BOSS Eddie Howe wants his players to use their slick display against Nottingham Forest as a benchmark and acknowledges Cherries need to “raise our game”.

Howe’s team will be looking to end a four-match winless run in the Championship when they host Leeds United at Dean Court tonight (7.45pm kick-off).

A trio of wins, including a League Cup victory at Exeter, were halted by an ill-deserved 2-1 defeat by Forest last month, a performance Howe has described as the “highlight of the season so far”.

Leeds arrive in Dorset on the back of a turbulent summer which followed Italian businessman Massimo Cellino completing his controversial takeover at Elland Road in April.

But despite the departure of two managers in less than three months, Neil Redfearn appears to have steadied the ship following a win and a draw under his caretaker stewardship.

Howe told the Daily Echo: “It is none of my business what goes on at another club. All I do know is nothing will change from our perspective. Leeds have good players and things seem to have calmed down with Neil Redfearn taking charge. He has done a good job.

“When you play Leeds, you know they are going to have a really good travelling support and it is going to be a red-hot atmosphere.

“Despite everything that has been written, they still have very good players who have excelled at Championship level. You know you never get an easy game against Leeds United and we are looking forward to it.

“There is no doubting their quality and whoever puts that white shirt on, we know we are going to have to raise our game to a level similar to the one against Nottingham Forest. The performance was excellent and if we had taken our chances, we would have won comfortably. That has been the highlight of our season so far and is what we are measuring ourselves against at the moment.”

Cherries triumphed 4-1 in the corresponding fixture last season, with Howe later revealing he had spoken to his players ahead of the game about the events of 1990 when the Dorset club was relegated on a day marred by hooliganism.

Howe added: “It wasn’t a tactic to motivate the players, it was just educating them on what had happened previously and about how much this game meant to our supporters. Nothing has changed and this game means a great deal to our fans and we need to make sure the players are aware of that, as they are with every game when they represent the club.

“We know it is going to be a tough game. We played Leeds on a Tuesday night at the end of last season and had an excellent performance and result and will be looking to replicate that if we can.”