spare. Fans came crashing onto the pitch to celebrate the victory and the club's return to the elite league of English football.

(Photo by Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

But who knows where next? With one more game left, Bournemouth need not to worry. Their next match is at home against Millwall and supporters are hoping to buy tickets and commemorate the club's return to the Premier League.

The next season will see the Cherries compete against the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and many more in the top flight. Will they sink or will they swim back to the Championship? Can Scott Parker prove himself as a successful manager next season? Will Dominic Solanke keep on scoring? and who's going to join the club in the summer transfer window? only time will tell.

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