After witnessing plenty of late goals go against the side in recent times, it was a welcome relief to be celebrating a 90th-minute goal as Bristol City got back to winning ways.
It wasn't pretty, but the result was a significant one as the Robins ensured they maintained their unbeaten record at home in the Championship in 2023. There can't be many more halves of football this season where City looked so comfortable in the opening 45 minutes and in truth, the game should have been put to bed.
A brilliant Cam Pring cross was met by an equally impressive header when Tommy Conway put the hosts ahead. Harry Cornick then somehow fired over from a few yards out while two penalty decisions went against City. Sam Bell and Tommy Conway both had reasonable shouts, which were turned down by referee Josh Smith.
Ironically, Rotherham got themselves back into the contest from the spot when Zak Vyner allegedly fouled Jordan Hugill, although replays showed it was incredibly soft. That would then result in Pearson receiving a yellow card for his reaction in the aftermath.
Fortunately, the game wasn't determined by that incident as Andi Weimann popped up with his 50th City goal in timely fashion as the clock ticked into the 90th minute. Here's the verdict as Bristol City picked up their first victory in four games.
A points tally bettered
The three points were significant in more ways than one. Not only did the performance earn the reaction Pearson was looking for after three games without a win, but it also improved on their points tally from last season.
City's current 56-point tally is one better than last season with two games to spare. While progress has been slow and frustrating at times, at a slower rate than many were hoping or expecting, it does highlight that the club continues to find itself on the right track looking into next season.
Beating last season's points tally is also a psychological advantage and while there are plenty of variables to consider when measuring the levels of progress such as injuries, squad depth, youngsters coming through the ranks, and the reduction in the wage bill, there have been plenty of green shoots emerging over the course of the campaign.
They currently sit 14th in the league although a top-half finish seems beyond them (six points adrift of Swansea with two games to play), it's still three places better than last campaign. Some will argue that it's not good enough, particularly with the word play-offs being banded around throughout spells of the season, but it's important to continue looking at the bigger picture.
When asked on the significance of beating last season's points tally, Pearson responded: "I don’t know, it’s nice to have some sort of progression.
"It’s felt like a difficult season in some ways, we’ve had some difficult spells, but I think at last we are starting to get some sort of real identity which is founded on energy, pace, and players who are quite hungry for success which I think is good for us.”
The tactical tweak
Despite Jay Dasilva's decent run of form towards the end of the season, it was refreshing to see Cam Pring move back to his favoured left-back position for the first time since the defeat against Cardiff 10 games ago.
That also meant a return in defence for Kal Naismith and given his range of passing, it offered an intriguing look into how City would play both out from the back and out on the flank. It took all of around 10 seconds for it to create the opening opportunity.
Straight from kick-off, the ball was played back to Naismith who lofted one forward into space where Sam Bell was alert. His touch took it on the inside of the defender before being denied by the keeper when looking for the far corner.
That ball forward towards Bell and Conway's run into the channel became a common theme throughout the game, Naismith often bypassing the midfield by playing direct. It was effective, purely because Bell had the beating of 36-year-old full-back Lee Peltier who really struggled to contain his pace and runs to the byline.
Naismith made 64 passes in total, more than any other player on the pitch (Vyner was second with 40), while 42 of those were accurate (66 per cent). He made 14 passes into the final third and from his 15 long balls forward, seven of those were accurate.
However, it was his defensive performance that would have come under the most scrutiny given the number of mistakes he made earlier in the season. On the whole, he looked relatively comfortable but the passage of play in the lead-up to the equaliser did highlight Naismith's limitations in that position.
He had two attempts at trying to tackle Chieddozie Ogbene but the talented Rotherham forward had too much pace and strength to ride the challenges, get to the byline, and deliver his cross. What happened next, well, Pearson has already spoken about the penalty decision that followed.
Pring playing on the left
His assist for Conway was nothing short of brilliant and more evidence of why he has to be playing regularly at left-back going forward and into next season. It was a pin-point delivery, right on the money as Conway showed terrific movement to make the run and latch onto it.
Just to emphasise what Pring offers from an attacking sense, his assist came after 15 minutes of the game and it was his fifth of the season in the Championship. In comparison to Dasilva, he has picked up one assist throughout the course of the campaign.
You only have to look at some of the statistics to show how effective City can be down that side with Pring at left-back. 44 per cent of the attacks came down his side, compared to 37 down the right while 22 per cent of their shots were also on the left (0 per cent coming from the right).
It does appear increasingly likely that Dasilva will leave in the summer when his contract expires, unless he accepts a deal on reduced terms, although they'll be no assurances of first-team football given the form of Pring throughout the season. Bristol Live also confirmed last week that AFC Wimbledon's Jack Currie remains a target heading into the summer which is further evidence of the direction the club are going in.
In good company
It's almost ironic that after Pearson criticised the lack of impact from the bench against Sheffield United, it was a substitute in Andi Weimann who stabbed home the winning goal in the 90th minute to spark jubilant celebrations inside Ashton Gate.
More notably, it was his 50th goal in City colours and while it certainly won't be his finest, it's a great achievement that should be recognised. Reaching half a century of goals doesn't happen on a regular occurrence.
Famara Diedhiou was the last player to do it in 2021 but before that, it was a certain Scott Murray back in 2009. It's taken Weimann 188 games to reach that target, averaging a goal every 3.76 games, not too shabby at all.
It's been a difficult and challenging season for the Austrian international, coming off the back of 22 goals last season. Today was his seventh of the season in all competitions having had to remain patient at times losing his place in the starting XI for periods.
He's had his doubters this season, some of which have been justified having struggled to replicate the heights of last season, but his dedication and work rate can never be brought into question. Part of his dip in form has also come down to the formation change and finding it a challenge to fit into the system in his favoured No10 role.
Weimann has had to remain patient to reach the landmark, with his last goal coming in the 2-0 victory over Blackpool, but he deserves his moment in the sun after yesterday's impact. Pearson did acknowledge his showing from the bench after the game when reflecting on his comments during the week by saying: "If you look at Weimann today who is our captain, who actually has worked exceptionally hard for the team in recent games but was left out today, his response has been - he'll be disappointed on a personal level but he doesn't take it personally.
"What he was able to do was to still be a positive influence around the group, both in training and on a matchday and he's come off the bench and scored the winner. The point is this, starters and substitutes are equally as important but of course, it's their responsibility to be able to manage themselves in a way that they are able to influence the team's performance when they get their opportunity. Even if it's just for 10/15/20 minutes.
"For me, it's an opportunity for us as a group of people to reflect on what's the most important thing and that's the team. Individual egos I'm not interested in. If we're going to be a success here, we have to not only create but then endorse - a squad mentality which underpins everything. That's what successful sides are."
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