Why Bournemouth vs Milan is not the biggest game in their history
Tomorrow night Bournemouth will host AC Milan as the sides face off as equals in the Europa League. However, 17 years ago the two clubs were stratospheres apart in many ways, not least in league position and squad.
For Bournemouth, the penultimate day of the 2008/09 season was pivotal. After being deducted ten points for going into administration the season prior, the Cherries tumbled into the bottom tier of the football league.
A larger deduction of 17 points followed, with an agreement that the club would not appeal against the decision after it was ruled that they had not met their terms for exiting administration.
Rookie manager Eddie Howe’s side showed resilience to claw back from the threat of relegation to the National League. They entered their game against Grimsby Town looking for a win that would retain their football league status.
This week, current manager Marco Rose described the tie against Grimsby as “a bigger game” than Thursday’s date with Milan.
An 80th-minute winner from now assistant manager Steve Fletcher gave them a 2-1 win over the Mariners after Liam Feeney had opened the scoring. Wild scenes erupted on the South Coast as supporters poured onto the pitch following the full-time whistle to celebrate with their heroes.
A crowd of 9,008 were at Dean Court to watch Fletcher line up alongside players who made a career in the lower leagues of English football. Jason Pearce and Brett Pitman were on the team sheet and are names that would be familiar to many EFL fans.
Howe looked to maintain their lead by turning to Jeff Goulding in the 82nd minute, a man who spent the majority of a 15-year playing career in the non-leagues.
Meanwhile, in Milan the situation was rather different.
The Rossoneri’s final game of the 2008/09 season was in front of 41,839 against Fiorentina.
They were also victorious, recording a 2-0 win courtesy of goals from Brazilians Kaká and Alexandre Pato.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti also utilised his bench. He looked to Gennaro Gattuso, Alessandro Nesta and Pato to ensure victory while leaving Ronaldinho and Andriy Shevchenko to watch on.
Ancelotti’s starting eleven that day was stuffed with talent that oozed Milanese class. Paolo Maldini, Andrea Pirlo, David Beckham and Clarence Seedorf all lined up in Milan’s iconic red and black strip.
Ultimately, it was a poor season for Milan; while they were not relying on a win against Grimsby to maintain their fourth-tier status, they did not win a trophy – the first time since 2006. They finished third in Serie A, lost in the Coppa Italia round of 16 to Lazio and crashed out at the round of 32 in the UEFA Cup at the hands of Werder Bremen.
Bournemouth are the bookies’ favourites to win tomorrow night’s clash, a testament to how far they have come. They will welcome AC Milan to the same stadium that not long ago hosted the likes of Hartlepool United, Yeovil Town, and Cheltenham Town.
