For more than half of Nigel Pearson’s starting line-up this evening, Bristol City’s FA Cup fifth round tie against Manchester City will be the biggest game of their careers, certainly in terms of attention and gravitas of the opponent.
For each of Max O’Leary, George Tanner, Zak Vyner, Cam Pring, Alex Scott and Sam Bell there have potentially been more personal moments of significance, specifically individual to them and their own lives; high-pressure situations around their debuts or youth-team matches that have shaped their futures.
But a FA Cup tie at a sold out Ashton Gate against the Premier League champions in which many of their opposite numbers can justifiable be called “world class” or, at the very least, in the elite of their respective positions, is, to take an overused word in football - massive.
