Tavernier is hoping to shake off a hamstring complaint to feature at Vitality Stadium tomorrow afternoon, having netted the winning goal at Southampton on Thursday night. Born in Leeds, Tavernier spent much of his early life growing up in the north east, but most of his family remain staunch Leeds United supporters. The Whites head to the south coast today, with both sides scrapping for the points they need to ensure Premier League safety. After netting at St Mary’s, Tavernier ran towards the away fans, flapping his arms like a bird.
Asked what was behind the celebration,
Marcus Tavernier said: “My uncle is down and before the game I like to have turkey sandwiches which my auntie makes. I had one before the game. And they said ‘if you score today, you’ve got to promise me that you’ll do that celebration’. I always keep my promises and that’s what I did! It went to the turkey sandwiches!”
Asked if he will now be eating them before every game,
Marcus Tavernier said: “It might have to be! I might have to get my uncle down a bit more often so he can make me those turkey sandwiches.”
Tavernier found the net for Cherries against Leeds earlier in the season, in a 4-3 defeat at Elland Road. Discussing his Yorkshire background,
Marcus Tavernier explained: “Pretty much my whole family are Leeds fans. So obviously it’s a big game in the household, but they’re all cheering me on. My brother and my family are looking at the Leeds results and they’re not wanting them to win at the moment, because they’re supporting me! I grew up in Newcastle. But all of a sudden I became an Arsenal fan, that’s Thierry Henry for you! So I’m a bit of a loose one in the family for supporting teams. But everyone in the family is a Leeds fan, so I’m going to keep them quiet this weekend hopefully!”
Cherries moved seven points clear of the relegation zone with victory over Saints. With just five games to play, Gary O’Neil’s men are on the brink of securing a second consecutive season in the top flight. Reflecting on the win at St Mary’s,
Marcus Tavernier said: “The manager said before the game we have to make sure we come here and come out with what we want. That’s exactly what we did. We played the football we wanted and it showed in the performance again. Everyone can be happy right now, but it’s not over yet, which we know. We have to go into Leeds fully focused and put on the same performance. If we’re being critical, we could’ve put more chances away and made it easier. But the end result is we got what we wanted and that’s the main thing. It’s a derby game and I’ve played in a few in my career. There’s no better feeling than to get a win over your rivals. They played us at our patch and we got beat. I remember seeing the celebrations after from their fans and it hurts, because you know you’re leaving your fans a bit deflated. But I’m sure they’re going to be happy with that performance.
Put to him that one more point against Leeds this weekend could well be enough to keep Cherries up,
Marcus Tavernier said: “We’re not thinking like that. We’re taking it each game at a time. We want to finish the season strong and get as many points as we possibly can. That starts against Leeds. We have no intention of getting one point. We go in there fully wanting three, and the following games after that, we keep the same mentality.”
Asked if he will have many relatives at the game to watch him this weekend,
Marcus Tavernier said: “No, unfortunately not. I’ve got my uncle there again, so maybe some more turkey sandwiches before the game! They’ll be supporting me to full effect and that’s all I can ask for.”
