Bournemouth host AC Milan 15 years after Bury defeat
Bournemouth face AC Milan in the Europa League 15 years to the day after a League One loss to Bury, with fans and former players reflecting on the club's rise from financial trouble to European football.
Bournemouth host seven-time European champions AC Milan in the Europa League on Thursday, 15 years to the day after losing 2-1 at home to Bury in the third tier of English football. The match marks a striking contrast for a 127-year-old Dorset club that faced liquidation as recently as 2008, finished 21st in League Two in 2008-09 and won promotion to the Premier League in 2015.
Supporters and former players have described the occasion as surreal. Fan Kirk Tovey said he was "pinching myself" at the prospect of watching Bournemouth face Milan, recalling home crowds of about 6,000 when fans could arrive shortly before kick-off. Former midfielder Joe Partington, now a BBC Radio Solent summariser, remembered training on a park opposite the stadium and having to change in one part of Bournemouth before driving elsewhere to train and eat.
Tony Pulis, who played in Bournemouth's defence and managed the club from 1992-94, said the town's club has achieved "dreamland" over the past decade and praised the progress under US billionaire Bill Foley, whose takeover was completed in 2022. Pulis pointed to an established Premier League status, a new training facility and a top-class academy.
The Vitality stadium remains the smallest in the Premier League by capacity, but work is under way to expand it. Last week's attendance of 12,070 for a 3-0 Europa League win over Sturm Graz was Bournemouth's highest of the 21st century, and another crowd of more than 12,000 is expected for Milan, with many fans set to watch on television after missing out on tickets.
Milan are fourth in Serie A with 15 points from seven games, four behind leaders Inter Milan. Tovey acknowledged the Italian side are not the Milan of Kaka, Nesta, Maldini, Inzaghi or Seedorf, but stressed they remain seven-time champions of Europe and a massive club. He said Milan was the draw that prompted the biggest reaction among Bournemouth's eight opponents.
The clubs share red-and-black colours, adopted by Bournemouth in the early 1970s under manager John Bond as a nod to Milan's continental dominance, and the club changed its name to AFC Bournemouth in 1972. Former Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who joined Milan in 2023, said Bournemouth belong in the Premier League and now have a chance to play Milan. Bournemouth have won both opening Europa League games, while Luka Modric, a six-time Champions League winner, is expected to feature for Milan at 41.
Tovey said Bournemouth have earned their place in the Europa League through hard work and ambition, adding that the club deserves to be playing Milan.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
