HARRY ARTER paid tribute to Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe following his inclusion in the Republic of Ireland squad for the March 29 UEFA European Championships qualifier against Poland at the Aviva Stadium.
“I’m feeling really pleased,” Arter told Bournemouth’s website. “My main goal is to do well with Bournemouth and I knew in the back of my mind if I do that I’d get a chance to play at international level for Ireland.
“Hopefully that chance has come and if I do get the opportunity to play it will be one I’m looking forward to and one i’ll look at with a lot of pride.
“And I’m sure the manager will take a lot of pleasure seeing me get into the squad.
“If you look back to when I first signed, especially for the fee and where I came from, you probably wouldn’t have thought we’d be sitting top of the Championship five years later and I’d get my call up.
“So as an individual relationship me and him have, it’s something we can look back on with a lot of pride. He’s helped me a lot to get to this point and I’m very thankful to him.”
Arter, released by Charlton Athletic as a 19 year old, impressed for Woking before moving to Bournemouth.
“When I got released, international level wasn’t something I ever thought about,” Arter said.
“Getting back into the Football League was my main concern, whether that was League One or Two, albeit I knew that if I did get there, I’d have ambition to get to where I am now.
“Ambition isn’t always easy to achieve, it’s hard to achieve your ambitions. I haven’t fully achieved them yet, I still have a lot more I want to achieve.
“I’ve got to a good point in my career at the moment and it’s a place I’m enjoying, but I’m not ready to rest on my laurels yet. I’m looking forward to future challenges.”
