Author: Liam_Richner

Graduated from Southampton Solent University with an Upper Second (2:1) in Sports Journalism. Contact- Email: liamrichner@googlemail.com.

ASHES 2015: Australia Win One-Sided Second Test to Level Series.

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2nd Test, Day Four, Lord’s.

Australia thrashed England at Lord’s by 405 runs to level the Ashes series 1-1 with a day to spare.

England’s horrific second innings batting collapse added salt into the wounds, as they were bowled out for just 103 on what was a decent batting pitch.

Australia had earlier in the day racked up another 146 runs, before declaring on 254-2 just before lunch. This meant England would need to withstand five sessions (or 155 overs) of brutal Australian bowling to save the test.

They managed to survive just 37.

With all their wickets in tact at lunch, no one would have seen the avalanche that was about to unfold. Alastair Cook, Gary Ballance and Adam Lyth were all caught behind to begin the carnage.

Under pressure Ian Bell could then only master up 11 runs from 50 deliveries before he poked a Nathan Lyon ball straight to short leg for the simplest of catches.

Just as the hosts thought it couldn’t get worse, Ben Stokes was daftly run out for zero. Somehow, he failed to ground either himself or his bat when Mitchell Johnson arrowed a throw directly at the stumps.

By tea England were five down and knew they just had to see the day out without losing any more wickets.

Instead, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali both came and went within five deliveries from Johnson.

Stuart Broad, the only England player to have played decent cricket in this test, slugged the ball about to a quick 25 score before he was caught at cover to make it 101-8.

Only two more runs were added before Josh Hazlewood then wrapped up proceedings. He clean bowled both Joe Root and James Anderson, sparking wild celebrations for the Australians.

The only concern for the winning side was the health of in-form opener Chris Rodgers, who retired on 49 due to illness. He watched on from the pavilion for the remainder of the day, but should feature at Edgbaston in nine days time.

The defeat was England’s third heaviest against their rivals, and must now consider changes- particularly at the top of the order.

“When you get bowled out for 100, it isn’t good enough,” admitted Cook.

“Australia put us under pressure and we weren’t able to deal with it.

“We have come up short this week. But we have to take this on the chin. Now it’s about the character we need to show in order to bounce back.”

For Australia, it was the perfect response to their defeat in Cardiff last week as they now aim to win their first Ashes series in England since 2001.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better performance,” said a ecstatic Michael Clarke.

“We didn’t play our best at Cardiff, but now we can look in the mirror and say we played some good cricket here.”

It’s funny just how much can change in a week.

Australia this time last week looked nothing like the side that has transformed since Darren Lehmann took over. England played the perfect test in Cardiff, but couldn’t replicate that form at Lord’s. Now it is them who need to ponder long and hard about how they can recover at Edgbaston.

The third test begins on July 29th.

ASHES 2015: Australia Well On The Way To Level Series.

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2nd Test, Day Three, Lord’s. 

Australia are well on the way to levelling the Ashes series after another dominant display at Lord’s on day three of the second test.

Mitchell Marsh took the two crucial wickets of Alastair Cook (96) and Ben Stokes (87), as the tourists eventually bowled out the hosts for 312.

A calm and collected David Warner and an ever reliant Chris Rodgers then saw out the day, reaching stumps in 108-0, 362 runs ahead of England.

At 30-4, England looked odds on to have to follow on, but a spirited effort from Stokes and Cook led to a 145-run partnership to save the team from any embarrassment.

With the England skipper leading from the front, it looked like Cook was heading towards a three figure score, but he lost concentration for a split second, costing him his wicket for 96.

He became the first English batsman to be dismissed seven times whilst in the 90s, a record he won’t want to remember.

Australia thought that they had Jos Buttler for just nine but replays showed that debutant wicketkeeper Peter Nevill had in fact grounded the ball. However, the England wicketkeeper could only add four before edging to Nathan Lyon.

Australia’s hero of the England innings though was Marsh, who took his opportunity with both hands. His bowling inflicted most of the damage, with a perfect delivery clipping the bails for Stokes on 87, before clean bowling Cook.

David Warner seemed much more composed than in the first innings, as he reached his 50 off 71 balls. However it could have been so very different. Adam Lyth could only parry a sharp edge from Warner to the boundary.

It was the third catch of the match England have failed to take, all of which would have changed the whole perplexity of the match. Rodgers and Steve Smith were dropped in the first innings before Warner in the second.

With the weather looking fair on Sunday, Australia could declare at lunch and try to make their job on day five a much simpler one. England are staring down a barrel of defeat unless they manage to stay in for five sessions, something only five teams have ever done in the history of the sport.

“At the moment, we’ve got to get our head around the fact that we are probably going to have to bat 150 overs to try and save the game,” said Stokes.

“If there’s ever a wicket to do it on it’s this one. There are no real demons in it, there’s not too much pace and there’s not too much turn.”

Australia’s Marsh told BBC: “We’ve got ourselves in a great position to really drive the game.

“I’m sure Michael Clarke has a total in mind, but I’m not sure. I imagine it will be around the 450 to 500 mark.”

ASHES 2015: Australia Looking Cosy at the Home of Cricket after One-Sided Second Day.

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2nd Test, Day Two, Lord’s. 

Australia look strong favourites to level the Ashes series as they continue to dictate the second test at Lord’s.

After declaring on 566-8, the Aussie bowlers then demolished the top of the England batting order, to leave the hosts on 85-4 at the end of day two.

Steve Smith was the hero of the visitors innings- scoring 215 to become the third Australian to score 200-plus at the ‘Home of Cricket’.

After more than eight hours at the crease, facing 346 deliveries in the process, Smith engineered his sixth three figure total in his last eight tests, all of which have come during his first innings at the crease.

Had anyone before the match question his rank as second best in the world, they were silenced very quickly.

After breaking the record for the most runs in an Australian second wicket partnership at Lord’s, Smith’s batting partner Chris Rodgers fell for 173 to Stuart Broad, the only shining light of what was a very grey England bowling performance.

Broad took 4-82 in the end; with part time spinner Joe Root second best on the English bowling sheet with figures of 2-55.

If there was anything wrong with the Australian batting performance, it was the coming and going of captain Michael Clarke for just seven runs of 31 balls.

The batsman, whose batting record since the last Ashes series reads worse than Shane Watson, who was dropped for the second test, may want to move himself back down to number five in the order. His batting average at five is far better than his one at four.

After Australia declared, England faced the mammoth task of staging their own huge score to match their rivals- however it didn’t take long for the hopes of the nation to slowly crumble away.

Adam Lyth went for a two ball duck and not long after Gary Ballance was clean bowled by Mitchell Johnson. Ian Bell and Joe Root, who played so magnificently with the bat in Cardiff, both went for one as the weary hosts were left 30-4, with 19 overs still of the day to go.

Captain Alastair Cook and Ben Stokes saved England from any more embarrassment as they produced an unbeaten 55-run partnership to see the day out.

With fatigue kicking in, this will be a huge test for England to try and draw the test. One thing in their favour presumably is the weather, with heavy rain forecast for Sunday.

“There are no demons in the pitch but we had a ropey 20 minutes,” Broad told BBC Test Match Special.

“We’ve still got a chance to bat big. We have to apply ourselves. We’ve got 16 wickets to play with in this Test and if people get in and play to their game plan, they’re going to be hard to get rid of.”

The day though truly belonged to the Australians, who know a series draw would see them retain the Ashes. A win at Lord’s would mean a first test victory in England since 2001.

“England will be having a good night’s sleep and digging in,” Johnson told Sky Sports.

“Hopefully they’ll play that aggressive brand of cricket they’ve been talking about and we’ll see where that goes.”

ASHES 2015: Australia Bite Back With Record Partnership To Dominate Opening Day at Lord’s.

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2nd Test, Day One, Lord’s.

Chris Rodgers and Steve Smith both scored centuries as Australia ended day one of the second test on 337-1 to seize control at Lord’s.

Following their heavy defeat in Cardiff, the tourists hit back with a five-star batting display from opener Rodgers and second best batsman in the world Smith.

Despite David Warner handing his wicket recklessly to England, the two batsman were confident on what was a slow pitch with little bounce in the capital.

Their partnership of 259 broke an 85-year record for an Australian second-wicket partnership. It had previously been 231 set by Bill Woodfull and Don Bradman.

Rodgers also overcame a record of seven consecutive fifties without converting them to three figures as he scored his highest test score of 158. As a result, he became just the fifth Aussie to score over 150 runs in one innings at Lord’s.

“It’s one of the proudest moments of my life,” said the Aussie opener.

“To get a hundred here is so special.”

Smith in contrast played like two different batsman. Taking 111 balls to make it to half a century, he smashed his next 50 runs in just 50 deliveries.

“The pitch was a little bit slow and if you got in you needed to go big,” said Smith.

“I wanted to make it count today and get up on that board. It was about keeping England out there for as long as possible.”

As Australia eye up a massive score in their first innings, England will be desperate to find more wickets on what will be a crucial second day.

The English bowlers will feel a bit of injustice, as they didn’t play entirely bad. Stuart Broad was, in particular, very consistent with the ball. His high-pitched deliveries were unplayable at times, but narrowly missed the bails.

Mark Wood also played well once he got going, but again his unplayable deliveries just went wide of the stumps.

The same can’t be said of James Anderson, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali, who were punished when they pitched the ball too short.

“Hats off to the two guys who made hundreds – they played brilliantly throughout the day,’ said Anderson.

“They stayed patient, they attacked us when they could and made it really difficult for us to bowl at them for long periods of time and create that pressure.”

It was the first time in 22 years that England only took one wicket on the opening day of an Ashes Test match, and just the second time that only one wicket was taken in a Lord’s test.

England know that wickets are needed to get their foot back in the door and keep their Ashes lead in tact.

But with Michael Clarke and debutant Mitchell Marsh, who scored two hundreds in the warm up matches heading into the Ashes, to come in, things are looking good for Australia.

ASHES 2015: England Win First Test To Take Lead In Series.

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1st Test, Day Four, Cardiff. 

England crushed Australia by 169 runs to take a 1-0 series lead in this year’s Ashes.

In a brilliant display with the ball, the England bowlers dismissed the whole Australian line up for 242 in their second innings. Stuart Broad spearheaded the ruthless performance by Alastair Cook’s men on a fast-paced fourth day.

The result makes England’s dismal performance down under 18 months ago feel like a distant memory, as they produced four days of high quality, exhilarating cricket.

Australia, who were strong favourites to retain the urn, now must regroup and rebuild ahead of the second test at Lord’s next week.

The hosts struggled during the morning session, with Chris Rodgers the only victim heading into lunch. The turning point of the innings was in the final over of the session, when David Warner was trapped LBW by Moeen Ali for 52.

Cook’s decision to allow Ali to bowl the final over was just one of the many masterstrokes the Essex opener made in what was arguably his best performance as England captain.

After the lunch break, England went up the gears, and smashed through the Australian batting line up. Broad took the crucial wickets of Steve Smith on 33, and then Aussie captain Michael Clarke.

Adam Voges and Brad Haddin came and went in quick succession and when Shane Watson was caught LBW to leave the tourists on 151-7, the home fans knew that the result was almost guaranteed.

A brave Mitchell Johnson put up a late fight to keep the Australians in with a shout, striking up a partnership of 72 with Mitchell Starc at the tail end of the order.

However Joe Root, who had batted well earlier in the match, claimed both the wickets of Johnson and Starc.

When Josh Hazlewood smashed a ball from Ali to long on, all the England players, coaching team and supporters erupted with joy.

It was only the third time England had won the opening Ashes test, the last being back in 2013 when they last won the Ashes. In 15 of the last 17 Ashes series, the winners of the first test have gone on to win the urn.

“It was a brilliant performance,” said Cook.

‘This Test couldn’t have gone any better and we’ll enjoy tonight.

“Everyone was talking about what’s gone on in the past, but this is a different side. We had to look forward. We always took the attacking option in this game.

“Joe Root was fantastic and the bowlers were superb.”

New head coach Trevor Bayliss will also be more than satisfied with England’s performance in what was his first match in charge of the team.

For Australia, they have many thoughts to ponder over the next few days.

The main decision to be made whether to drop Watson from the team after being caught LBW yet again (the 14th time against England in 35 innings). His understudy, Mitchell Marsh, scored hundreds in both of the two warm up games ahead of the series and could refresh the middle order for the visitors.

Another worry is the fitness of Starc, who had ankle surgery prior to the first test. Signs of fatigue were clear on the Australian during England’s second innings and the physio’s will hope not to exaggerate any further damage.

“We were outplayed in all three facets,” admitted Clarke.

“England batted well on day one, we didn’t take our catches and our batting let us down in both innings.

“We look forward to making amends in the second Test. I’m sure the selectors will look at everyone’s performance and make a decision.”

ASHES 2015: England leave Australia with ‘Impossible task’ To Take Pole Position in 1st Test.

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1st Test, Day Three, Cardiff. 

England are in firm control of the first Ashes test in Cardiff, although they may now have more than just the Australians to worry about, as they look to take a 1-0 series lead.

Forecasts for Sunday aren’t looking promising, with heavy rain predicted in the Welsh capital all morning. If anything, that should motivate Alistair Cook and co. to get the job done on Saturday.

England are in a great position to win the first test. After dismissing the rest of the Australian batsman in just over an hour Friday morning, they then had a resurgent Ian Bell to thank as they ended the day 411 runs ahead of their bitter rivals.

The visitors themselves began slowly, with Shane Watson trapped LBW by Stuart Broad during the second over of the day. James Anderson also picked up two wickets, moving him up to 11th in the England all-time test wickets list.

Despite losing Cook and Gary Ballance early on, Bell seemed to re-find his form at the perfect moment, scoring 60 runs to build on England’s 122 run lead ahead of their second innings.

He was eventually cleaned bowled by Mitchell Johnson, his first wicket of the match, but the Warwickshire man had caused the major damage to Australia’s hopes of turning the test around in their favour.

The ever-reliant Joe Root and oh so confident Ben Stokes added more gloss to the England scoreboard before a mini collapse from 207-4 to 245-8 had the home crowd on edge.

Step up Mark Wood, who added 32 with his sluggish method to score more runs for the hosts.

He remained at the crease until Anderson became Nathan Lyon’s fourth wicket of the day, meaning the Aussie is the first spinner from his country to take 150 test wickets.

England were all out for 289, but it means Australia must do the impossible in order to win the match.

Chasing 412 to win, Michael Clarke’s team would need to better the great Don Bradman’s team, who chased down 404 against England at Headingly back in 1948.

“We’re definitely still in it,” said Lyon.

“If we bat two days the result will go our way. There’s no reason why we can’t dig deep.

“We’ve got to learn from our first innings with the bat – be more patient. There were too many 30s in the first innings, so we need to try and push on a bit more and have a couple of our top five get big hundreds.”

The weather seems to be the Aussies’ greatest ally- and if they can still be in the match come stumps Saturday evening, then a draw would be a realistic result.

Right now though, this test looks like England’s to lose.

ASHES 2015: Ali Contributes With Bat and Ball To Give England Upper Hand.

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1st Test, Day Two, Cardiff. 

Moeen Ali justified the England selector’s decision to play him over Adil Rashid with an excellent all-round performance, as England gained the upper hand in the first Ashes test in Cardiff.

After scoring 77 with the bat, Ali also took two crucial wickets as visitors Australia ended the second day on 264-5. They are 166 runs behind England, who were dismissed for 430 all out earlier in the day.

Ali added 51 runs to his overnight total as he raced out the blocks in the early morning sunshine in the Welsh capital.

He then claimed the wickets of Australia danger man Steve Smith and captain Michael Clarke to leave England in a commanding position.

The decision to stick with Ali over Rashid was the toughest the selector’s faced ahead of this test match, but they will now feel more than overjoyed with their decision.

Ali looked in top form, and his wickets today also mean that he now boasts a better wicket per ball average (53) than past spinners Graeme Swann (60), Monty Panesar (75) and Phil Tufnell (91).

After being hit for three boundaries in four balls, the spinner confidently decided to again invite Smith on with a bowl, which read ‘come and attack me’. Smith though could only edge the ball, which was caught by Alastair Cook at slip.

He then caught and bowled Clarke on 38, just as the Australian captain was beginning to find his rhythm.

“In the first innings it was important that we got 430 – and the way we put the Australia bowlers under pressure,” said Ali.

“We are slightly ahead. A couple of early wickets tomorrow would put them under pressure. I would rather be in our position than Australia’s.”

Australia had made a decent start to their innings- with veteran opener Chris Rodgers scoring an impressive 95 before being caught behind from a Chris Wood delivery.

It was the seventh consecutive test fifty that Rodgers had scored for the Aussies, however he has failed to convert any of those half centuries into hundreds.

Following his dismissal, the frustration showed as Rodgers kicked the ground in disbelief and grudged off the field of play in a state of disappointment.

“I started to get some rhythm with my feet and weight. Once you hit some out the middle the confidence comes through,” said Rodgers.

“I’m just disappointed I didn’t make it count.

“The pitch is a bit two-paced now. You saw with the Adam Voges dismissal that kicked a little. It is going to get harder and harder, but if you set your stall out and you are happy to bat a long time there is still the opportunity.

“It has been an excellent day of Test cricket. England maybe have the slight upper hand but hopefully we can get a few more runs.”

If England can get back batting with a lead of 60-100, and then score well themselves in their second innings, they should be able to sneak an early victory over their bitter rivals.

The pitch in Cardiff is becoming more of a batsman’s’ nightmare each passing day. There seems to be less bounce on a wicket, which highly favours the bowlers (both seamers and spinners).

It would seem difficult for Australia to chase anything surpassing 350 in order to win this match, but don’t rule anything out- they are still searching for a first Ashes test victory on English soil for 14 years, that’s more than enough motivation for them to turn this test around in their favour.

ASHES 2015: Root Rescues England On Opening Day Of Test Series.

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1st Test, Day One, Cardiff. 

Joe Root was England’s saviour once again as England ended day one of the first Ashes test in a decent position against rivals Australia.

Before Root’s galvanising performance at the crease, the crowd in Cardiff were watching on in fear as the Australian seamers attacked the stumps with relative success, reminiscent of scenes down under 18 months ago.

Adam Lyth’s Ashes debut ended predominantly when he went for just seven runs early on. Captain Alistair Cook went next for just 20 before Ian Bell came and went with just one run to his name.

With the score 43-3, England were in need of a hero, and he came in the form of the ever reliant Root. But it almost wasn’t to be.

When Root slightly edged the ball on zero, England fans’ hearts jumped to their mouths as the world suddenly went slow motion. Seemingly, any England fan praying for his survival had their wish granted as Aussie wicket keeper Brad Haddin dropped the simplest of catches. England fans and players alike blew air from their cheeks. The Australians thought to themselves what could have been.

After the scare, Root was composed, and hit the right shots towards the boundaries left, right and centre. Before long, Gary Ballance and himself contributed 153 runs between them to steady the ship.

Root made it to a half century in just 56 balls and then quickly made it to three figures with a trademark cover drive. His century in 118 deliveries was the fastest ever recorded in the first test match of any Ashes series.

The Yorkshire batsman made it to 137 before he was caught behind, but by then his job was done.

It was another magnificent innings for Root, who is the highest test run scorer in the world in 2015. He has scored 675 runs in 10 innings, with two hundreds and four half century’s altogether.

“I’m really pleased with the way things have gone. I rode my luck at times, especially early on,” said Root.

“It’s a little bit slow. Seeing the first few not carry was a bit of a worry. There’s a little bit there – there are a few little indentations, which could be helpful when we bowl.

“I’m happy to be in the position we are in as a team. Hopefully we can kick on in the morning. The longer we can keep them out there, the better it is for us.

“The guys out there currently are both very capable of scoring big scores – hopefully tomorrow is one of those days where they take it to them and we score 400-plus.”

By the end of the day England, guided by Moeen Ali and Jos Buttler before his late dismissal, surpassed 300 runs and ended on 343-7.

The Australians will still feel that they can turn the tide of the first test should they take wickets early in tomorrow morning. One highlight of their day was the 3-70 bowling figures from Ashes debutant Josh Hazlewood.

Hazlewood dismissed opener Lyth for the first wicket of this summer’s Ashes. He also crucially caught Gary Ballance LBW and got the wicket Jos Buttler late on.

“The game is fairly level at this stage. Hopefully we can clean them up in the morning,” said Hazlewood.

“We were good in patches. We kept it tight for periods but we leaked a few runs. When Root was batting he played fantastically and we need to find a plan for him.

“The wicket is quite slow and nullifies the short stuff but we tried to keep it full and swinging. The Duke ball is good fun – if you get it in the right areas there is always something there. If they get 40 or 50 more I think that’s about par for them.”

French Open 2015 Draw: Clash of The Titans

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Andy Murray has been drawn in the same half as ‘King of clay’ Rafael Nadal and world number one Novak Djokovic in this year’s French Open.

Murray, seeded third for the tournament, faces some tricky looking ties but the draw could have been nastier for the Scot.

The real big talking point is the possibility of a mouth-watering heavyweight Quarter Final between Djokovic and Nadal.

There is a renewed optimism about how far Murray can go in this year’s French Open after what has been an impressive clay season for the 2013 Wimbledon winner. He has a record of ten wins and zero defeats on a surface that has been seen as his Achilles heel for much of his career.

He won his first title on clay in Munich at the start of the month before defeating Nadal in his native country of Spain to win the Madrid Masters just a week later.

“I’ve played well at Roland Garros in the past, but my game wasn’t ready to win there.” Said Murray, following his Madrid win last week.

“I’ve played Rafa a few times on clay, and this obviously gives me confidence. I don’t go in as one of the favourites, but if I play like this I’ll give myself an opportunity and that is all you can ask.”

The Scot will potentially have to get past the likes of the energetic Australian Nick Kyrgios, hard-hitting American John Isner, and the resilient Spaniard David Ferrer in order to make it to the Semi finals, where he will face the winner of that probable blockbuster between Nadal and Djokovic.

Nadal, who has won at Roland Garros an incredible nine times, has beaten Djokovic in two of the last three finals. However the Serb is on a current 22 match unbeaten run and looks set to add the only grand slam trophy missing from his illustrious trophy cabinet come June 7th.

It would be the first time in nine years that the pair would face off at the Quarter Final stage, ironically that match was also played in Paris.

“It’s strange because it hasn’t happened in a very long time.” Said Nadal following the draw.

“But at the end of the day, I have four matches before the quarter-finals and I need to be ready for that first round. I am ready to fight again and we will see.”

Nadal has struggled since his return to the court following a wrist injury he suffered last year. After that defeat to Murray in the Madrid Masters, the Spaniard lost to Stan Wawrinka in the Italian Open at the Quarter Final stage. His ranking has since dropped to seventh, meaning that this year is the first time he heads into Roland Garros since 2005 without being one of the top four seeds. But bare in mind 2005 was Nadal’s maiden French Open victory. The Spaniard has won the tournament five years on the trot so he can’t be underestimated.

Currently though, the momentum is certainly with Djokovic, which may well be enough to see him over the line. The world number one won his fourth Italian Open this year, beating veteran Roger Federer in the final. The 27 year old is arguably in the form of his life and it will take a huge effort to deny him that first Roland Garros title.

“I don’t know how it will go at Roland Garros, but I’m very confident,” said a very down to earth Djokovic, who knows that it won’t be plain sailing in order to win the tournament.

Federer will also have certain challenges to overcome if he is to win his first French Open title since 2009. The Swiss legend could come up against fellow countryman Wawrinka in the last eight should he make it that far. However, he will also have Ernests Gulbis, the man who knocked him out of the competition last year, in his section. Gulbis was the surprise package at Roland Garros last year as he made it through to the Semi Finals before being defeated by Djokovic.

Federer may also have to deal with both opponent and crowd, as French star Gael Monfils could be a potential fourth round opponent.

Federer though has been quick to say he thinks that his greatest foe will once again triumph in Paris.

“He’s (Nadal) still one of the fittest guys on tour, he’s won Roland Garros nine times and he definitely deserves to be one of the favourites,” he said.

“The guy’s only lost their once in 10 years!”

After being promoted to the Premier League, do AFC Bournemouth and Watford have what it takes to stay in the division next season?

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Bournemouth’s 3-0 win at Charlton earlier today meant that they have now been officially promoted to the Barclays Premier League. To further sweeten what has been a very successful season for the South coast club, they became Champions, as Watford could only draw 1-1 against Sheffield Wednesday.

Eddie Howe’s team weren’t a club many predicted to take the league by storm, however with the attractive attacking football that the team has produced, they have fully deserved to finish the season top of the pile.

They piped Watford to the Championship summit, but the Hornets shouldn’t be too disappointed, after achieving promotion back to the top division in English football last week at Brighton. It has been eight years since Watford were in the Premier League, but similarly to Bournemouth, they have a destructive offense, which makes them very difficult to beat.

Both teams defined the odds to achieve automatic promotion, but have they got what it takes to survive with the big boys of English football?

Firstly, they will have to rebuild their respective back lines to stand any chance. In the Championship, they both overcame teams merely due to scoring more than their opponents. 4-3s and 5-4s aren’t as easy to come by in the Premier League, once a team goes behind it must work its socks off to equalise.

Bournemouth conceded just 45 goals in their 46 Championship games this season. But the problem they face is that none of their defence has any Premier League experience. They need to recruit some players that know the league, and what it takes to remain in it.

Watford conceded 5 goals more than the Cherries, but similarly they don’t have anyone within their ranks with any experience of Premier League football.

Another hurdle both teams will need to jump is the pressure of bigger clubs coming in for their star assets. Ten Premier League clubs are reportedly monitoring Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson. The striker, who joined the Cherries for £3m from Coventry City last summer, has scored 23 goals for Howe’s team this season. Watford captain Troy Deeney scored 21 goals this term and once again is linked with a move to a more established Premier League side.

It’s hard to see why both players would want to leave their respective clubs. Both have an opportunity to show there worth exactly where they are. However football is a strange game and with the ludicrous amount of money players earn nowadays it is easy to twist the minds of the modern day footballer. Look at Raheem Sterling. He plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world (Liverpool) yet he won’t sign a new contract with a six-figure salary.

Wilson and Deeney both need to be tied down with new contracts, as they will both be key in the two team’s survival bids next season.

The future does looks promising for the two teams though, and I do believe that a number of factors will see the teams compete well in the top flight.

Bournemouth’s stadium only has a capacity of approximately 12,000, making it the smallest stadium in the league next year. But the Cherries can use that to their advantage and create a very intimidating atmosphere, like when a team draws a non-league side in the FA Cup away from home. The fans will have a huge bearing on the team next year, as they need to provide the ground with such an atmosphere that it evokes nervousness into their opposition.

Crystal Palace are a good example of this. They don’t have the biggest stadium in the league but the fans make so much noise that it stops the fluency of the opposition. Manchester City (this season) and Liverpool fans (last season) know what that feels like, seeing their teams lose at Selhurst Park at crucial times of the season.

Bournemouth scored an incredible 98 goals this season, making them the top goal scorers of any of the top four divisions in the country. Their army of offensive players have eradicated all defences they have faced this campaign. Leading Lieutenants Harry Artur, Matt Richie, Yann Kermogant and Calum Wilson have provided General Howe with nothing but goals, goals and more goals.

Teams will fear the Bournemouth forward line next season due to the sheer power that is at Howe’s disposal. The team shouldn’t change their philosophy now they are in the top league. Instead they should focus on adapting their current style. More wing play and more direct attacking football. They will defiantly get results the way they play.

Both Bournemouth and Watford have very good home records this term, which must be replicated next season. Both teams obtained 46 points at their home grounds (bettered only by Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough). Home form is crucial for promoted teams in the Premier League as away wins are difficult to come by. QPR this season only have two away wins to their name since being promoted back to the top flight last May.

With Bournemouth’s secret weapon being their atmosphere, Watford’s greatest asset is their connection with Italian club Udinese. Matej Vydra, Fernando Forestieri and Almen Abdi are all players that Watford have either signed or loaned from the Serie A side in order to gain promotion.

With Premier League status now achieved, it could be possible that Udinese send over even better players. Players that are more physical and more technical, which can only boost the teams’ survival chances.

So do I think that both teams will stay up next season? Yes. I think both have a great chance. Both team’s philosophies are to play sexy, attacking football and for me it’s the best way to achieve results. I can’t see either team hitting mid table but 15th and 16th? That’s a realistic target I think both teams can hit. The transfer market will be key. Both clubs need to sign good strong centre backs and perhaps a known goal scorer in the division. Going by what I have seen this season of the current bottom seven clubs in the Premier League, Bournemouth and Watford will defiantly compete. Can they turn their competiveness and determination into results? We will have to wait and see.