EXETER boss Paul Tisdale is convinced belief and a strong work ethic will stand Cherries in good stead for the run-in – and has diplomatically tipped “two south coast clubs” for automatic promotion.

Tisdale plotted Cherries’ first defeat under new management duo Lee Bradbury and Steve Fletcher when he led the Grecians to a 2-0 victory at St James’s Park on Tuesday.

It was City’s first home win over one of the current top six with the Grecians also having met Brighton, Huddersfield, Peterborough, MK Dons and Southampton – Tisdale’s former club – since New Year’s Day.

Southampton, Cherries’ opponents at Dean Court on Saturday, have done the double over Exeter since the turn of the year, while City’s only other win over top-six opponents came at Huddersfield in November.

Tisdale, whose side was beaten 3-0 at Dean Court in September, told the Daily Echo: “Bournemouth are a club on the up and I can see why they are where they are in the table.

“They are such a dynamic and athletic team and always believe they are going to do well. Even at 2-0 down in injury-time, they believed they could get back into the game.

“It was a similar type of game to the ones we have had recently against Southampton and Brighton and we came close to winning both. We were 1-0 up at half-time but just couldn’t get a second goal. We did that at a crucial time against Bournemouth.

“What stands out for me with Bournemouth is their very strong work ethic. They are energetic and very effective if they are given an opportunity to play. They also get forward very quickly. I thought we created the better chances against them but you could see they had belief that they were always going to create.

“I suspect they will win more games than they will lose. They certainly have a lot of faith in each another and play a very team-orientated game. I think they will do very well.”

Asked whether he was surprised Cherries had managed to sustain a promotion push, Tisdale replied: “No, I’m not surprised because there has been continuity within the team and there is now continuity with the management. Nine times out of 10, that is the key to continued development and, nine times out of 10, players can step up. The Bournemouth players have definitely done that.”