#PLStories- Gary O’Neil reveals he was aware of Cherries’ strong record at Stamford Bridge #AFCB

CHERRIES’ solid record away at Stamford Bridge is something Gary O’Neil is “aware” of even if he does not believe it will have any bearing on the latest meeting between the two sides. O’Neil’s charges travel to London to face Graham Potter’s Chelsea in the first Premier League game following the break for the World Cup tomorrow (kick-off 5:30pm). Despite Chelsea’s status as a top-six club and the perception of Cherries as plucky underdogs, the Dorset outfit have won three of their five trips to the Bridge in the Premier League. Glenn Murray’s late winner in 2015 arguably marked a turning point in Cherries’ first top-flight season, victory marking their first in nine league games under Eddie Howe. Cherries’ last visit to Chelsea saw another late winner, Dan Gosling’s 84th minute strike eventually awarded after an agonisingly long wait following a VAR check. In their past three games with the two-time European champions, Cherries are unbeaten, with their last win at Stamford Bridge sandwiched between a 4-0 rout at home and a 2-2 draw in their most recent meeting. Asked if he was knew about the stat, O’Neil replied: “I am aware of it. I don't believe it will help us much in the next one, but, yeah, I am aware of it. “As you rightly say, tough place to go. Top side, obviously. Big club, top coach, fantastic players. “And, yeah, they're expected to win basically every game they play, aren't they? “So, it'll be a tough one for us, but as always, same sort of answers for you, really. “We get the boys ready, get them well prepared, and I go there expecting us to be competitive and expecting us to get a positive result.” Aside from Cherries’ record at Chelsea, O’Neil was also reminded of his visits to Stamford Bridge as a player. In nine trips to Chelsea, he tasted defeat each time. He did point out the mitigating circumstances, with the then-midfielder frequently tasked with marking generational talent Frank Lampard on more than one occasion. He joked: “Nine games, nine defeats. It's a good record. “I mean, I remember playing well there a few times and I've sometimes I've seemed to be given the job of tracking Frank Lampard. “I remember doing it really well sometimes and then he’d just pop up in the 70 or 80th minute, and he's smashed one in the bottom corner. “And you'd be like, “Ahh, I've lost him once, and he scored.” “But I've not lost there yet, as a manager. So that's good.”