Bournemouth boys fire themselves into the Championship

Tragedy reigns at AFC Bournemouth these days. The club is in administration, and Gerald Krasner, famed for his time as administrator at Leeds, is coming under fire from Bournemouth fans as a chaotic summer of takeover speculation shows no sign of resolution.

The Cherries were relegated into League Two after a magnificent effort at another great escape, evoking memories of Griffin Park and Shrewsbury at home in the mid-90s.

Things, to put it very simply, aren't going so well. Former chairman Jeff Mostyn is the man heading up the most likely takeover bid, which hardly provides the fans with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Of course, administration means a loss of control, as the administrators talk cash with creditors, and manage the comings and goings at the club. At the end of last week, Bournemouth's greatest fear came to fruition.

In truth, striker Sam Vokes would have left the club this summer regardless of the administration situation. The teenager, from Lymington, netted 16 goals in League One last season. It was a valuable contribution to an ultimately unsuccessful campaign, but it meant that Vokes was always likely to leave his local club.

The big clubs were sniffing around. Rumours about Aston Villa, Celtic, Everton and Newcastle United being interested in Vokes were replaced by more concrete news about Wolverhampton Wanderers, and the rest was inevitable. In the club's situation, Krasner had no option. Sadly, it does mean the 'undisclosed' price paid for the striker is likely to have been 'peanuts'.

It's a cracking signing for Wolves, that's for sure. And it's a great move for Sam, too, though he won't be there that long. Keep an eye out for this kid, he's very special. Superstar in the making.

While Sam Vokes has taken the express route into the Championship, fellow ex-Cherries goal machine James Hayter has been playing a slightly longer game.

Born on the Isle of Wight and the scorer of the fastest ever Football League hat-trick (versus Wrexham in February 2004 - I had a ticket for that match, but it was postponed and I wasn't in Bournemouth for the rescheduled game), Hayter followed Bournemouth legend Sean O'Driscoll to Doncaster Rovers when he moved north. James O'Connor and Brian Stock made the same move, and now they're in the Championship.

James Hayter moved to Doncaster in May 2007 with big expectations. One year on, he wrote himself into Rovers folklore with a thundering diving header to sink Leeds United in the League One Play-Off Final at Wembley. It was a fitting goal for the occasion, and it couldn't have been scored by a more deserving player.

In August, the Championship season will kick off with a slew of former Cherries involved: Vokes at Wolves, Hayter at Donny, Wade Elliott and John Spicer at Burnley. No doubt there's a few more knocking around that I've forgotten. It's little consolation at Dean Court, but it could just be a glimmer of hope.

If and when a takeover happens on the south coast, it may be that Bournemouth can finally begin to hang on to their talent. And there's been plenty of it coming through in the last decade.