Manager Eddie Howe refuses to accept Bournemouth are safe from the threat of relegation despite the club being nine points above the bottom three.

In a season where they have fluctuated between very good and well below average, the Cherries find themselves sitting 12th in the Premier League standings, with 37 points from 30 games played.

It remains to be seen whether that tally will be enough to stay out of the relegation zone all season and Howe is certainly refusing to rest on his laurels.

When asked if he felt safe, the boss told the Daily Echo: “Well, we’re not and you can see in the results from the other teams last Saturday how tight the league is.”

The target now for the south-coast outfit is to try and push on to secure a top-10 berth. Everton are one place above but on the same number of points, followed by Leicester City, in 10th with 38, and ninth-placed West Ham United, who have taken 39.

Bournemouth beat Championship-bound Huddersfield Town last time out and Howe feels it has given them renewed vigour to try and improve their league position.

“What the Huddersfield win has done is bring us closer to some of the teams above us, so we will look forward to the next few games,” he added.

Next up for the Vitality Stadium outfit is the visit of Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon and the hosts are on offer at 2.10 to take all three points, with the Magpies priced at 3.75 and the draw 3.40.