Justin Allen: Dominic Solanke has been in Mitrovic’s shadow this season… but he can keep Bournemouth up with Prem goals
EVERYONE rightly has been raving about Aleksandar Mitrovic’s stunning goalscoring exploits for Fulham in the Championship this season.
But what about Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke?
He has also had a superb campaign for the Cherries and in the majority of previous seasons his 29 goals would have landed him the Golden Boot.
Under Scott Parker, I have been so impressed by how his game has come on in leaps and bounds since an underwhelming Championship season last time out.
Any player who caught the attention of a manager like Jurgen Klopp so much that he actually signed him for Liverpool clearly has something about them.
But he never really got going at Anfield and his 14 goals for the Cherries last season was OK but not exactly what you would expect from a striker that was so highly rated by one of the world’s best coaches when you consider he was playing in the second tier.
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His consistency, work rate, high-intensity pressing, dribbling, goals and assists have been standout qualities.
And when he has played as a traditional No10 in matches, the striker still remains the club’s main finisher.
What is also incredible about Solanke is his fitness levels.
He has managed to defy Bournemouth’s very own medical staff, who doubted a player who tops the club’s running charts and other metrics of physical data, can play in every single match.
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But that is exactly what he has done — starting all 46 of Bournemouth’s Championship games this season — and still managed to keep his numbers high when you would expect him to be fatigued.
In fact, he managed five goals in the club’s last six games of the season — so he actually finished the season stronger.
But the burning question is: Can Solanke do it where it really matters — in the Premier League?
It is fair to say, just like Mitrovic at both Fulham and Newcastle, the Cherries striker hasn’t yet produced the goods at the top level.
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I believe his move to Liverpool was actually the wrong choice. He signed for them when he was just 19 and did not have a cat in hell’s chance of breaking into a star-studded team.
His career would have been far better served then by either playing for a lesser-profile Premier League side or dropping into the Championship then.
In the end, he moved to Bournemouth during the season they were relegated and has managed to play week in, week out, getting loads of games under his belt and maturing while playing at a decent level.
You would expect him to go into the Premier League and do something similar to what Ivan Toney has done with Brentford.
I believe Toney is a better player but he can definitely deliver some healthy numbers next season.
Solanke already has one England cap to his name. He was clearly nowhere near good enough when Gareth Southgate bizarrely picked him almost five years ago for a friendly against Brazil but would be an option if he can replicate his Championship form in the top flight.
But the gap between the top two divisions is getting wider and wider so Solanke is going to have to show he can make that huge jump.
If he does, then the Cherries will definitely be staying up next season and another England cap could be in the offing.
CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY-OFF PREDICTIONS
THE LAST day of the Championship season on Saturday was one of the most boring I’ve ever experienced — with no twists and turns anywhere.
With the relegation and automatic promotion places already decided, attention switched to the play-offs but it all ended up being straightforward with no jittery moments for any of the clubs holding on to their positions.
So let’s have a quick look at the four clubs in the play-offs and how I think it will play out.
LUTON v HUDDERSFIELD
The Hatters have been the story of the season with Nathan Jones performing almost a miracle in getting the club into the top-six.
Elijah Adebayo has been a standout player up top and his 16 goals, along with Harry Cornick’s useful 12, have been useful and with players like Kal Naismith and Amari’i Bell have been outstanding.
The Bedfordshire club have pretty much got a free hit in these play-offs as massive underdogs.
Carlos Corberan has slowly but surely got the Terriers motoring again since taking over last season and have found consistency in their performances that saw them finish third.
Danny Ward is decent up front with Sorba Thomas being one hell of a find for them. He has been superb and it’s incredible to think that he was playing for Boreham Wood in non-league just 16 months ago. Harry Toffolo has had yet another fine season too.
VERDICT: Huddersfield should win this on paper — but I am backing Luton.
I think they can beat the Terriers at Kenilworth Road in the first leg and do enough to get across the line in the return.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST v SHEFFIELD UNITED
This clash pits two clubs who had stinking starts to the season before getting their act together and becoming two of the best Championship clubs.
Steve Cooper took over with Forest bottom and they nearly pinched an automatic spot but just fell short at Bournemouth last Tuesday.
In Brennan Johnson, Djed Spence, Jack Colback and Sam Surridge, they have the most fearsom front four in the league.
But Paul Heckingbottom has also performed wonders with the Blades since he replaced Slavisa Jokanovic. Frankly, he should have been given the job in the summer — he knew the club inside out, is a great coach and man-manager and a proud Yorkshireman to boot.
If Billy Sharp returns for the play-offs, which is the plan, then they are even more dangerous. But they have so much quality across the field
VERDICT: Although Forest have been the form team, I think Cooper might fall short for a third year in a row after two seasons at Swansea with the Blades having that know how to get across the line in this one.
BRAVE OSCAR
WHAT a lovely moment it must have been for five-year-old Oscar Cridge to lead his Bristol Rovers heroes out ahead of that stunning 7-0 win against Scunthorpe that clinched promotion to League One.
It came just weeks after the little boy, who suffers from cerebral palsy, had a life-changing operation to allow him to walk unaided. His condition caused him to suffer from tightness in his legs which meant he could not walk without the help of a special frame.
He also struggled to sit down properly and suffered agonising cramps which distrubed his sleep.
Well done to the Rovers fans who helped raise £35,000 to meet the cost of the operation.
Yet another wonderful example of how football brings a community together and means brave Oscar can now live a more normal life.
ANGER AT NORTHAMPTON
KEITH HILL angered Northampton after he fielded a 17-year-old keeper for Scunthorpe in their 7-0 defeat to Bristol Rovers — a result which saw the latter pip the Cobblers to automatic promotion to League One on goals scored.
It is true Owen Foster also played in their 1-1 draw with Hartlepool the previous week in what was a dead rubber.
But the game at Rovers was anything but that and the Cobblers are right to feel aggrieved that the Scunthorpe boss did not field his strongest team in a match that had massive implications at the top of the division.