AFC Bournemouth
The penultimate look at the club's squad numbers alights in the 50s with some younger players and a much-loved club personality.
After 20 years since squad numbers became compulsory in the Football League, Mark Mitchener takes a look at the players, the stats and some unusual tales from the past two decades.
This continues a series which was featured in MATCHDAY during the 2019/20 season – and will be concluded across the remaining home games.
51
Bournemouth have named a number 51 in their matchday squad just once in the 'squad number era' – in an FA Cup third-round replay at Wigan on 17 January 2018. Defender SHAUN HOBSON was one of three rookies on the seven-man bench at the DW Stadium, but did not come on.
Born in Manchester, Hobson joined the Cherries in 2016 after being released by Burnley. Shortly after the Wigan cup tie, he joined Chester on loan, while his time at Bournemouth has also taken in temporary stays at Eastbourne, Eastleigh and most recently Weymouth.
52
Also on the bench for that cup replay at Wigan (see above), wearing 52 was striker MIKAEL NDJOLI, who like Hobson, is still awaiting his first-team debut.
London-born Ndjoli was on the books of Tottenham, Watford, Brentford and Millwall in his teens before moving to Bournemouth in 2016, and in the last two seasons has had loan spells at Kilmarnock, Gillingham and Motherwell – being signed for the latter club by ex-Cherries midfielder Steve Robinson, who has been manager at Fir Park since 2017.
53
Dublin-born midfielder GAVIN KILKENNY, like Hobson and Ndjoli (see above), joined Bournemouth in the summer of 2016, and worked his way up through the youth ranks until he broke into the first-team squad during pre-season last summer, scoring against Lyon and also featuring in the games against Girona and Brentford.
Capped by the Republic of Ireland up to Under-21 level, Kilkenny’s competitive first-team bow came in the Carabao Cup against Forest Green last August, playing alongside Andrew Surman in central midfield as the sides battled for a goalless draw. Though Kilkenny was substituted six minutes before the game went to penalties, his replacement Philip Billing scored the winning spot-kick.
Kilkenny also started in the next round of the cup at Burton, but was substituted at half-time – before the Pirelli Stadium floodlights failed on three occasions in the second half, forcing an unprecedented 28 minutes of stoppage time to be signalled.
Those two starts wearing 53 meant Kilkenny broke the record (previously held by Jordan Lee for two FA Cup appearances wearing 47) for the highest squad number worn to start a competitive Cherries game.
He has since been an unused substitute in several Premier League games, and two FA Cup ties – receiving a late call-up to the bench against Arsenal in the fourth round after Billing was injured in the warm-up.
54
Legendary Romania captain Gheorghe Hagi was arguably one of the greatest players ever to play at the old Dean Court, starring for Steaua Bucharest in a mid-season friendly against the Cherries in 1990. But after retiring from playing, he founded a new club, Viitorul Constanta, in his homeland – and it was from that club, owned and managed by Hagi, that Bournemouth’s number 54 signed in 2016.
Winger ALEX DOBRE was loaned out to local rivals Bury and Rochdale in 2017/18, before he was first named in a Cherries matchday squad in a League Cup tie against Milton Keynes Dons in August 2018, but he was an unused substitute that day, as he was in the next round against Blackburn.
After a third 'sub not used' outing, in an FA Cup defeat by Brighton in January 2019, the Romania Under-21 international was loaned to Yeovil Town for the remainder of last season.
Having bided his time this season, and sat on the bench for those Carabao Cup ties against Forest Green and Burton (see above), Dobre was an unused substitute in the Premier League at West Ham on New Year’s Day.
And a first-team debut finally arrived three days later in the FA Cup third-round 4-0 victory over Luton Town, as Dobre replaced Ryan Fraser in the 80th minute.
After making the bench again for the fourth-round defeat by Arsenal, Dobre was off on his travels for a third loan spell in the Greater Manchester area, this time at Wigan, who recently extended his loan until the end of the restarted Championship season.
55
Number 55 has not yet been worn in a Bournemouth matchday squad.
Following the tragic death of much-loved Cherries fan, former programme editor and club photographer Mick Cunningham at the age of 55 in 2015, the next home match programme (against Watford on 3 October), as well as being packed with tributes from supporters and players past and present, featured Mick’s picture on the front cover – with his name listed as number 55 in the squad on the back page.
56
Number 56 has not yet been worn in a Bournemouth matchday squad.
TO BE CONCLUDED!
Unless stated, all statistics relate to the 'squad number era' since 1999, and are correct as of the end of the 2018/19 season.
