Bristol City have been a midtable Championship side for 16 of the last 18 seasons, but Liam Manning’s team are threatening to stage a jailbreak with a three-point cushion to seventh and a hot run of form coming into Saturday - @fevsfootball is our man at Ashton Gate.

How's the season been for Bristol City?

From when we last played you, I could have predicted that this write-up would be a copy and paste of my previous ones – win one, lose one, draw one, good bits, bad bits, mid-table obscurity - as one week later, just before Christmas we lost at West Brom and sat there with 27 points from 22 games. But no, something has happened. Now 19 games later having just beaten West Brom, we are sat in fifth place having taken 36 points from those games and game-by-game we seem to be knocking another team out of the play-off race or at least pushing them further away from overtaking us. So, sat here on a Wednesday night having watched Coventry and ex-City man Jamie Paterson fail to read the script and score an injury time winner versus Portsmouth, it feels like it’s going to be a good season - it’s in our hands.

City in the league so far…
Hull 1-1 Bristol City Estupinan pen 90 – Mayulu 84
Bristol City 4-3 Millwall Mehmeti 3, Armstrong 12, Mayulu 78, Twine 88 – Esse 51, Bradshaw pen 54, Watmore 64
Bristol City 1-1 Coventry Tanner 45 – Palmer 76
Derby 3-0 Bristol City Goudmijn 28, Jackson 60, Ozoh 89
Blackburn 3-0 Bristol City Travis 17, Ohashi 55, 70
Bristol City 2-1 Oxford Armstrong 57, Wells pen 76 – Rodrigues 28
Swansea 1-1 Bristol City Cabango 15 – Knight 76
Bristol City 0-0 Sheff Wed
Bristol City 1-1 Cardiff McNally 73 – Tanner 54
Boro 0-2 Bristol City Mehmeti 27, Hirakawa 45
Stoke 2-2 Bristol City Koumas 2, Moran 14 – Wells 50, 52
Bristol City 0-0 Leeds
Preston 1-3 Bristol City Greenwood 48 – Hirakawa 6, Wells 51, Bird 81
Bristol City 1-2 Sheff Utd Mehmeti pen 75 – One 86, Burrows 90
Norwich 0-2 Bristol City Mehmeti 16, Wells 63
Bristol City 0-1 Burnley Anthony 23
Watford 1-0 Bristol City Andrews 53
Bristol City 4-0 Plymouth Twine 57, Mehmeti 62, 70, Armstrong 90
Portsmouth 3-0 Bristol City Bishop 20, Murphy 62, Lang 71
Sunderland 1-1 Bristol City Roberts 90 – McNally 62
Bristol City 1-1 QPR Twine 60 – Smyth 65
West Brom 2-0 Bristol City Johnston 34, 43
Bristol City 1-0 Luton Twine 47
Bristol City 3-0 Portsmouth Mehmeti 15, 32, Dickie 35
Plymouth 2-2 Bristol City Al Hajj 50, Pleguezuelo 90 – Mehmeti 32, Knight 56
Bristol City 1-0 Derby McNally 19
Coventry 1-0 Bristol City Thomas-Asante 62
Sheff Wed 2-2 Bristol City Gassamo 16, Bernard 53 – Wells 51, McCrorie 86
Bristol City 2-1 Blackburn Twine 12, Wells 77 – Weimann 40
Oxford 1-1 Bristol City Leigh 59 – Sykes 65
Bristol City 0-1 Swansea Tymon 55
Bristol City 2-0 Stoke Mehmeti 11, 73
Cardiff 1-1 Bristol City Salech 90 – Knight 60
Bristol City 2-1 Boro Earthy 72, 82 – Conway 37
Millwall 0-2 Bristol City Vyner 53, Cornick 83
Bristol City 1-1 Hull Mehmeti pen 54 – Pedro 13
Sheff Utd 1-1 Bristol City Campbell 61 – Sykes 90
Bristol City 2-1 Norwich Sykes 6, Wells 23 – Sainz 82
Burnley 1-0 Bristol City Flemming 16
Bristol City 2-1 Watford McCrorie 24, Wells 29 – Doumbia 80
Bristol City 2-1 West Brom Wells 56, Roberts 90 – Mowatt 62

Opinion has seemed divided on Liam Manning when we've spoken previously but presumably his approval rating is pretty high at the moment?

Yep, and I don’t mind admitting I was very critical until January. In my opinion we were underperforming. I think we have a decent squad, and there weren’t huge signs of this take-off. Manning was probably embarking on his fourth “system” of the season in an attempt to get us playing to the necessary level, and cautiousness still presided as we picked up ten points over the Christmas and New Year period.

Even then an insipid FA Cup exit to Wolves was followed by a low-quality defeat at Coventry and a lower-quality draw (2-2) at Sheffield Wednesday. But Blackburn at home was a bit of a proverbial six-pointer. They were still going well, and we couldn’t afford to lose another. What played out was a good quality game where we edged to a 2-1 victory. It showed we could mix it, and some belief came from that. That probably gave Manning the belief that the foundation of the back-3 and two-10s was worth persisting with / building upon, and fifth system version wasn’t necessary. It’s the Championship so it’s never straightforward, you’re bound to have the odd blip, but by-and-large we’ve been good since, both in performance and results, but also aesthetics too. Pre-Christmas I’d come away from Ashton Gate quite numbed by the experience, win, lose or draw.

So, credit for Liam Manning, he’s got us playing some really good stuff, not necessarily always pretty, but we look strong and very tough to beat. However, Lex Luther-Cifuentes is a bit like Kryptonite to Superman(ning), so I’m not expecting an easy ride on Saturday.

Excellent form coming into this, what sort of City team we facing this Saturday?

As above, we will most likely play a 3421 but being the third game in a week and with Easter coming up, I sense we might rotate a few players. Joe Williams was rested (on the bench) on Tuesday, so I see him coming back in for Marcus McGuane who tired on the hour having barely played in weeks and weeks. Ross McCrorie was feeling his hamstrings when substituted, so matchwinner Haydon Roberts might start. George Earthy got through a tremendous amount of work as the left-10, so would not be surprised to see Anis Mehmeti replace him. Up-front, take your pick between your old boys. You got a timely win at Oxford to move you to safety, so you’ll be able to play freely at the weekend. I guess that can go one of two ways though. Hoping you can’t be arsed.

What business was done in January? What was left undone?

None. Although we did convert Yu Hirakawa’s loan into a permanent deal by taking up the option-to-buy.

A lot of fans were disappointed by this but I fell on the side of we’d overspent our budget, and the squad was decent so I was content.

We did lose, Taylor Gardiner-Hickman as Birmingham took up their option-to-buy, Big Rob Atkinson went on loan to Pompey and Kal Naismith on loan to Luton, but he is out of contract in the summer and has undoubtedly played his last game for us. So having let two centre backs go out on loan, its of course typical that Luke McNally does his ACL. That has meant Cam Pring filling in at left centre half, but he is solid as a rock there. He’ll probably be happy there rather than at left-back against Paul Smyth, who usually gives him a hard-time. No idea re summer activity. This time last year the recruitment plan had been communicated. This season, nothing.

Ins >>> Scott Twine, 25, AM, Burnley, £3.5m >>> Fally Mayulu, 21, CF, Rapid Vienna, £3m >>> Sinclair Armstrong, 21, CF, QPR, £2.5m >>> Luke McNally, 24, CB, Burnley, Undisclosed >>> Marcus McGuane, 25, DM, Oxford, Undisclosed >>> Yu Hirakawa, 23, RW, Machida Zelvia (Japan), Loan >>> George Earthy, 19, AM, West Ham, Loan

Winter Outs >>> Omar Taylor-Clarke, 21, DM, Dunfermline, Free >>> Fally Mayulu, 22, CF, Sturm Graz, Loan >>> Rob Atkinson, 26, CB, Portsmouth, Loan >>> Kal Naismith, 32, CB, Luton, Loan >>> Ephraim Yeboah, 18, CF, Dunfermline, Loan

Player of the season candidates?

Jason Knight-Knight-Knight all day long! He’s been phenomenal. Played every minute of every league match, subbed off in both cup matches (lazy sod), and goes away with Ireland yet provides more energy than any other player. Honourable mentions to Anis Mehmeti, 12 goals but not starting regularly at the mo’, Sir Nahki of Wells who has hit ten goals at better than one every other game (minutes played) and is playing superbly and showing no signs of his advancing years.

Weak links in the team?

Probably the back-up to Nahki Wells. Fally Mayulu, the signing from Rapid Vienna, has gone back to Austria on loan to Sturm Graz, and is now injured. Harry Cornick hasn’t been given many minutes, is now out of the 20, and no reason given. Whilst Sam Bell seems to be wing-back cover when he comes off the bench. I’ll cover Sinclair Armstrong below.

Exes check - Sinclair Armstrong's first season? Rob Dickie?

Rob Dickie was superb last season, but first half of the season didn’t reach the heights of 2023/24. A hamstring injury was followed by a red card on return and the side wasn’t playing well. But since Christmas and maybe more since McNally’s injury he’s been right on it again.

As for Sinclair Armstrong, he’s had a really mixed start to his career in BS3. He had a good pre-season and started the season strongly. Him and Mayulu shared the striker minutes with Armstrong the starter and Wells not getting a sniff. But both players began to lose form (Mayulu may never have had any), Armstrong started missing chances and then got injured. Nahki took his chance. Since returning from injury, he nabbed a goal against Plymouth and as fans we hoped he’d kick on, but whilst he’s given us a pacy and physical outlet he’s not given us any tangible output. In some ways he is being asked to play an unselfish role, but he needs to be a bit more selfish positionally like Nahki is and stay within the lines of the penalty area. Some fans have given up on him. I think he can add more to his game, but he needs a big summer of stamina building.

How do you see the final few games playing out? You're not going to leave us here with Preston are you?

I’m not one who looks any further ahead than the next game, but seeing as you’ve made me look at the fixtures, I don’t think any of our remaining four games – Sunderland (h), Luton (a), Leeds (a), Preston (h) - are going to be easy, but I do think nobody is going to enjoy playing us either. If I had to put a pound (!!!) on play-offs or not, I’d say play-offs. Beyond that, who knows?

Links >>> Bristol City official website >>> The Exiled Robin — Blog >>> One Team In Bristol — Message Board >>> Bristol Post — Local Paper >>> One Stream In Bristol — Podcast >>> Fevs Football Analytics - Contributor's page

Pictures - Reuters Connect

TacticalR added 14:25 - Apr 12 Thanks to @fevsfootball. Interesting to see Bristol City have finally got going. As for ex-QPR strikers...Wells was always reliable for us, but I really do wonder if Armstrong will ever deliver.
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