to sign a new contract with Bournemouth in July 2012, and the club was willing to listen to offers for him. Pugh remained with Bournemouth for 2012–13, with the club not receiving any offers for him over the summer of 2012. He started the season in indifferent form, much like the rest of the team, and had a brief spell on the bench during September 2012. He described Eddie Howe as a manager who "expects and demands the best" upon his re-appointment at Bournemouth; Pugh scored in the returning manager's first match in charge, a 2–0 home win over Leyton Orient on 13 October 2012. Pugh signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with the club in November 2012, tying him to the club until the summer of 2016. He cited the return of Howe and Bournemouth's promotion credentials as his reasons for signing a new contract. He established himself as an important player for Bournemouth in 2012–13, as they pushed for promotion. They finished the season with promotion into the Championship as League One runners-up, Pugh having contributed with 8 goals from 46 appearances. 2013–2015 He formed an effective partnership with fellow winger Ryan Fraser as Bournemouth enjoyed their best start to a season in the second tier in 2013–14. In mid-November 2013 Pugh stated his belief that Bournemouth had made a "decent start" to the season; by this point he had scored 4 goals from 16 appearances. He believed his playing intelligence improved by playing against more attack-minded full backs in the Championship, saying that "They are still quick to react and you have got to use your brain a little bit more than in League One. It's developed me as a player because you need to learn how to perform in different situations against different players". Pugh made 45 appearances and scored 5 goals in 2013–14 as Bournemouth finished in 10th place in the Championship, which at the time was the highest league ranking in the club's history. In Bournemouth's first match of 2014–15, a 4–0 away win over Huddersfield on 9 August 2014, Pugh opened the scoring after only 26 seconds with a composed finish from Matt Ritchie's cross. On 25 October 2014, Pugh played as Bournemouth beat Birmingham City 8–0 away to set a club record win, in which he scored the first hat-trick of his career in the second half. Pugh and full-back Charlie Daniels formed