Sunday 1 November 2015 08:10, UK
Matt Ritchie was playing in League Two just three years ago, but he has adapted quickly to the Premier League following Bournemouth's promotion last year. Here, Nick Wright traces his unusual route to the top with the help of his former Swindon Town team-mate David Prutton…
A cruel spate of injuries and back-to-back 5-1 defeats have rather dampened the excitement surrounding Bournemouth's arrival in the Premier League, but for a reminder of their top-flight quality you only need to cast your mind back to Matt Ritchie's stunning goal against Sunderland at the Vitality Stadium last month.
The Black Cats thought they'd cleared the danger from an early corner, but Ritchie had other ideas when the looping clearance fell to him just outside the box. After expertly manoeuvring the ball onto his left foot with his chest, the midfielder hit a ferocious volley into the top corner. Costel Pantilimon hardly moved in the Sunderland goal, and Eddie Howe described it as "a moment of real brilliance" as Bournemouth celebrated the first top-flight home win in their history.
It was a strike worthy of any occasion, but for Bournemouth supporters it was nothing new. Ritchie has developed a penchant for cutting in from the right and scoring spectacular goals with his left foot, and three weeks later he struck another long-range stunner for Scotland in their 2-2 draw with Poland.
The 26-year-old was an inspirational figure in Bournemouth's promotion-winning campaign, with a combined total of 15 goals and 17 assists that was only bettered by Sergio Aguero in the top two divisions. It has therefore come as little surprise that he has been one of Bournemouth's stand-out performers in the Premier League.
"I think this kid is dynamite, I really do," said Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp in the build-up to Wednesday's Capital One Cup clash with Liverpool. "If Bournemouth do go down - and I hope they don't - he's the sort of player who'll have bundles of clubs looking to sign him because he's got everything. He's a winner, he's aggressive and he can score goals. I'm a huge fan of his."
Eight points from their opening 10 games suggests this season won't be an easy ride for Bournemouth. But while a relegation battle is a new experience for most members of Howe's squad, Ritchie became an expert in adversity at former club Swindon Town.
The Robins finished bottom of League One after he joined from boyhood club Portsmouth in the 2010/11 campaign, and former midfielder David Prutton remembers Ritchie as a frustrated talent who was a cut above his team-mates in a squad which included Charlie Austin. "We were terrible," Prutton tells Sky Sports with a chuckle. "But he was really, really good. He stood out.
"First and foremost he was a very good player, but he was also quite young in his emotional reactions to parts of the game. He got frustrated at not getting the ball, because he was quite obviously our most potent attacking player."
Ritchie scored seven goals in 36 appearances and won Swindon's player of the year award, but it was little consolation as they dropped into League Two. "In that team that I played in, he was head and shoulders above everyone else, and to me that frustration showed his desire to do really well," adds Prutton.
"He was always technically very, very good, but his work-rate was second to none too," says Prutton. "He knew that to get to get where he needed to go he had to work as hard as he possibly could, and, as with any top player, he had that bit of ego on the pitch as well. It was just a case of applying himself mentally and emotionally in the correct manner and he's done that with bells on. He's been fantastic."
The hard work continued after Swindon's relegation. Ritchie was named League Two player of the year as they bounced straight back from the drop, and manager Paolo Di Canio was said to be furious when the midfielder was sold to Bournemouth in 2012. "Since then, his career has absolutely taken off," says Prutton. "I think it's a testament to the people who have worked with him, but also to him realising how good he was and having the application to push himself on.
"Looking back and assessing his skills, the fact that he's gone into the Premier League and a national team doesn't really surprise me," adds Prutton. "He's a massive part of the way Bournemouth play, and the way they play suits him. It's tough in the Premier League now. It's brutal and they've got a lot of injuries. So it's another tough period to come through, but he's got the character for it."
Prutton bumped into Ritchie for the first time in two years at Bournemouth's Capital One Cup third round clash with Hartlepool in August. "He was the same nice kid that I played with, but it seemed like he'd grown into himself a bit more," he says. "I was glad I had the opportunity to slap him on the back and say 'I think you're doing great'."
Plenty of hard work lies ahead for Bournemouth, but in Ritchie they have a player with the talent and temperament to lead the fight.
Watch Southampton v Bournemouth live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 3.30pm on Sunday, or watch without a contract on NOW TV
