Watching your football team away from home at any time is an expensive business, but in the current climate with fuel prices and the cost of living as it is, it’s even more of a strain. For Bristol City fans it has been three long trips north to Wigan, Blackpool, and Blackburn, all within a space of a few weeks and huge credit goes to all of those that have made those journeys.
It isn’t easy and the support at each game has been superb, out-singing the home fans at each of the three matches. The side has also been roared on from those that haven’t been able to travel. Brilliant support.
What we are witnessing at the moment is some of the most exciting, attacking football that I have seen in many a year from Bristol City, and that sense of excitement is palpable amongst the fans. One of my mates in the WhatsApp group that we have for all things City, is not convinced by Nigel Pearson.
He understands the game and is a football coach in his own right and someone whose views I respect greatly. He has been honest throughout Pearson’s tenure, calling it how he sees it, and we are all entitled to our opinions, it’s part of what makes being a football fan different to any other sport in my view.
On Friday, this mate said that the away game at Ewood Park against Blackburn Rovers would be our first real test of the season. I think he was spot on and before the game I would have been more than happy with a point.
This City side is at the moment full of confidence and has players who are playing some of the best football of their careers in a red shirt. They are playing without any fear and there is an air about them that reminds me of the Kevin Keegan Newcastle team in the mid-1990s; we may concede but we will score more than you. It’s very much a case of risk and reward. I’m not saying we have players of the same quality as Keegan’s side, just the same belief.
With the summer transfer window now closed, we know the squad of players that we have to work with until at least January (with the caveat that free signings can still be brought in). So many fans have quite rightly highlighted that the best bit of transfer business we did as the window closed on Thursday was to hold on to Alex Scott, Antoine Semenyo, Andreas Weimann, Han-Noah Massengo and Tommy Conway.
It’s true that keeping hold of these gems is made easier when you don’t get sufficient interest or bids, but you can’t deny just how important it was to retain them. Whilst we have a small squad, we have quality in every position, and we still have our most expensive signing, and best defender in my opinion, in Tomas Kalas to hopefully come back soon, along with the experienced Timm Klose.
If you watch the highlights from Saturday’s game it looks a close contest and the deficit would certainly make you think that, but in truth City were better than Rovers all over the pitch. Individuals won their battles and we created chance after chance.
The scoreline was not a fair reflection of the game, a comment made to me by a couple of Blackburn fans as we left the ground, walking back to the car. They were hugely impressed by City.
Of course, it’s so true that goals change games, and we could so easily have been behind in the opening minute. George Hirst on loan from Leicester City and son of Sheffield Wednesday legend David Hirst beat Kal Naismith to a long ball and pulled the ball back for Bradley Dack to fire in a shot, which Dan Bentley saved but he could only push the ball out and into Ryan Hedges but thankfully the forward couldn’t react, and the ball looped over the bar.
Chances came and went for Nahki Wells and Weimann as City started to cause Rovers all sorts of problems with their swift and incisive attacking play. Scott and Matty James were superb in the middle of the pitch with Mark Sykes and Jay Dasilva providing the width.
I have lauded over Scott since he came into the side but have often been critical of James. This was his best performance in a City shirt, and it was James who started off the move for the excellent opening goal.
He won the ball off Ben Brereton Diaz before playing it wide to Scott. The teenager was in a tight spot but showed quick feet and then threaded a left footed pass to Weimann in the middle of the pitch on the edge of the centre circle. Weimann was like a 100m runner clipping the ball past the defender before racing half the length of the pitch and delivering the inch perfect cross for Conway to head past the keeper and into the net.
He made it look easy but it was a pin-point header just inside the post. The lead was no more than we deserved.
Rovers made changes at the break and started strongly, City having to defend four corners in quick succession. It was from a Bentley save from substitute Tyrhys Dolan that City got their second. Rob Atkinson headed clear after the ball was played back in and Conway brilliant controlled the ball before feeding Scott.
He found Weimann who took two touches before delivering the perfect left-footed pass into the striding Wells. The Bermudian's first touch saw the ball get under him a bit and the chance to shoot first time was gone but the popular front man showed composure to bring the ball inside before giving the keeper the eyes and curling his shot in at the near post.
It should have been game over, but Rovers got back into the game after Antoine Semenyo was robbed of the ball out wide and Dolan did well to control a ball and fire past Bentley. It was game on again but not for long and it was that man Wells again, although there was some confusion as to what had happened in the away end.
Scott was fouled and took the resulting freekick which Kal Naismith headed onto the post, the ball came back across goal and Wells thunderous shot seemed to have been brilliantly saved by Thomas Kaminski before Naismith brought the ball inside and fired high into the roof of the net. The whistle had gone, and no one was sure what had happened, but it transpired that Wells shot was saved by Kaminski behind the line and goal line technology awarded the goal.
Our nerves were on the edge again when Rovers once again got back into the game after Naismith couldn’t nip in front of Dolan and his pass was fired in by Brereton Diaz. Thankfully there wasn’t to be a repeat of Blackpool seven days earlier and we saw the game out and got a deserved three points. We finished the day in third spot but Readings win on Sunday saw us drop to fourth.
Back to our WhatsApp group and it was very much a case of test passed with flying colours. No one is getting carried away but we are playing some great football and the players seem to be enjoying it, long may it continue.
Our 3 Peaps In A Podcast Bonus show ratings were: Daniel Bentley 7, Mark Sykes 8, Jay Dasilva 8, Kal Naismith 7, Rob Atkinson 7, Zak Vyner 7, Alex Scott 9, Matty James 8, Andrea Weimann 9, Nahki Wells 9 and Tommy Conway 8. A game average of 7.91 and a season average of 6.68. For Nigel it’s a 9. As I say, this was arguably our first serious challenge and we very much got the job done.
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