PLAY-off hopeful Steve Fletcher has emphasised the difficult road which lies ahead if Cherries are to realise their League Two promotion dream.

The Dean Court legend firmly believes Eddie Howe’s men have the tools to mount a push for a top-seven spot when the season gets under way at Bury on August 8.

But experienced Fletcher, who knows all about what it takes to get out of the basement division after leading Cherries to promotion in 2003, has words of caution for those predicting a straightforward route to glory.

The 36-year-old thinks Cherries’ squad is strong enough to enjoy success, but he is quick to stress that the |quality of English football’s fourth tier is the best it ever has been.

“The division gets harder every time,” the club’s record appearance-maker told the Echo. “The majority of the players were in the Championship a few years ago and are getting pushed down the leagues.

“The quality in League Two will be tougher than ever.

“People will probably think, because of the run-in we had in the last 23 games when Eddie took over, we’d be one of the teams to fancy our chances.

“Realistically, we’ve got to look to survive. It’s boring but the first thing is to get 50 points, then I believe we’re good enough to get into the top seven.”

And the popular frontman, who netted the goal that kept Cherries in the Football League against Grimsby Town last term, also highlighted the importance of a good start.

He said: “We haven’t been among the top few for a while, so we need to get a positive feel and we need to start well and put ourselves in the picture.

“Every season people say they’re looking for promotion because you’ve got to set your sights high, but I do believe we have got half a chance.”

Fletcher, who returned to Dean Court with a January transfer from Crawley Town, added: “We’ve got to stick together and show character and togetherness because that’s what got us out of the trouble we were in.

“There are no groups within the squad and everyone is in it together with the same goal and we’ve got to do that now from the start of the season.”