Mark Travers has finally made a Premier League start for Bournemouth some 180 days after his emergency recall from what looked like turning into a successful loan at Stoke City.
Travers had been desperate to join Stoke last summer to get playing again after losing his spot in the Bournemouth pecking order to club captain Neto. Under contract until 2027, loan was the only viable option for the 24-year-old Republic of Ireland international and then-Stoke boss Alex Neil pulled out of a move for Matija Sarkic to get it done.
He was finding his feet back playing regularly in the Championship and had helped pull off back-to-back home wins over Sunderland and Leeds when he was summoned back south on October 27. Neto had suffered an ankle injury, Darren Randolph was ill and Travers was needed to deputise loanee Andrei Radu.
But that didn’t mean he was needed to play. Travers has since been used in the FA Cup – three ties – but was already cup-tied for the Carabao Cup and he has been restricted to bench duties in the league until last night. He replaced Neto in what turned out to be a 1-0 win over Wolves.
“It’s been a different one,” he said when asked to sum up his season. “I wasn’t really expecting it. I was really enjoying my time at Stoke, playing every week and getting the games in that I needed, coming back and just playing in a couple of cup games and trying to keep the belief as high as I could every day. Thankfully we’ve got into a really good position so it was good to get the opportunity and hopefully there is more to come.
“It’s the hardest part about football, not playing. What you do when you’re not playing is tough but thankfully I’ve got a really strong family and partner behind me who keep me going, always push me. I’m always grateful for that, try not to overthink it too much and always try to see the bigger picture. That moment always comes in football and you have to be ready to take it. I have just tried to stay focused and do the best I could.”
Travers’s situation in many way stays the same. He wants to play – and is looking to make the most of any opportunity he gets before the end of the season. Stoke ultimately moved for Daniel Iversen, brought in on loan from Leicester in January, but will have to make another decision about their goalkeeper this summer.
Asked about his medium-term plans, he said: “I don’t know to be fair. I’m here fighting for my spot at the club. I’ve come through the academy so have been here a good while. Whatever the manager wants me to do I’ll come in and do my best. Of course I just want to play football so we’ll see what happens. At the moment I’m really excited for the next few games and we’ll see what happens.”
He added: “I never view it as being a number two, I just come in every day and push myself and give the best I can. Of course there are days that are more difficult and you’re frustrated and everything but I do my best. Of course I want to play week in, week out, I’d be lying if I would say I was happy that I wasn’t. But opportunities like this come along so I try to really enjoy it. It’s difficult sitting on the bench so when you have that chance to enjoy the buzz, it’s class.”
Radu has fallen out of the picture at Bournemouth, Randolph is out of contract this summer and Neto has come in for criticism at times despite Bournemouth sitting 10th in the top flight.
Travers might have only made one appearance but Bournemouth’s form since his return has been remarkable. Only four teams – Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston VIlla – have picked up more points since he went back. In contrast, only Sheffield United had picked up fewer in the first nine games of the season while he was at Stoke.
He said: “We all get on really well. We try to push whoever is playing in training and when they’re playing, try to support them. Obviously it’s been a fantastic season for the club, looking to break the points tally and finish as high as we can. At the end of the day, the manager picks the team. We are all competing with each other but we try to support each other too.”
He added: “I literally (found out I was playing vs Wolves) just before we left the hotel. I’ve just tried to come in every day and conduct myself in a positive way and train as well as I can and compete with all the goalkeepers. I’m really happy the manager put me in, showed some faith in me. It was good to get the win and a clean sheet.
“The Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world. I’ve experienced it before and know the standard it takes. That definitely helped coming into this. I’ve always had belief in myself and I just tried to take the hard work from the training ground into the game and do the best I can.”
Wolves had two goals disallowed for offside but Travers otherwise largely had a quite night.
“I just had to be ready when called upon and take the pressure off as much as I could,” he told the BBC. “I’m never looking or asking for work but when I’m needed I’ll be there. The lads were outstanding. It was nice to get into the game, coming for crosses and making saves. I really enjoyed being back out out there. It was an enjoyable night.”
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