The Barclays Premier League’s Scottish contingent is likely to be boosted by two following AFC Bournemouth’s historic promotion to the top tier.

Midfielders Matt Ritchie and Ryan Fraser have both played a key role under manager Eddie Howe, whose team have earned plaudits for their attractive style of football. They’ll now be tasked with finding a way past the likes of David De Gea and Vincent Kompany as the Cherries embark on their first season in the Premier League.

Ritchie made his debut for Scotland in the 1-0 friendly win over Northern Ireland in March and also featured against Gibraltar at Hampden.

Teammate Ryan Fraser has yet to be called up to Gordon Strachan’s team but has formed a crucial part of the Scotland Under-21 side for the past three years, earning eight caps in that time.

The former Aberdeen winger admits he’s still pinching himself to be a part of Bournemouth’s meteoric rise through the divisions.

Speaking exclusively to the Scottish FA, Ryan said: “It hasn’t really sunk in yet.

“When I signed we were in League One, we had a two years in the Championship and now we’re up. There are some players who played with the club in League Two when they were about to fold. For them to still be here and going to the Premier League - they are buzzing.

“It’s changed all our lives and it’s one of the best feelings in the world.”

There can be few things that match up to playing in one of Europe’s top leagues, aside perhaps from representing your national team at the highest level.

Fraser admits ambitions to take that next step in his career ladder one day – but is focused on securing a major finals spot for the Under-21 side just now:

“I’m not really focused on the senior team just now. I have another two years at Under-21 level with our championships starting in August. I’ve got a lot of time to get picked.

“When you see boys like Callum Paterson getting called up it’s nice and hopefully one day I can get a call but for me, I can still play 21s. Maybe when that finishes I’ll think about the senior side but I have a long way to go yet.”

“I’ve been playing with (Under-21s) for three years now and we’ve had a great team each year.

“This year we have the likes of Ryan Gauld and Ryan Christie, who was different class in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic. Declan McManus is doing really well at Morton and Lawrence Shankland is playing well at Aberdeen. We’ve got players who can develop and I think all the players I’ve mentioned can get first-team call ups too.”

Fraser spent six years at Aberdeen before making the move down south in 2013. Despite being at opposite ends of the country he’s never stopped following the fortunes of his boyhood team:

“It’s great seeing them do so well, they’ve had a very good season.

“They’ve been unlucky in the cups this season but to get second in the league and do well in Europe - Derek McInnes has done an excellent job there. I was with them since I was 13 years old so when they do well it makes me happy.”

For now the focus turns to next season and the challenge that faces AFC Bournemouth. As part of the team that knocked West Brom out of the League Cup earlier in the season, Fraser remains upbeat at the prospect of playing Premier League teams on a weekly basis.

He added: “The more you play against better players it improves you. We’ve played against West Brom, Aston Villa and Liverpool in the cup and done well. It’ll be a really good test but I’m positive we can cope.”