AFC Bournemouth is a professional football club who represent the seaside town of the same name on the south coast of England, while being actually based in the adjoining town of Boscombe.
Although there are no exact dates regarding the formation of the club, it is believed that a club called Boscombe St. John's Lads’ Institute FC who were formed in 1890 became the basis of Boscombe FC when formed in 1899.
The team started out playing at Castlemain Road in Pokesdown for the first couple of seasons before moving to a pitch in King's Park. In 1910 the club President, Mr. J.E. Cooper-Dean gave the club some wasteland next to King's Park so they could build their own home. In return the club called it Dean Court.
There were several cherry orchards in the adjoining fields, and it's from that the club nicknamed of 'The Cherries' is thought to have come. After a decade at their new home, Boscombe progressed to the Southern League from the Hampshire League.
In an attempt to become more representative of the area they changed their name to Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic FC in 1923, the same year that they became members of the Football League after finishing as Southern League runners-up.
Harry Kinghorn was appointed as manager, taking over from Vincent Kitcher while the following year the Main Stand was brought from the Empire Exhibition at Wembley and erected at Dean Court as the side were placed in Division Three South.
Former Arsenal manager Leslie Knighton had a spell in charge of the team from 1925 to 1928 before Billy Birrell took control for the first half of the 1930’s with Charlie Bell ending the decade in the post with a sixth place in 1936-37 a highlight.
Harry Lowe was manager following World War Two as Athletic finished as runners-up in 1947-48 before ending third in Division Three South twelve months later. Jack Bruton became manager between 1950 and 1956.
Freddie Cox was in charge of the side when Bournemouth were placed in Division Three after league restructuring in 1958-59. Bill McGarry was the next man to take the position as the team ended third in 1962-63.
Cox returned for a second spell later in the decade, taking his team to fourth place in 1968-69 before they were relegated the following season before John Bond arrived as manager. He took the side straight back up as Division Four runners-up in 1970-71.
Bond put together an attractive team including Ted MacDougall, who scored nine goals in an 11-0 FA Cup win against Margate alongside Phil Bowyer. The team adopted the colours of red and black rather than red and white to emulate AC Milan's stylish look.
In 1971 the club changed its name to AFC Bournemouth, ending third in the 1971-72 Third Division season. Bond departed for Norwich City in 1974. The team was relegated the following season under the tutelage of Trevor Hartley.
Tony Nelson, John Benson and Alec Stock, all had spells as manager before the appointment of former Chelsea star David Webb as player-manager who led the team to promotion in 1981-82.
He was replaced by Don Megson before former Cherries winger Harry Redknapp took over in 1983. In 1983-84 Manchester United were dumped out of the FA Cup before the Division Three title was lifted in 1986-87 as Bournemouth reached the second tier for the first time.
On Saturday 5th May 2000, part of a Bank Holiday weekend, Leeds United visited town for a vital game for both clubs. Leeds won with a single goal to win promotion to the top flight, while the defeat relegated AFC Bournemouth.
The visiting fans caused over £1M pounds in damage around the town over the weekend and generally petrified the locals, but the effects on the club were far worse. The incidents were even discussed in parliament, such was the extent.
The damage was felt for the next thirteen years by the club as the local police refused any home matches to be played on Bank Holidays, which were generally a great money spinner. Redknapp resigned to move to West Ham United in 1992 to be replaced by Tony Pulis who remained in the position for two years before being succeeded by Mel Machin.
The third tier was renamed Division Two as Machin saw about a couple of seasons of improvements before the appointment of Sean O'Driscoll in 2000. The club moved out of the ageing Dean Court, which had suffered after the Bradford and Hillsborough disasters more than most to play matches at The Avenue Stadium, home of neighbours Dorchester Town.
While Bournemouth were away the ground was demolished with the pitch turned ninety degrees to create more space. On their return to traditional territory, AFC Bournemouth were relegated in 2001-02.
The board kept faith in their boss, probably owing to the clubs precarious financial situation, and were rewarded with promotion in 2002-03 when The Cherries beat Lincoln City 5-2 in the Millennium Stadium play-off final with Fletcher’s, Carl and Steve on the scoresheet, after defeating Bury in the semi-final.
A couple of decent finishes ensued in the division renamed League One while off the pitch the ownership of the club changed hands when a consortium headed by Jeff Mostyn took over.
O'Driscoll and his assistant Richard O'Kelly left the club to join Doncaster Rovers in 2006. Kevin Bond took over but was forced to offload lots of players including star striker James Hayter to Doncaster to try and balance the books.
Loan signings and free transfers came in including Lee Bradbury. On 7th February 2008, AFC Bournemouth were forced into administration, suffering a 10-point deduction which put them in relegation trouble.
AFC Bournemouth had debts of around £4 million and almost went out of business completely. Bond and his players did their best under extreme circumstances. The only bid for the club came in from Mostyn, but the administrators Begbies Traynor deemed it illegal.
They warned that the club could close at the end of that season unless funding was forthcoming. The team were relegated on the final day of the 2007-08 season. Paul Baker became the new owner of the club.
By New Year 2009 Bond had left and Jimmy Quinn his replacement had been sacked. Former team centre back Eddie Howe was appointed as the new manager after being elevated from his role as head of the club's Centre of Excellence.
He became the League's youngest manager at the age of thirty one. A local businessman Adam Murry tried to buy 50% of the club but struggled to pay for it from Baker. Meanwhile Howe and his charges performed a near miracle by retaining their League place with a game to spare.
In June 2009 a new consortium took over AFC Bournemouth. It included Murray, Mostyn and outspoken Dorchester Town Chairman Eddie Mitchell who eventually sold Town to become The Cherries Chairman.
In 2009-10, Howe's first full season in charge the team finished second and won promotion to League One. His abilities were admired by many in the game, so it was no surprise when he left to join Burnley the following season.
Lee Bradbury took over at the helm and like Howe he lost players for transfer fees, which upset the club's loyal fans who were tired of the continual financial saga at the club. Mitchell lost his composure at a home game against Chesterfield, while allegedly imbibed, as fans voiced their criticisms.
To watch click here. Russian investors became involved at the club, which steadied the finances but led to a further embarrassment after the wife of one of them was invited into the changing rooms at half time to deliver the team talk. Bradbury struggled before been replaced by Paul Groves in March 2012.
The appointment paid dividends as Howe's side won automatic promotion to the League's second tier with a fourth stand being erected to complete the Dean Court stadium. Bournemouth's first season back in the second tier was one full of encouragement that ended in a mid-table finish.
Howe carefully strengthened the squad in the summer of 2014. The moves paid off as Howe's side swept all before them. A 3-0 win at Charlton Athletic on the final day of the 2014-15 season saw AFC Bournemouth crowned as Championship title winners and seal a first ever promotion to the top flight.
More signings such as Tyrone Mings, Glenn Murray, Sylvain Distin and Max Gradel came in for the new season to augment the talent of the likes of Matt Ritchie and Callum Wilson as the Cherries ended the 2015-16 campaign in sixteenth position in the Premier League.
2016-17 saw a huge improvement with Bournemouth ending in ninth place with Joshua King scoring regularly. In 2017-18 the team dropped down to mid table as the goals of Wilson made people sit up and notice.
Howe's side continued to develop with Artur Boruc, David Brooks, Ryan Frazer and Jefferson Lerma doing much to maintain the Cherries top tier status before the side ended in a similar position in 2018-19.
The 2019-20 season was disrupted owing to the Coronavirus pandemic. It saw the Cherries relegated down to the Championship. Howe departed to be replaced by his assistant Jason Tindall. Nathan Aké along with Frazer, Wilson and then King were sold.
The team started well in the 2020-21 campaign before a poor run of form saw Tindall depart in January 2021 to be replaced by Jonathan Woodgate. He took the side to the play-offs where they were defeated in the semi-finals by Brentford, prior to the appointment of Scott Parker. His side was promoted to the Premier League at the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
The return to the top flight saw Parker replaced by Gary O’Neil after a poor start. The new boss lasted out until new American owners decided to appoint Andoni Iraola as manager in June 2023, who took his side to a midtable finish.
AFC Bournemouth will play in the Premier League in the 2024-25 season.
My visitsAFC Bournemouth 2 Hull City 3 (Saturday 5th November 1983) League Division Three (att: 4,644)
I was at college in Borehamwood just to the north of London and an avid Hull City fan as well as getting to as many Scarborough matches as I could. A trip to Bournemouth wasn't something I was going to turn down, especially with The Tigers going well at the time.
I caught the train from Waterloo and got talking to some fellow City fans. We arrived quite early and took the pleasant long walk to the ground. It was the first time I'd ever heard of fixed odds coupons as some of the lads with me went to put theirs on. I wish I'd never found out! It was a bright clear day, if a little chilly, but Bournemouth seemed quite a nice place to me.
Dean Court was a traditional ground. I'd first seen it on Match of the Day as a youngster during the John Bond years and it seemed good to me. That said, Layer Road at Colchester didn't look bad on TV! We were stood on an open terrace called The Brighton Beach End as it once consisted of pebbles. At the other end there was a large terracing with a roof over the back. To the right was a long low covered terrace and to the left the old all seated Main Stand.
City really flew out of the traps and went three nil up after half an hour, which included a long range beauty from left back Mick Hollifield and other goals from Billy Whitehurst and Brian Marwood. Bournemouth got one back before the break. At half time the old England mascot Ken Bailey walked round the pitch in his full regalia. He apparently lived locally. On TV he always looked impeccably dressed, but close up he was a bit of a mess if truth be told.
The home side grabbed another in the second half and we went through a few anxious moments before full time. I went straight back to the station alone and was soon on a train back.
I got back to Waterloo and made my way back to the suburbs, very happy with my day out.
I had a nice chat with two rail staff who saw my Scarborough Athletic shirt and initially thought that I was a Crawley fan. One had played against Boro for Wealdstone in the past and the other had finished work early and after giving his ticket away, was now chomping at the bit.
As advised I walked up to the stadium through the pleasant King's Park as soon as I arrived as the previous game had sold out to home fans. Indeed the queues were long, but I got a ticket for £22 in the wings of the Main Stand. How Dean Court had changed since my previous call.
It now had three bog standard cantilevered seated stands, which had not been designed for anyone over five foot eight. The fourth stand was promised if the team won promotion. I had to laugh on the concourse as the catering team achieved what I reckoned impossible and made the set up at Oxford look competent.
They had run out of all hot food and Bovril by 2.40! As ‘Arry might have said, “They were down to bare bones”. At least they'd have offered something to suck on! Not to worry.
I played contortionist and tried to reach my coffee from the floor in my seat as the young bored kid next to me seemed intent on replicating Billy Whitehurst for two hours, in kicking and elbowing me at will as his Dad did his best not to really give him it in public.
On several occasions I had to count to ten, while behind a group of foreign visitors jabbered away mentioning scores from other games. I wanted The Cherries to win as I wasn’t too fond of Crawley. Maybe it was time to give them some slack now that the detestable Steve Evans had moved on?
I mused that was it any coincidence that Crawley and Stevenage are both horrible new towns and had Evans and the equally horrible Graham Westley as bosses? I’m not sure what happened at MK Dons as Karl Robinson seemed a decent sort, although chairman Winkleman more than made up for him I guess?
I’d seen a good quality game, alleviated any doubts as to whether I’d visited the current ground and hadn't wasted the time off between my night shifts. I’d also managed to buy a ticket for Swansea v Arsenal in the FA Cup the following Sunday over the phone.
The older photos of the original Dean Court have been taken from the internet as I did not take my camera on my first visit
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