Legends on legends - Bournemouth

Think AFC Bournemouth legends, and you think Steve Fletcher.

A classic 'old-fashioned' centre-forward in his playing days, Fletcher is the club's all-time record appearance maker with incredible 863 in two spells, 1992-2007 and then 2009-2013, scoring 136 goals. Starting his career at home-town team Hartlepool, Fletcher also had spells at Chesterfield, Crawley and Plymouth.

He enjoyed three promotions with Bournemouth and scored in the old Division Three play-off final win against Lincoln at Wembley in 2003. The last of those promotions was to the Championship in 2013, when Fletcher, then 40, decided to call a day on a career spanning 23 years.

Following retirement, Fletcher initially took up a role as scout for the club and then advanced to become assistant coach under another legend, Eddie Howe - a role he still has today - while at the same time representing Bournemouth as an ambassador. Bournemouth won promotion from the Championship to the Premier League in 2014/15 and have been in the top flight since 2015/16.

Darren Anderton ended his illustrious career at Bournemouth. Signed in 2006, he was there in 2008/09 for Bournemouth's 'great escape' when The Cherries recovered from a 17-point deduction to survive in League Two before beginning a journey that reached the promised land of the Premier League.

Still our record appearance maker in the Premier League with 299, Darren made 358 appearances for us between 1992-2004, winning the League Cup in 1999. During that time he earned 30 England caps, played a key role in the run to the semi-finals of Euro 96 and scored in the 1998 World Cup Finals in France.

Darren spent a season with Fletcher at Bournemouth...

"Steve was an old-fashioned forward, and his best years were probably playing with James Hayter, the classic big man, little man front line, that worked great," Darren told us this week. "I always knew he’d be there or thereabouts if I was wide and I always loved to knock those ball into the box, knowing he’d thrive on that. He was also involved in the last goal of the only hat-trick I scored - I’m sure he’d tell you that anyway!

"Steve's a great lad and a massive character. I was there at the time Kevin Bond released him at the end of his first spell. It was actually a very sad day. I remember we had a barbeque at my house, he was there and the following day he went in and was told that was it.

"Of course, Eddie brought him back and it's great to see him still involved with the club. Bournemouth is and has always been very special to him. Off the pitch, he's great as well and we still keep in touch. To be fair to Eddie, he’s kept all those lads involved, Jason Tindall as well, so that gives it a nice feel."