After reaching the final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy last season Rovers start their campaign this season with a home game against AFC Bournemouth. The Cherries have had a torrid start to the season and having finished just two places away from relegation last season will not wish to be involved in another dog-fight at the bottom.

There is a certain similarity with the performance of both teams in the League so far, in as much as, neither has yet won a home game and yet both have recorded two wins on the road. Having beaten Kevin Bond's team last season in an FA Cup 2nd Round replay on the south coast Rovers will be confident that they can record their first home win of the season.

Looking back at the start of professional football in Bournemouth, the club emerged from Boscombe St. Johns Institute Football Club who were playing in local football. They disbanded in 1899 and from the remains of that club; Boscombe FC was formed at a meeting under the streetlights in Gladstone Road, Boscombe.

With the outbreak of war in 1914, the progress of the club was halted and they returned to the Hampshire league in 1919. The club was ambitious and when the Third Division was formed in 1920, they moved up to the highly competitive Southern League as many clubs in that league went on to form the Third Division.

After three years in the Southern League, the club applied for membership of the Football League. The application was accepted and Boscombe started playing in the Third Division (South) in the 1923-24 season.

At the public house where the side used to change before matches, The Portman Hotel, a meeting decided that the club would change its name to 'Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic Football Club'. The first ever league match was at Swindon on 25 August 1923 at Swindon where Bournemouth lost 3-1.

The Cherries have spent most of their existence in the lower two Divisions of the League. They rarely hit the headlines but when long-serving player James Hayter scored the fastest league hat-trick in English League Football history during the 2003-2004 season the country sat up and noticed. Hayter came onto the field as a substitute against Wrexham.

The Cherries were leading 3-0, thanks to goals from Steven Purches, Warren Cummings and Warren Feeney. In the 86th minute Hayter managed to net three goals in the space of 2 minutes 20 seconds, making the final score 6-0 to AFC Bournemouth. Ironically his parents, who were at the game, missed all three gaols as they had to leave to catch the last ferry back to their home on the Isle of Wight!

The south coast club are also the only football team to have scored 5 goals at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, beating Lincoln City 5-2 in the 2002/03 Division 3 Play-off Final. They also achieved fame when defeating holders Manchester United in the FA Cup in January 1984, while they were managed by Harry Redknapp.

Harry Redknapp is the most successful Manager ever to take charge of Bournemouth. Besides the 1984 F.A Cup shock win over Manchester United, he took them into the second tier of the English league for the first time in their history as Third Division champions in 1987. They stayed there for three years, and he remained at the helm for two years after their relegation in 1990, before leaving for West Ham United.

Bournemouth's previous manager was Sean O'Driscoll, who was promoted from the coaching staff in place of Mel Machin at the start of the 2000-01 season. In his first season as manager, Bournemouth narrowly missed out on the Division Two Play Offs, but were relegated a year later.

The board kept faith in O'Driscoll and they were rewarded with promotion via the Division Three Play Offs, in 2002-03. Bournemouth have remained in the league's third tier ever since, closely missing out on the Play Offs for the 03/04 and 04/05 seasons and narrowly beating relegation in the last two seasons.

O'Driscoll and Assistant Richard O'Kelly left on 9th September 2006 to join Doncaster Rovers. However, this bad news was sweetened with the confirmation of the signing of England 1998 World Cup star Darren Anderton on a pay-as-you-play basis. On his debut versus Scunthorpe United he scored the Bournemouth equaliser with a spectacular 40-yard free kick in a 1-1 draw.

After a 5 week search, former Cherries favourite Kevin Bond was named as O'Driscoll's successor, beating off stiff competition from Phil Brown and Andy Hessenthaler. Bond's father, John, was at the helm when Cherries achieved promotion in 1973.

Matches between the clubs have been frequent. The first meeting was back in 1923 when Rovers won 1-0 on the South Coast on 29th December. The Cherries gained almost immediate revenge winning 4-3 at Eastville a week later. The overall record between the two clubs favours Bournemouth slightly they have won 48 times against Rovers 43 victories and 22 draws.

The biggest margin between the teams is five goals and this first happened on Boxing Day 1925 as Rovers ran out 7-2 winners. Bournemouth have beaten Rovers twice 6-1, firstly on 10th December 1927 and more recently 26 October 1985.

Latest news from Bournemouth is that they could be down to just eleven available outfield players. None of their seven injured players will return in time for the game with Neil Young expected to be the first back in action. The others are Russell Perrett (hamstring), Ryan Garry (shin), Warren Cummings (arm), Marvin Bartley (groin), Jean Christophe (wrist) and Steven Foley (back).

The other injury doubt concerns Josh Gowling. The defender's knee has swollen up and he is touch and go for the match. Meanwhile they have also lost the services of Max Gradel, who has returned to France on compassionate leave following the tragic death of his mother and been told to spend as long as he needs with his family.

The on-loan 19-year-old Leicester City winger scored twice in Saturday's 4-1 win at Crewe. "Football pales into insignificance when a tragedy like this occurs. Our thoughts and feelings go out to him," Cherries manager Kevin Bond said.

"We will give him all the time he needs before he's ready to put on a pair of boots again," he told the club website. The 4-1 victory lifted the Cherries off the bottom of the table albeit on goal difference and Bond admits it is a massive boost to their confidence.

Bond said: "I am chuffed for the lads although things could have been different if they had got the first goal because our confidence is so fragile at the moment.

"I never thought one goal was going to be enough so it was great when Maxi popped up with two to take the pressure off. His first goal was superb and I didn't know he had that in his locker, to be honest. But he's a great lad and I'm chuffed for him."

Having tasted success in the JP Trophy last season and suffered the pain of losing out in Extra Time Rovers will be anxious to relive the experience again. A victory over Bournemouth would set them on their way.

Written by Gerry Prewett