BACUP-born Marc Pugh helped Bournemouth into the Premier League, but gave all the credit to Eddie Howe.

The winger, who began his career at Turf Moor as a trainee, scored the opening goal in a 3-0 win over Bolton Wanderers which all but confirmed they will play top flight football for the first time in the club’s 125-year history.

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It is not mathematically certain. But it would take a 19-goal swing for Bournemouth, who are still challenging for the title, to be pipped to automatic promotion by third placed Middlesbrough.

Even Charlton Athletic, who they face on the final day of the season on Saturday, are not expecting an upset as the club’s official account tongue-in-cheekily tweeted: “Bournemouth celebrating like they’ve completely ruled out a 19-0 defeat at The Valley on Saturday. We’ll see...”

As such, the celebrations started at the Goldsands Stadium on Monday night.

And Pugh said they owed it all to former Burnley boss Howe, who returned for a second spell in charge of the Cherries in October 2012, guiding them to two automatic promotions in less than three years.

“The gaffer has come back and been brilliant,” said Pugh, who Howe signed from Hereford United in 2010, in his first spell as Bournemouth boss.

“He’s given the club a new lease of life and I have a lot to thank him for.

“He’s brought me on and developed me as a player. I owe everything to him.”

The feeling is mutual around Bournemouth.

Howe took charge for the first time during the 2008/09 season in which they had been handed a 17-point deduction for entering administration.

They not only survived in League Two but went on to win promotion - the first of three in five years.

The backing of Russian billionaire Maxim Demin has helped take the club to the highest level.

But Howe admits he never wanted to consider he would be managing at the likes of Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge and the Emirates come August until that final whistle blew on Monday night.

“I honestly didn’t start thinking it, you don’t want to think it is possible,” he explained.

““You work every day on each game and I hadn’t looked that far ahead, that is my honest answer.

“It has been so intense, the Championship is such an intense league and people were waiting for us to slip away. They were looking at our squad and saying it might not be deep enough to maintain our push.

“We just tried to win the games and didn’t think about our position too much.”

He added: “It is very difficult to put into words.

“It has been an amazing journey. It is an incredible day for the supporters, one they’ll never forget. I’m an eternal pessimist, but it’ll take something remarkable to stop this now.

“This club was heading nowhere. It was heading out of business, and it’s such a short turnaround.

“This club was on its knees a few years ago.

“We had nothing. A group of supporters put their hands in their pockets to keep the club alive and they are reaping the rewards.

“It is the club I watched as a kid, the club that gave me an opportunity in the game as a player and a manager.

“It shouldn’t be them thanking me, it should be me thanking them.

“It is a family club and deserves its moment in the sun.”

Howe steered the club to automatic promotion League One as runners up to Doncaster Rovers the following season, and has followed that up Only a 19-goal swing on the final day of the season will stop Bournemouth from securing their spot in the top flight.

Eddie Howe admits his pessimistic nature meant he never really believed promotion to the Premier League was possible until they saw off Bolton 3-0 on Monday night.

The Cherries led the Championship for most of the season but opened up the door for their rivals after a 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday last weekend only for Middlesbrough and Norwich to slip up on Saturday.

And goals from Marc Pugh, Matt Ritchie and Callum Wilson saw off the 10-man Trotters and left Bournemouth three points and 19 goals clear of Boro with one game to play.