Cherries picking up points for Bradbury

BOURNEMOUTH keep rolling on in the promotion places in npower League One.

Many pundits have predicted the Cherries' demise this season — wrongly, as it turns out.

The loss of talismanic striker Brett Pitman to Bristol City just after the season started was a major blow.

As was the departure of suddenly-prolific Northern Ireland winger Josh McQuoid — scorer of consecutive hat-tricks for the Cherries in November — who also moved to the Championship, to play for Millwall.

The biggest shot to the bows, though, unquestionably arrived when manager Eddie Howe chose to swap the South Coast for Burnley in January.

The 33-year-old left Dean Court with a heavy heart after two highly successful years at the helm, signing a three-year deal at Turf Moor.

But any fears that the promotion push may vanish as swiftly as Howe have been dispelled up to now.

Despite being chased by clubs with hugely superior resources below them, Bournemouth are still the strongest of Brighton's challengers at the head of the table.

New man in charge Lee Bradbury — a former team-mate of Paul Dickov's at Manchester City — took up his first managerial role and has revelled in the hot-seat.

Bradbury, now 35, retired from playing after taking the job.

He has gone nine matches unbeaten to land a manager of the month nomination for February.

Bournemouth have lost only one of their last 13 fixtures and only two defeats have arrived at Dean Court all season, to Colchester and Hartlepool before the turn of the year.

Marc Pugh leads the way in a goals tally that is spread out across the squad. A scorer in the Cherries' 2-1 loss at Boundary Park earlier this season, the midfielder has 11 to his name with striker Michael Symes next in line on seven.