This time last year, Shaun MacDonald was taking part in pre-season at a Premier League club, but likens the Cherries preparations to be just as thorough as one of the elite clubs.
Shaun showed impressive form in midfield at Winchester on a surface that the Cherries had to quickly adapt to.
“It wasn’t the best pitch and we had to change the way we played at the start.” Explained the Welsh international, “We went a goal down, but after that we kept hold of the ball a lot better, did well, and won the game comfortably. We had to change the way we played in the first ten, twenty minutes and we did well after that and it’s always a good sign to be able to come from a goal behind in any game.”
Over last weekend, all the Cherries players got minutes under in the two friendlies. Those games came after the squad spent a few days at a training camp in Spain, which Shaun saw as a big positive in the build up to the big kick off.
“It was very tough. We went away and the weather was really hot while we did double sessions every day. It’s never easy in that sort of weather, but it has certainly made us fitter. It was tough but it was enjoyable too. It will change now as we have more games coming up. We will still have to do our running, which we need to continue to get our fitness levels up. We have a number of games coming up and the fitter we are, then the less likelihood we have of getting injuries. These games are coming thick and fast now, and we will look to keep improving.”
Shaun may have prepared for last season at a Premier League Club, but he sees similarities between the two clubs
“Both clubs have similar philosophies in the way they want to play and that’s definitely a positive from my point of view and one of the main reasons why I came from a Premier League club to Bournemouth because that’s the way I want to play my football. We play the right way here and before I came to Bournemouth, I knew that the club always tries to play the right way. Paul and Shaun have taken that on board. They have put their stamp on how they want us to play and we have all gone in knowing our jobs and that is all positive and I think we can have a successful season.”