By Andrew Warshaw
April 28 – There are heartwarming football stories. And then there is the story of Bournemouth. Celebration and euphoria were mixed with sheer disbelief last night when the tiny club on the English south coast, close to oblivion only a few years ago, effectively sealed their promotion to the top flight of the Premier League for the first time in their 116-year history.
A 3-0 win over Bolton Wanderers sparked remarkable scenes at the club’s 12,500-capacity ground as fans digested the sheer scale of what had been achieved given the club almost went out of existence in 2009 because of crippling debts.
Even if they lose their final game of the season, The Cherries’ goal difference means they have one foot in the Premier League along with Watford who have also been automatically promoted.
The man behind the club’s resurgence on the field is their 37-year-old manager Eddie Howe. Off it, much of their success is down to little-known Russian millionaire Maxim Demin who became the club’s full owner in 2013 after having bought a 50% stake two years earlier.
“When I arrived at the club, we couldn’t even afford a first-class postage stamp,” said Bournemouth chairman Jeff Mostyn who wrote a cheque to save the club literally a few minutes before they were due to be liquidated in 2008. “We were on the edge of abyss.”
The following season they were close to going out of the entire Football League after being ordered to begin playing in League Two, the lowest tier of the English professional game, on minus 17 points. But they somehow survived and the rest, as they say, is history. After being mired in debt and forced into administration, Bournemouth gained promotion at the end of the 2009–10 season, then were promoted again in 2012–13.
Howe, who has had two spells as manager, was responsible for steering the club into the Championship and now, against all the odds, up to the Premier League where they will take their place next season alongside the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United.
“This club was on its knees six years ago, we had nothing,” said Howe. “A group of supporters put their money in their pockets to keep the club alive and they are reaping the rewards. It is a family club and deserves its moment in the sun.
“It is never a journey we expected to go on but through some hard work and some investment we managed to do it. The players have been magnificent and an achievement they deserved.”
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