Bournemouth can thank one man for Premier League rise, he left over 12 years ago

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Bournemouth’s colossal rise through the EFL to the Premier League is one of modern-day football’s great underdog stories.

A club located on England’s south coast, the Cherries had never been in the English top flight before.

However, with Eddie Howe as their head coach, Bournemouth underwent a dramatic transformation from a League Two outfit to the Premier League.

They have been a relatively consistent feature in the league since their initial promotion in 2015, bar two seasons in the Championship in 2020/21 and 2021/22.

Now, Bournemouth look like a comfortable Premier League team, with Andoni Iraola and his squad getting fans to dream about competing in Europe one day.

That all wouldn’t be possible, though, if it weren’t for one man who helped save the club from turmoil on the pitch back in 2009.

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Steve Fletcher scored a crucial goal to save Bournemouth before promotion pushes

Bournemouth have plenty of icons from their history, but perhaps the most notable one is Steve Fletcher.

A striker by trade, he was a traditional target man who the Cherries signed back in 1992 from Hartlepool United.

The 53-year-old had two spells at the club, as they bounced around division two and division three, before it became known as League One and League Two.

Fletcher returned for his second spell at Bournemouth in 2009, with the club at a crisis point, having been deducted 17 points in League Two and facing relegation to the National League.

The striker scored some important goals, none more so than the late winner in his side’s 2-1 win over Grimsby in the penultimate match of the 2008/09 season.

It was an 80th-minute finish that sealed survival for Bournemouth under Howe, before the team earned promotion to League One the following season.

They were promoted to the Championship in 2013, at which point Fletcher hung up his boots, before another promotion followed in 2015.

Without that winning goal against Grimsby, who knows where Bournemouth would be right now, or whether they would be anywhere near the Premier League at this stage.

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Steve Fletcher’s career and legacy at Bournemouth

Fletcher is nothing short of an icon in Bournemouth history, not just for his goals in the second spell at the club, but also for his overall service.

With 526 matches to his name for the Cherries, the 53-year-old still holds the club record for the most appearances.

His legacy continues at the club, with the Vitality Stadium having the “Steve Fletcher Stand” to honour his contribution.

Following retirement from football, he did take up a role as an assistant manager, but has since moved into working as an ambassador for the club.

As Bournemouth enjoy record-breaking seasons and dreams of European nights, it’s always worth reflecting on those who laid the foundations for it all to be possible.