AFC Bournemouth
Adam Smith insists AFC Bournemouth supporters will have a huge role to play during the Premier League run-in.
Smith was speaking after the Cherries had recorded back-to-back home league wins for the first time this season.
Goals from Marcus Tavernier and Dominic Solanke saw the Cherries come from behind to triumph 2-1 against Fulham on Saturday.
This followed another victory over a top-ten team, Philip Billing netting the only goal against Liverpool last month.
Smith acknowledged that the Cherries had not been at their best in the first half against Fulham before a stirring second-half display saw them turn the tide.
Gary O’Neil’s team will again need to be on their mettle when they host in-form Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday, the Seagulls arriving in Dorset in sixth place in the table.
Smith told afcb.co.uk: “It wasn’t a great first half against Fulham but that’s the Premier League for you.
“They played really well in the first half and we came out and had a right go in the second. It was a great result in the end.
“Tavs’ goal was right up there as one of the best I’ve seen us score. I was right behind it and he hit it as pure as anything.
“I was absolutely buzzing for him because he’s had a bad time with injury and he deserves it.
“Dom’s was a proper poacher’s goal. As a striker, those are the ones you want to score sometimes and it will give him confidence going into the next game.
“Although we weren’t at our best in the first half, we got the result we were looking for and that’s what counts.
“Games are not always rosy and, sometimes, teams make it difficult for you. You can’t play well in every minute of every game.
“There are going to be times when we’re going to suffer and times when the other team has most of the ball. It is what it is in the Premier League.
“This isn’t the Championship where we dominated the ball against most teams we played. This league is so tight, you only need to look at the table.
“Brighton are a top team and it was a tight game at the Amex when we went there in February.
“We know it’s going to be another really difficult game. They are a possession-based team so we might not have a lot of the ball.
“The fans need to stick with us, even if we’re not playing particularly well and not having much of the ball.
“Hopefully, the crowd will get behind us and we can put in another good performance like we did in the second half against Fulham.
“We’ve all got to come together and have a final push over the last ten games.”
Should he keep his place against the Seagulls, Smith would break into the top-ten of the club’s all-time leading appearance-makers.
He would draw level on 304 games with club record scorer Ron Eyre who plundered 202 league goals between 1924 and 1932.
Smith added: “I’ve said before, I don’t really look at these things while I’m playing, it’s more something for after you have retired when you look back on your career.
“It’s nice to hear I could break into the top ten but I would rather get three points!”
