BOURNEMOUTH is where Eddie Howe has spent half of his life, and it was with a heavy heart that he left.

Having first joined the club he supported as an 11-year-old, subsequently rising through the youth ranks and into the senior set-up as a central defender, he became a favourite among Cherries fans.

Many even clubbed together to raise the funds to buy him back from Portsmouth, after a two-year stint.

But after his playing career was cut short by injury, his stock in management rose as quickly as the club he had dragged out of the club out of the League Two doldrums to become promotion contenders in League One.

He knew he would have to leave some time to develop further but that didn’t lessen the wrench of exiting Dean Court.

“It was very, very difficult,” said Howe.

“I’d been there such a long time and had a huge feeling for the club, for the supporters and for the players.

"I found it very difficult to leave, but almost felt that I had to because this opportunity came up and it was just a decision that I had to make.

“It was very difficult. On Tuesday I turned down two clubs (Crystal Palace and Charlton) and I felt that was the right decision. I wanted to stay.

“Then Burnley came up two days later.

"If I had turned that down that would have been five clubs I had turned down and people would have had severe doubts about my ambition.”