It seems as if Eddie Howe is part of the Dean Court furniture - like Steve Fletcher - given his hero status around Dean Court, but it's just 15 years ago when a fresh faced teenager made his League debut in a 2-0 win against Hull City.
Eddie Howe then went on to make 270 first team appearances before injury forced him to retire from the game. On making his debut, Eddie Howe is quoted in the Bournemouth Evening Echo as saying: "I don’t remember too much about the build up to the game. I wasn’t expecting to start because we had worked on shape during the week and I wasn’t in the team. I knew I was close to the squad but hadn’t even sat on the bench. I turned up at the ground and thought I would be watching the game from the stand. When Mel Machin read out the starting line-up, it was a big surprise to find out I was in it. Mel would have done it for a reason so I didn’t have too much time to think about it and it was good management. A lot of emotions go through your head when you are told you are making your debut. The team was named about 65 minutes before kick-off and it seemed an age for the game to get started. It’s unbelievable how quickly it has gone and it doesn’t seem like 15 years ago. When you are playing and people tell you to make the most of your career because it goes so quickly, you don’t realise just how quickly it goes. It flashes before your eyes which is why it is so important to make the most of it".