Norwich City midfielder Andrew Surman aims for a fresh start at Bournemouth

Norwich City midfielder Andrew Surman has admitted he expected to play no part in the Canaries' Premier League tilt this season.

The 26-year-old made his debut for Bournemouth in an opening day 2-1 Championship win against Charlton following a season-long loan move to Dean Court. Surman's knee injury restricted him to just four top-flight appearances in Chris Hughton's first season in Norfolk, and the arrival of fresh talent like Leroy Fer only pushed him further down the pecking order.

'I knew I was probably going to be moving on or possibly getting a loan move,' he said. 'I was out for quite a while last season with injury and, coming into this season, new players came in at Norwich and the squad was quite big. I didn't know where, but I spoke to my agent and heard Eddie Howe had phoned the club and made an inquiry and it just went from there.

'The main thing for me is the possibility of playing games. I need to play games wherever I am, but there is an extra advantage with Bournemouth because I have been here before and I know the area quite well. I am looking forward to it. Bournemouth are on a good run. They have had a good couple of years and things seem to be changing for the better with new ownership coming in and a bit of money ploughed into the club. It is looking bright.'

Surman played alongside Howe during a previous Bournemouth loan stint when he was a teenage prospect at Southampton.

The South-African born midfielder believes the newly-promoted Cherries can take inspiration from the Canaries' journey through the Football League.

'When I first joined Norwich, people were saying they had done well to get out of League One and were asking whether we would settle for finishing just above the relegation zone,' he told the Bournemouth Echo. 'It shows what can happen. There are some good teams in the league, but the best teams don't always necessarily win the league or get promoted. If you can gain a bit of momentum, you never know where it might take you. You have to go into it positively and aim for the top.

'I have had my ups and downs in the Championship. I was relegated with Southampton and reached the play-offs with them. It was a great achievement getting promoted with Norwich. When we won the (League One) title with Norwich, we had a great team spirit and a winning mentality. Those are the key things with regards to doing well in the Championship. If you can put together a run of wins, you can shoot up the table and put yourself in contention for the play-offs or the top two.'