'From -17 to Europe', read a flag in the away end at at the Anoeta Stadium. As Bournemouth embarked on the first European campaign in the club's 127-year history, it served as a reminder of just how far they have come. But a 2-1 victory at Real Sociedad in their Europa League opener shows they are not ready to stop there.
It is now 11 years since the Cherries were first promoted to the Premier League, meaning there is now a generation of supporters who will view top-flight football as the norm. From that perspective then, qualifying and playing in Europe might simply appear the next logical step for a well-run and ambitious club. "It's a brilliant win in our first European game.
It's brilliant for the club and the 2,000 fans from Bournemouth," manager Marco Rose told TNT Sports. Yet for the vast majority of fans celebrating a famous victory on Thursday, the whole thing still seems surreal. Just 18 years ago, the club was on the brink.
A 10-point deduction for entering administration resulted in their relegation to League Two. To even stay in the Football League for the 2008-09 season, they had to accept a 17-point deduction and agree not to appeal against the decision after it was ruled that, as they had been unable to agree a Company Voluntary Arrangement, they had not met their terms for exiting administration. Thoughts of a £100m-rated midfielder picking out a Brazil winger to head Bournemouth to victory in Europe was the stuff of fantasy as the Dorset club battled for survival.
But that now is Bournemouth's reality with Alex Scott swaggering around San Sebastian, showing why there is such a clammer for his signature among top Premier League clubs, and Rayan providing another example of why the Cherries will demand every penny of a reported £130m release clause to let him go. Bournemouth have nothing to compare it to but this was a proper European away performance. Up against a Real Sociedad side led by a World Cup-winning forward in Mikel Oyarzabal and who beat Atletico Madrid to win the Copa del Rey last season, they were dominant for 45 minutes.
They suffocated Sociedad with their relentlessness off the ball, winning the ball back high up the pitch time and again and showing the quality on the ball to create chances - even when the defence was set. But there is an edge to the Basque side and, poor as they had been, that they came out fighting after the break was no surprise. The adrenaline-fueled exuberance of Rose's side in the first half appeared to catch up with them in the second, but their desire to compete never wavered.
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