AFC Bournemouth
Lewis Cook knows AFC Bournemouth must start turning draws into wins if they are to mount a sustained promotion challenge.
Rodrigo Riquelme’s superb late leveller earned the Cherries a share of the spoils against Derby County on Saturday.
It was their fifth draw of the season – more than any other team in the Championship – and maintained their unbeaten start.
And while West Brom drew no fewer than 17 games to win promotion last season, Cook says too many dropped points could prove costly in the final reckoning.
Cook, who has started seven times in the Championship and twice in the Carabao Cup, told afcb.co.uk: “West Brom going up with 17 draws is a good stat for us but we need to start turning them into wins otherwise we’ll be on the 18-mark quite quickly!
“Being unbeaten after nine games is a positive for us but we know we need to be winning more games.
“It’s also a positive from last season when we lost a few games. It was always going to be hard to flip that on its head and be unbeaten at this stage but we have done that. It’s something we can work on and try to change these draws into wins.”
Cook, who was signed from Leeds in July 2016, returns to Yorkshire on Tuesday as the Cherries continue their punishing schedule against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.
Ticketing Information
All you need to know on our ticketing, opening hours and access around Vitality Stadium.
He added: “It’s tough with the travelling but, as a footballer, you want to play games and that is the fun part of the job. It’s good to have so many games.
“You have to try to recover well and do your best off the pitch to make sure you are ready for the games.
“As a team, we need to try to bring the energy levels we have shown in the past few games into the next run of games.
“Sheffield Wednesday had a big points deduction at the start of the season and that would have been tough for them.
“They have won a couple of games and clawed some points back. They’re a good side and we need to make sure we give it our all against them.”
Asked about squad rotation, Cook said: “It’s tough because you want to play every game but you have to be realistic. Most teams are chopping and changing.
“The squad is the main thing in the Championship. Everyone is going to play games and everyone is going to be vital. You have already seen subs coming on and winning and drawing games so it’s a positive.”
