Bournemouth news: Fan Glen Cox on bucket collection that helped save club in 1997

Bournemouth fan Glen Cox has been reflecting on the Winter Gardens emergency bucket collection in 1997 and explaining its significance for the club's present success, as the Cherries prepare for Europa League football.

The club's hierarchy organised the collection in a last-ditch attempt to avoid financial ruin.

"I get quite emotional when I think back to it," Cox told BBC Radio Solent. "It didn't feel like it at the time, but it was such a momentous day in Bournemouth's history.

"I can remember all of my mates getting together and it was literally a case of us all putting in as much as we could afford. I can remember a guy getting out his week's wages and dumping it in the bucket.

"The club had made it clear that if the evening didn't result in a few quid being raised instantly, to say the least, then there was a very real chance we wouldn't have a club anymore.

"Everyone realised the severity of the situation, so they stepped up and did all they could to save the club.

"Looking at where we are right now, it is all quite incredible really. It feels like a dream, like something out of a movie I guess."

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