Pugh eager to give Saints some stick

MARC PUGH has spent the past few days getting stick from his family about Bournemouth’s defeat by Burnley on Wednesday.

Pugh (above) said: “Burnley’s my local team and I was desperate to get a win and get a goal.

“It was devastating — I got a bit of stick off the family and I just wanted to get one over on them.

“Now we have another big game coming up against Southampton. There’s always an extra buzz when it comes to a derby.

“It’s a massive game for us, a must-win, because we want to be chasing the pack at the top end of the table, not looking over our shoulders.”

Southampton at Bournemouth was a League One fixture as recently as 2011 – with Pugh and Co on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline.

“It’s an amazing journey,” added Pugh. “I am someone who has spent most of my time in the lower leagues — you do pinch yourself.

“It’s been an amazing transformation for both these clubs.

“I always remember going to St Mary’s, especially back in the League One days because there weren’t many big grounds for us then.

“The intensity is still exactly the same as it was in League One – you want to win every game of football.

“But it has extra bite now, because you know how important it is to stay up in the Premier League.”