WHILE the jury may still be deliberating the case of Lee Bradbury and his managerial credentials, the evidence in his latest trial was overwhelming.

A resounding victory against League One heavyweights Huddersfield on Saturday marked Bradbury’s finest hour-and-a-half in the Cherries hot-seat.

Since replacing one of the club’s most successful managers, Bradbury has experienced many highs and lows during his 42 league games at the helm.

After taking over from Eddie Howe, he scaled the heights against Brighton in his first home game, with a 1-0 win the second of a 10-match unbeaten start to his reign.

However, he has also plumbed the depths, with a six-match winless league run at the Seward Stadium this season doing little for his popularity among Cherries supporters.

A tardy start to the campaign must also have set alarm bells ringing in the board room as Cherries slumped into the relegation zone and showed no signs of turning the tide under Bradbury.

As calls for his head intensified, the pressure began to tell. And as Cherries lurched from one defeat to the next, it seemed only a matter of time before Bradbury would pay with his job.

Often isolated in the technical area and with his hands in his pockets, Bradbury’s body language said everything. Berated for a perceived lack of tactical acumen, the 36-year-old was regularly panned on Internet forums and message boards.

While trials and tribulations go with the territory for football managers so should plaudits and bouquets.

Since becoming the first team to beat Huddersfield on their own patch for almost a year, Bradbury and his players have deserved every accolade showered on them.

It was a coupon-busting result and by far the most accomplished performance Bradbury has presided over.

Cherries’ dominant first-half showing was one of the best in recent seasons and a joy to behold.

There was no element of smash and grab about this victory. It was comprehensive, clinical, workmanlike, professional, efficient and richly deserved.

Bradbury outwitted and outmanoeuvred his opposite number Lee Clark with Cherries’ slick display even drawing praise from some of the locals following the final whistle.

Clark and the Terriers had no answer as Bradbury’s decision to change his tried and tested 4-4-1-1 formation worked to a tee. And while replacing Scott Malone with Wes Fogden was forced upon him due to injury, his second and third substitutions were a masterstroke.

Although one swallow rarely makes a summer, 216 travelling Cherries supporters may have witnessed Bradbury’s coming of age as a manager at the Galpharm Stadium on Saturday. Only time will tell.