"A wonderful piece of skill from Bryan Hughes has saved us in the first half," Bruce said after the 2-0 victory.
"I have never ever questioned Bryan Hughes' ability and he is one of the few players capable of producing a lob like that with his wrong foot.
"He has worked hard in the reserves and waited patiently for his opportunity and I have put him in there today and he has rewarded me with a goal."
Frenchman Christophe Dugarry completed the scoring with a stooping header 20 minutes into the second half - his first goal for the club since signing on loan in January.
"It just goes to show how crazy football can be because today was probably Christophe's worst game for us but he scores a goal," said Bruce.
