91Èȱ¬

Bournemouth have signed Crawley Town striker Matt Tubbs for a club record fee thought to be worth £800,000.

The 27-year-old, who scored 58 goals from 78 appearances for the League Two side, has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with the Cherries.

He began his career at Salisbury and had a loan spell at Bournemouth in 2008 before signing for Crawley in 2010.

"I can't wait to get started, this is a great club to be at and is on the up," Tubbs told 91Èȱ¬ Radio Solent.

"It's a fantastic signing for us to sign a player in great form," added Bournemouth boss Lee Bradbury.

"He knows the club, it's a club that means a lot to him. He's a very ambitious player, and he has joined a club that matches his ambitions."

Tubbs admitted it had been a tough decision to leave Crawley, where he had been since August 2010, but said the lure of coming to play for the club he supported as a child was too big an opportunity to turn down.

"It wasn't an easy decision, especially considering the success we have had this season and the euphoria of beating Hull in the FA Cup on Saturday," added Tubbs.

"The boys were buzzing, but Bournemouth is a club I have supported since I was kid, I used to come up here and watch the games with my dad at Dean Court. The lure of coming home was a key factor."

Tubbs played with Bradbury when he was on loan at the Cherries in 2008 and he said the Bournemouth manager was vital in his decision to sign.

"I was lucky enough to play with Lee when I was on loan here and I always got on well with him then - he was a big factor in why I signed. The chance to play for him was a dream for me," said Tubbs.

"All my family are down here as are all my best friends so it is brilliant to be back."

Tubbs added that he hoped to fire Bournemouth into the Championship: "There are players in this squad that can play at a higher level and we will push now for promotion.

"There is no point competing if you don't think like that. We aim to be up at the top in May."

But Tubbs refused to be drawn on whether the huge transfer fee had put added pressure on him, and said he had taken no notice of how much Bournemouth had paid.

"I'm a professional footballer and it is not up to me to get involved in transfer fee talk," he said.

"I don't even know what it was. That's for my agent and the two clubs to sort out. All I can do is concentrate on the football and make every minute count."