Eddie Howe challenges Bournemouth squad to step up
Monday 24 August 2015 17:29, UK
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe says the Capital One Cup clash with Hartlepool is the perfect opportunity for his fringe players to stake a claim for a Premier League starting spot.
The Premier League new boys grabbed their first victory in the top-flight on Saturday, defeating West Ham 4-3 at Upton Park, and Howe is keen to see his side maintain that momentum.
Former Everton and Newcastle midfielder Dan Gosling will be among the players aiming to impress during the second round encounter at Victoria Park and Howe is looking to exploit the opportunity to assess his squad.
"The cup competitions are important and will potentially be a chance for some of the players to get their season going, to impress and work their way into the league team," he said.
"We want to win every game we play. That was very much our mentality last season and the players' attitude to every game was superb which enabled us to go on a really good run in the League Cup."
Bournemouth reached the quarter-final of the competition last season, before losing 3-1 to Liverpool, a result which Howe believes sparked his side's charge towards promotion.
"We enjoyed it immensely and in some senses, that helped kick-start our league campaign," he added.
"Winning is a habit and we want to get into that habit as quickly as we can."
