Saturday's 4-2 home reverse to Manchester City may have looked like a heavy defeat, but the spirit shown by Hull to come from two goals down to 2-2 pleased Bruce.
In the end they were unable to keep the attacking threat of the defending champions quiet, though, and fell to a second loss of the league campaign.
With only six points from six matches Hull sit in the lower echelons of the Premier League table at this early stage, but Bruce is confident they will start to pick up the points their performances deserve.
"Six points doesn't really do our start justice," he told the club's official website. "We could have done with another four or five but that's the Premier League.
"I suppose every manager is saying what if we'd done this or that, because it's fine margins.
"I do feel we are better. The squad is better in depth but we've got a long, long way to go.
"We've got a huge game against Crystal Palace next Saturday, so we have to stay positive."
One area that will please Bruce is the form of his strikers Nikica Jelavic and Abel Hernandez, who have scored five goals between them already in the league this season.
‘I don’t think Liverpool would look at Ollie Watkins, a striker isn’t a pressing issue for them – it’s Arsenal who need one’ Former Reds star explains why his old club don’t need an out-and-out forward this summer
‘He’ll still be playing at 40 at a good level because he’s in such good shape and looks after himself so well. He does everything to be a top professional’: Ex-Liverpool coach insists Mohamed Salah has plenty more miles in the tank
