Addison: Promotion is key

AFC Bournemouth defender Miles Addison remained fully focused on the approaching League One season despite defeat to Havant & Waterlooville on Wednesday evening.

Addison featured for the first half of the game, which the Cherries had been leading until a number of changes left a very inexperienced side on the pitch.

Addison had expected to line up alongside Steve Cook, but the central defender suffered a back spasm during the warm up. This meant that Cherries manager Paul Groves had to shuffle his defence before the game got underway and Addison was partnered by Simon Francis whose more familiar role is at right back.

But the former Charlton and Southend defender has previously shown his versatility and shown his qualities at centre half and he impressed Addison as the former Derby defender looked ahead to the new season.

Addison told afcb.co.uk...

"I said when I signed that results don`t matter in pre-season, although I`m sure some supporters don`t look at it that way! They are irrelevant, because it`s 14 August that we get competitive. Saying that, we should have been at least three up at half time, but it was only the one. It did get a little reckless out there and it`s always going to be like that when we go to a non-league club because they want to impress. The majority of us got a good 45 minutes under our belts and we keep improving our fitness."

"I had Simon Francis next to me for the first time in pre-season, and you can see how assured he is and I`ve no doubt he`ll be starting the first game of the season. Steve Cook was taken out of the game as a precaution, so Franno moved over. There was no point risking Steve if he wasn`t right, because the 14 August is the most important time..."

'...The happiest time in my career for a long time was when I came to Bournemouth and it`s no coincidence that I stayed fit in that time. At Barnsley I was out for two months with an injury, which didn`t help and you feel you have to start all over again. I feel if I can stay for over the whole season then I will be able to achieve something at Bournemouth. We can now look forward to some games at home and James heas done a magnificent job on the pitch, and for the kind of football we want to play, it`s perfect. Hopefully it should be a good season and for me, promotion is key."

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