Lloyd Kelly has claimed that there is no reason for Bournemouth to look at their Championship rivals.

The Cherries’ skipper believes that the team needs to focus more on itself in the battle to earn automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Scott Parker’s side still have four games remaining in the season, with Swansea City the next opponents on Tuesday evening.

But Huddersfield Town are only two points behind Bournemouth, albeit having played two games more.

Nottingham Forest are also breathing down the necks of the 2nd place side, with only five points separating the two sides.

But Kelly has claimed that the team are not looking over their shoulders.

While they do look at the league table, the players remain unbothered by how their rivals are performing.

“I wouldn’t say we look at what other teams are doing,” said Kelly, via Bournemouth Echo.

“Of course, at the end of each game, we will look at the table but that’s it. All our focus is on what we need to do and take it game-by-game.

“I feel like there is no point looking into what others are doing because then you just lose your concentration, you lose what your focus is from what was set out at the start of the season.

“That’s what we have been doing from day dot to where we are now, so there’s no point in changing that – it’s just focusing on what we need to do next.

“Everyone in the changing room has full belief in what we can do and how we can finish the season. That’s where everyone is at in there.

“There is so much at stake but I don’t feel like that changes the gaffer’s, or our, mentality.

“If we go into a game with the mindset and intensity that we know we can play at – that just carries us through the game.”

 

 

Bournemouth still have their destiny in their own hands, but a slip up in the final few weeks will bring Forest and Huddersfield back into contention for that second automatic promotion place.

Parker’s side will be looking to avoid the play-offs, where the slightest error can ruin an entire season’s worth of work.

Swansea will pose a significant threat on Tuesday, with the Welsh club currently unbeaten in their last eight league games.

The match kicks off at 7.45pm.

The Verdict

Bournemouth should only be focusing on themselves because it is only their results that matter right now.

No team can catch the Cherries if they manage to win all of their remaining games so that is what they must focus on doing.

It can be distracting wondering how Forest and Huddersfield are doing, so this should help maintain a focused mindset.

But their final games do pose a significant threat to their 2nd place, with no easy games ahead in those last few weeks of the season.