AFC Bournemouth midfielder Gavin Kilkenny revealed he’s gained a lot from his experiences this season.
The 22-year-old, who had only made one appearance in the Championship prior to this season, played a pivotal role in the first half of the season as Scott Parker’s side pushed for automatic promotion.
Speaking to afcb.co.uk following the final day win over Millwall, Kilkenny commented on the faith he’s had from head coach Parker.
“You need a manager that will put a bit of faith in you and that’s what he did.
“I hadn’t played much before this season, to play as much as I did at the start of the season was amazing.
“I’d probably have liked to have played more but the manager has shown a lot of faith in me, the strength of the squad is unbelievable, and I think it’s been a positive step forward for me.
“Hopefully next season I can push on more. I think everyone in the squad will say they’ve learned a lot, especially the younger players.
“We’ve been towards the top of the table, pushing for promotion to the Premier League which is a new experience for us, and we’ve learned loads.”
The midfielder showed his class as he played for 90 minutes in the win over Millwall, making more passes than any other player and maintaining an accuracy rate of 90.8%.
Kilkenny felt it was important the Cherries finished the season with a positive performance: “I thought it was a great way to finish.
“We had a great night on Tuesday securing promotion, but we had it in the back of our mind that we wanted to finish on a high.
“We didn’t want to end on a bad note and I really enjoyed being out there. It’s been a while!
“We were delighted to get the win and now we can enjoy the next few weeks.”
