Nigel Pearson isn't shying away from it and although he was reluctant to deploy the time-honoured “must win” cliché, he - like everyone else - accepts that today’s game with Watford is unquestionably important, for quite a few reasons.
They essentially all fall under the same Bristol City-shaped umbrella but defeat would more than likely leave the Robins in the bottom three heading into the World Cup break, with a record of two wins in 14 matches and place them back towards square one in terms of the development and evolution of this team.
Pearson also needs a reaction from his players after Tuesday’s Carabao Cup exit to Lincoln City. That competition isn’t as important as the league campaign, of course, but it still offers something else for the club and supporters to enjoy, emphasised by the fact they would have drawn Manchester United away had they made it into the fourth round.
