ANDREW Surman said it had been “huge” to help guide Cherries into the fourth round of the FA Cup - admitting he had been a victim of “too many” shocks in the past.

The returning midfielder, who has been plagued by calf and knee problems this season, made his first appearance since September as Eddie Howe’s men overcame Championship Luton 4-0 at Vitality Stadium.

Surman had been on the wrong end of a cup upset against the Hatters previously.

His Premier League Norwich side fell 1-0 at home to non-league Luton back in 2013.

But having come through a potential banana-skin against the Championship outfit on this occasion, the 33-year-old was happy to see Cherries reach round four for the first time since 2016.

He told the Daily Echo: “Every club I have been at, we’ve had shocks.

“I have been on the end of too many really.

“Luton actually beat us at Norwich. I don’t even think they were in the League. We lost 1-0 at Carrow Road when we were in the Premier League and we had a strong team out.

“Cup shocks are not a nice feeling. They are always tricky games. Luton came here, they were up for the game and they were a good team.

“I know they are struggling in their league but they are dangerous and had a couple of chances.

“It was just important to be professional, do it right and try to produce a performance and give the (Cherries) fans something to take home, because they haven’t had a lot to shout about the past couple of months.

“It makes it a good win and we are looking forward to seeing who we get in the next round.”

Boss Eddie Howe opted to field a strong side against the Hatters, with Cherries searching for form having slipped into the Premier League relegation places.

Philip Billing struck twice for the hosts with both Callum Wilson and Dominic Solanke ending their respective scoring droughts.

Surman said: “It was a huge game for us. Obviously we want to progress in the cup and with the run we’ve been on recently, we needed a win from somewhere – and a performance.

“Sometimes early on in the cup players can be rested. A lot of players who haven’t played together come in and it makes it difficult.

“But it was great seeing everyone on the pitch. I was delighted for Dom and Cal. Cal hadn’t scored for a few games and Dom to get his first goal – I’m absolutely made up for him.”