"I'm pinching myself," says Bournemouth fan Kirk Tovey.
"It's not way back we have been enjoying Oldham Athletic and Hartlepool United in League One. Now I'm about to observe us play AC Milan.
"It's absolute insanity."
Fifteen years to the day after Bournemouth y within the third tier of English soccer, the Cherries host seven-time champions of Europe AC Milan within the Europa League on Thursday (20:00 BST).
It’s a sport between the membership that refused to die in opposition to the 11-time European Cup finalists on what guarantees to be a momentous night time within the historical past of the 127-year-old Dorset membership.
"Over the past decade, my hometown membership has achieved dreamland," Tony Pulis, who performed in Bournemouth's defence earlier than managing them from 1992-94 and nonetheless lives within the space, tells BBC Sport.
"It's an unbelievable story, after I suppose again to what the membership was like after I was participant, coach after which supervisor there within the Eighties and early Nineteen Nineties, however one which hopefully simply retains going."
Bournemouth's troubled previous and their subsequent climb up the leagues is effectively documented – from bucket collections and going through liquidation as not too long ago as 2008 to ending twenty first in League Two in 2008-09 and successful promotion to the Premier League in 2015.
Now a longtime top-flight facet, Bournemouth are making their debut season in Europe, trying to topple considered one of European soccer's nice golf equipment.
"We used to coach on the park over from the stadium," says Joe Partington, who performed in midfield for Bournemouth in League One and League Two after coming via the academy, and is now BBC Radio Solent's common Cherries summariser.
"Now followers stroll via the park to observe European video games."
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Hottest ticket on the town
On at the present time in 2011, Bournemouth have been twenty first within the third tier of English soccer, with 12 factors from 14 video games, after dropping at dwelling to Bury. In a while that season, they’d lose away at Bury, Rochdale and Oldham.
"Again then, we needed to get modified in a single a part of Bournemouth then drive some other place to coach earlier than driving some other place for lunch," says Partington, who featured in that sport in opposition to Bury 15 years in the past.
Tovey, from the Cherries Pink Military fan channel, recollects dwelling crowds of 6,000 round that point.
"As a fan, you could possibly simply rock up 10 minutes earlier than kick-off and stroll in," he says.
Not any extra.
Whereas Bournemouth's Vitality stadium is comfortably the smallest within the Premier League when it comes to capability, work is underneath technique to increase it and final week's attendance determine of 12,070 for the 3-0 Europa League win over Sturm Graz was simply their .
One other 12,000-plus will pack in for the go to of an AC Milan crew managed by former Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim, with many followers resigned to watching the match on tv after lacking out on a ticket.
"My niece loves Bournemouth however she's missed out as a result of she hasn't acquired sufficient factors to get a ticket," provides Tovey. "She's gutted."
Pulis has been impressed with the membership's vital progress underneath the possession of US billionaire Invoice Foley, who .
"They’re now a longtime Premier League membership, with a model new coaching facility that may rival most on this nation," he says.
"A top-class academy facility for the girls and boys and a gaggle of first-team gamers that not solely play however run themselves into the bottom each sport."
'Wow issue'
AC Milan are fourth in Serie A on 15 factors from seven video games, 4 factors behind leaders and arch-rivals Inter Milan.
It’s 19 years since they have been final topped champions of Europe and s since they gained the final of their 19 Serie A titles.
"They don’t seem to be the crew they was," says Tovey.
"This isn’t the AC Milan of Kaka, Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini, Filippo Inzaghi or Clarence Seedorf. However they’re nonetheless seven-time champions of Europe and they’re a large soccer membership.
"When the draw got here out and also you appeared on the eight groups we have been drawn in opposition to, AC Milan was the one everybody went 'wow'."
Bournemouth, who’ve gained each their opening Europa League video games, have hosted European royalty earlier than.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the world's most costly footballer when he scored two objectives in n over the Cherries in 2013 – the membership known as this a "celebratory exhibition match" after successful promotion to the Championship.
Lining up in opposition to Bournemouth that day was Luka Modric, who is predicted to function on Thursday on the age of 41.
Modric, a six-time Champions League winner with Actual, has began 5 matches for AC Milan this season.
"I might love him to be on the pitch so we are able to say we have now seen Modric in a aggressive sport at Dean Court docket [Vitality stadium]," Bournemouth fan Chris advised BBC Radio 5 Reside's 606 soccer phone-in.
'We've earned the fitting to play AC Milan'
This isn’t be the primary time AC Milan have visited Bournemouth.
In 2016, the Rossoneri despatched a crew to l for long-serving Cherries defender Warren Cummings.
Thursday's match is completely different.
"It's not a charity sport or a pre-season pleasant," says Partington. "It's Bournemouth in opposition to AC Milan in a aggressive European match.
"Individuals are gobsmacked that that is now a standard factor."
Bournemouth and AC Milan additionally share the identical colors.
When John Bond was supervisor of Bournemouth within the early Seventies,he modified their conventional cherry-red shirts to crimson and black stripes in a nod to Milan's dominance on the continent through the Nineteen Sixties.
In one other homage to Thursday's illustrious opposition, the membership modified its title in 1972 from Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic to AFC Bournemouth, in an try and sound extra continental, whereas taking them to the highest of the alphabetical listing of League golf equipment above Arsenal.
"The truth that Bournemouth have been impressed by AC Milan reveals how large the membership is and the historical past of it," former Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who joined the Italian membership in 2023, tells BBC Radio Solent.
"AC Milan have impressed folks to observe soccer and love soccer."
England worldwide Loftus-Cheek provides: "Bournemouth belong within the Premier League and now they're enjoying in Europe and get an opportunity to play AC Milan. It's an awesome spectacle for the followers."
The Cherries and AC Milan is likely to be poles aside when it comes to European expertise however they’re much nearer in terms of current type.
"We have now earned the fitting to be within the Europa League via onerous work and ambition," says Tovey.
"We is likely to be little outdated Bournemouth however we completely should be enjoying AC Milan."
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