LEADING man Carl Fletcher believes Cherries' Millennium Stadium experience will "stand us in good stead" when the spotlight again falls on The O'Driscoll Players on Saturday.

Sean O'Driscoll's troops take centre stage when they host Division Two rivals Bristol City in a high noon showdown at Dean Court which is being broadcast live on Sky Sports (12.05pm kick-off).

But inspirational captain Fletcher, who played a starring role during the club's Division Three play-off triumph in May, says Cherries will be unfazed by the added attention of the cameras.

New fans' favourite Fletcher capped a memorable campaign at Cardiff when he led from the front by scoring twice as Cherries clinched promotion in stunning fashion with a 5-2 victory over Lincoln.

The highly-rated defender told the Daily Echo: "At our level, they don't come much bigger than the Millennium Stadium and we know we will be able to handle any game after playing there last season.

"There is always a good atmosphere at the Fitness First Stadium and the lads really enjoy playing in front of the home crowd so we've got nothing to fear.

"Hopefully this will be a game for us to show people what we can do.

"You try not to think about playing in front of the cameras with thousands of people watching on television, because, if you do, it can be a bit daunting.

"It's a bit different behind the scenes before kick-off, but once you get out on the pitch, you don't realise they are there and just focus on the game."

Fletcher netted his first goal of last season as Cherries crashed out of the LDV Vans Trophy following an incident-packed clash against Bristol City at Dean Court in January.

And the 23-year-old, who also picked up the first red card of his career when Cherries met City in an FA Cup tie in 1999, says he has fond memories of lining-up against the Robins from his days in the youth team.

He added: "We beat them 3-2 at Ashton Gate in the third round of the FA Youth Cup about six years ago. I remember both me and James Hayter scored and we only had 10 men for 45 minutes. It was a great game.

"I think I've played against Bristol City at every level and every season since I first started playing for the club. They are always keenly-contested games and Saturday should be no different.

"It should be a good game. They are a strong side and will be there or thereabouts at the end of the season so this is a good time for us to test ourselves and see how far we've come."