AFC Bournemouth
As Ryan Christie and his teammates returned to City Ground’s changing rooms at half-time of the club's most recent Premier League fixture, things looked gloomy.
Goals by Cheikhou Kouyate and Brennan Johnson had given Nottingham Forest a comfortable lead going into the break.
As Gary O’Neil addressed the players, the thought crossed Christie’s mind that perhaps the only people who believed the Cherries could recover were in the room.
The Scotland international recalled: “You’re playing away from home, Forest are 2-0 up and you’re feeling that all across the country, everybody is looking at the game and thinking it’s game over.
“The only people that had the belief we could get back into it were the people in that changing room and the away support, who were brilliant all day.”
With a clever tactical switch providing the set-up, the Cherries went out in the second half and put in a performance they wouldn’t forget.
Philip Billing’s 30-yard screamer got the side back into the game before Dominic Solanke’s acrobatics levelled the scores.
Jaidon Anthony came off the bench with just minutes left and tucked home the winner, earning a massive three points.
For everyone in attendance, the fightback confirmed two facts: the Cherries are capable of performing at this level and the togetherness of the squad is perhaps its greatest asset.
For Christie, the performance marked a brilliant response to what had been a difficult week, having lost 9-0 to Liverpool and seen a departure from the dugout.
Speaking to afcb.co.uk, he said: “We spoke as a group on the Tuesday, saying what’s done is done and we had to put our full focus on the games ahead.
“We knew the best thing as a squad to move on was to pick up some positive results and it was a big performance from everyone.
“Even more so, Saturday’s win gives us some good building blocks going into the next few games ahead of the international break.”
The Cherries had shown a gritty response to the defeat at Anfield by keeping a clean sheet against Wolves at Vitality Stadium, showing a determination to defend their 18-yard-box by whatever means possible.
“Everyone in the squad and especially Gary O’Neil was buzzing with the Wolves result, the manner we went about it and the reaction from a hard trip to Liverpool.
“We knew the first few fixtures of the season were going to be tough, we had a few difficult results which are frustrating and demoralising but the way we’ve bounced back has put us right back on track. The confidence is high going into the next game.”
Christie arrived at Vitality Stadium from Celtic in August 2021, becoming a key player as the Cherries secured promotion from the Championship last season.
His quality in tight spaces and creativity quickly endeared himself to the supporters at Vitality Stadium but it’s his relentless work rate which has earned him his biggest plaudits.
One of the attributes which stands out for Christie is the togetherness within the group, with the squad determined to make the most of their opportunity in the top flight.
“It was obvious when I came into the club that it was a brilliant dressing room and it was only built on throughout last year.
“You find when you have success as a team that it bonds you closer together and I think the good thing is nobody wants to rest on their laurels in the Premier League, everyone wants to prove how good they are.”
The performance on Saturday led interim head coach Gary O’Neil to reveal he’s never come across a more hard-working group of players, even throughout his stellar playing career.
Alongside a good work ethic, the group doesn’t lack any belief with Christie revealing the dressing room fears no-one.
He continued: “At no point have we thought of ourselves as underdogs compared to the rest of the league, we fancy our chances against most teams in the league.
“We’ve come up against some very good teams in the first few games, but we back our chances against anyone, home or away.
“We know what we’re capable of, the second half performance at Forest is the best we’ve played this season by a long shot. If we can play like that every week, we’ll put ourselves in a right good place.”
With 26 caps for Scotland under his belt, and as many as seven trophies under his belt, Christie is no stranger to big occasions but admitted he’s been surprised by the sheer scale of the Premier League.
He said: “You can really feel why it’s the biggest league in the world and that it’s the most watched!
“The buzz is quite special, you can feel it on a matchday and it’s nice to be a part of it. It’s even better after a win like Saturday’s, it makes it a little bit sweeter.
“We’ve played at some amazing stadiums so far and the atmosphere around the Vitality on matchday is top class too.
“This is my dream. Growing up, I was a Manchester United fan and I’d watch the Premier League as a kid and imagine I was part of it.
“When I joined, I was quite vocal about the fact that I’d come down to England to play in the Premier League. That was my ambition, and it was Bournemouth’s ambition as a club, so when I spoke to the club it was clear we wanted the same thing.
“The success of last season was great and I’m very grateful that’s managed to happen and if we have a successful season in the Premier League, that’ll make it even better.”
