STAR turn Marc Pugh believes Cherries’ victory over seaside rivals Brighton proves they have the mettle for automatic promotion.

Cherries climbed to second in League One following Saturday’s triumph over the league leaders – one in the eye for pundits who ranked the Dean Court outfit among the favourites for the drop back in August.

And Pugh, a summer signing from Hereford United, reckons the Dean Court outfit can go the distance as the race for the Championship gathers pace.

Cherries’ leading goalscorer told the Echo: “I wouldn’t have signed for Bournemouth if I didn’t believe we could be successful.

“I’ve always believed that we could finish in at least the play-offs. Now, we’ve got to believe we can finish in the top two.

“We’ve been on a good run. We had a bit of a blip against Colchester, where we didn’t play well at all, but we’ve picked up some great results.

Pugh, snapped up by former Cherries chief Eddie Howe, is enjoying working under caretaker duo Lee Bradbury and Steve Fletcher and played a major role as the rookie bosses earned the first victory of their reign over the Seagulls.

Pugh added: “I felt we deserved the win and every one of us worked really hard.

“We believed from the start we could win the game and close the gap at the top.

“Bradders and Fletch have come in and been absolutely brilliant in the past two games.

“I have a lot of respect for them both and long may it continue.

“They work so hard behind the scenes and deserve every success.”