EDDIE Howe revealed Cherries had “concentrated a lot of effort” on improving the worst defensive record in the Premier League and insisted: “We have seen an improvement.”

Cherries, winless in seven top-flight outings, have shipped 27 league goals in 13 games to date, one more than fellow strugglers Sunderland who managed to secure a clean sheet at Crystal Palace last weekend.

That frailty has proved costly for Howe’s men with nine points dropped from winning positions – as many as have they have taken.

But having put extra emphasis on the quest for clean sheets, the boss has every faith that Cherries can rediscover their resolute edge.

Howe said: “I’m naturally concerned because we don’t want the statistic of having the worst defensive record in the league.

“It’s a strange one because in the majority of games this season, we aren’t a team that has conceded a huge number of chances but the chances we do concede tend to be presentable ones. We have been unfortunate that a few individual errors have cost us goals.

“We have done a lot of work on our defensive shape and structure over the past two or three weeks and concentrated a lot of effort on that.

"I am hoping that bears fruit as we move forward to the Christmas period but a lot of it is down to the level and the players we are coming up against.

“I am sure the players are learning from every game and as we move into the second half of the season, I expect us to be a lot tighter.

“Our goalkeepers play a huge part in that they can provide a voice and a barrier in between our back four and the goal.

“Everybody in that defensive unit, and you can move forward into the midfield and the strikers, plays a part in keeping clean sheets.

“We need to get back to the mentality we had at stages last season where we didn’t feel like we were going to concede a goal but that comes from a lot of hard work.”

But despite his greater expectations on the defensive side, Howe is quick to point to the huge step up in quality facing his relatively inexperienced team.

“I think that (greater quality) is what we have been victim to this season, I really do,” he added.

“We switch off for half a second or someone makes an error and we are being punished. That is the difference between the levels.

“There is a period of adjustment between the Championship and the Premier League. I think that’s only natural but I believe we have seen an improvement in most aspects of our play over the past few weeks and I hope that continues.”