Pub preparation ahead of hosting AC Milan fans

Hospitality chains around Bournemouth are preparing for a historic night, when AFC Bournemouth host AC Milan on Thursday.

The Cherries have already won the first two games of their European campaign, continuing their trend of good results on the pitch.

The bar manager, Rachel Newton, said: “Football is the heartbeat in this place; we are all football fans.”

The rise of the club has had ‘a massive impact’, according to Mrs Newton; with the cherries being in League Two just under 15 years ago.

She attributed everything to the fans: “Without them, this place wouldn’t be here, simple as that.”

However, capacity at The Queens Park Hotel has already been an issue ahead of this game.

“It’s very historic, and everybody wants to go,” said Mrs Newton. “But I can’t make this place bigger; it’s been hard to fit any more people in recently.”

Bournemouth fans recorded a home attendance of over 12,000 when they hosted Sturm Graz last week.

The police escorted the 1,500 Austrian fans to the Vitality.

Being a prominent ‘home fan pub’, Mrs Newton said they will not add extra security even though they are “completely different fans to deal with.”

“We will do the same; we have two on the gate every match day.”

Keeping the fans happy is the number one priority, especially on a match day.

Mrs Newton said: “happy fans make happy people.”

Even in this historic scenario, Mrs Newton said they made sure “service is quick on a match day.”

AFC Bournemouth are one of ten teams to win their opening two games in the competition.

The Cherries sit fifth in the Europa League table, with fellow Premier League side Sunderland sitting below in ninth.

The two sides played each other in the Premier League on Sunday, AFC Bournemouth picking up their first win in the league against a ten-man Sunderland side.

The Cherries sit fifteenth in the league table after a not-so-good start to their league campaign.