CHERRIES goalkeeper Shwan Jalal is aiming high after putting the finishing touches to his permanent move to Dean Court.

Jalal, who initially arrived on a month's loan from Peterborough, has been one of the few shining lights during Cherries' tardy start to the season.

The 25-year-old turned in assured displays in draws against Gillingham and Aldershot before a dead leg ruled him out of Cherries' 1-0 defeat by Exeter.

And although a severe 17-point deduction saw Kevin Bond's men playing catch-up from the off, Jalal is convinced Cherries can turn the tide.

Jalal, who is in line to return against Port Vale tomorrow, told the Daily Echo: "If I thought we were going to go down, it would be pointless playing. There are still lots of points to play for and some teams still haven't got off the mark.

"I see it as a challenge to help keep Bournemouth up and then look to see how high we can finish. We've only had three league games and there's nothing to stop us going on a run.

"The lads were disappointed because we felt we had been on top of Exeter in the first half but just couldn't kill them off. The crowd wasn't happy and neither were the lads.

"We were probably more down when we let in the equaliser against Gillingham because we hadn't played well but still ground out a result.

"It's always down-heartening when you lose. But the Exeter game is done and dusted and we've got to move on and look ahead to Port Vale.

"We've regrouped, spoken about what happened and had a video session on Monday.

"We've been working on it in training this week and everyone's looking forward to the game.

"I certainly enjoy playing in front of the Dean Court crowd and I don't think the pressure is any less when you go away. We've got two tough away games coming up against Vale and Notts County but there is no reason why we can't win them both.

"If we can get a good run going, like I know we're capable of, then people would forget about the Exeter game.

"We aren't worrying because we've got faith in ourselves and we know we can play. We're not worried about Rotherham or anyone else. We're just concentrating on what we're doing."

Jalal, who started out as a trainee at Spurs, gained international non-league honours when he plied his trade with Woking in the Conference.

He moved to Peterborough in January 2007 and started last season as Posh's first choice after deposing fans' favourite Mark Tyler.

But after making 10 appearances, he then lost his place to rising star Joe Lewis and was eventually farmed out on loan to Morecambe.

Jalal added: "It's a massive relief that the move has been made permanent. I feel I've settled in really quickly and am enjoying my football again. I've spoken to the owners and they've got a great vision for the club and I want to be a part of that.

"I just want to go back to enjoying my football again because the past year has been a waste. The manager here has instilled confidence in me and it makes you appreciate playing football."