Cherries boss Eddie Howe spoke to his club's official website ahead of his side's League One match against Carlisle at Dean Court, Howe first talking about Bournemouth's promotion challenge:
“We have got a tough game coming up and we are in a good position, but we have got two tough games to come. I have noticed a buzz about the place for a while and the stadium has always been a place where people are getting excited towards the end of season, you can always feel a buzz amongst the players, there are in really good spirits at the moment. The group is in a good place at the moment, they have trained very well this week in preparation for what will be a very difficult game, and I am sure I speak on behalf of them when I say I can’t wait for the game to start really.
“Every game we have played in recent weeks has seen us under the microscope and there has been pressure on the players because we have known that one slip and we are potentially going to slip away from the position that we are in. So, it doesn’t change anything, there is pressure on the team, the lads are aware of that, but it is a nice pressure because we are trying to achieve something positive.
“It is what you are in game for, it will be a sell-out here, the crowd will be very supportive behind us, the whole town will be united in trying to win these last two games. Hopefully we can use that positive energy to spur us on to a good performance. These are going to be two special games regardless of the outcomes. The players have worked so hard to get in this position and hopefully they will get their just rewards at the end of it.
“The title is the furthest thing from my thoughts - at the moment I am just thinking about beating Carlisle. When you've been in the bottom four, we've had to fight tooth and nail to get where we are in the league. We began our climb very late. Not finishing in the top two would not be a failure, if anything it would be a bonus. But, it's been such a competitive league and we are still in the position where three or four teams can still go up automatically.
“We are under no illusions either that Carlisle have lost one in eight, they are on a really good run of form. So, they will be coming down here very confident, it is going to be a really difficult game, probably one of the most difficult we could face. They are going to be playing with a little bit more freedom as they are under no pressure really. Greg Abbott’s teams always play good football, I am sure they will be determined to do their best, so it will be a tough one for us.
“I say they are under no pressure but there is always pressure on individuals to perform, there is always that self-motivating pressure that you want to perform well. So, they will certainly feel elements of that. I don’t know, Notts County came here and played with real freedom and made it a very difficult afternoon for us, but eventually we wore them down although it was a tough game. I expect no different from Carlisle and we certainly anticipate a tough game, but the lads have trained very well and prepared very well for this."