John Lennon's Happy Xmas (War is Over) was blaring on the speakers before kick-off but on the pitch, Bristol City were up for the battle to grind out an important three points at Rotherham.
It was 1995 when the Robins last won away from home at Rotherham, when a certain Gary Owers got himself on the scoresheet. This time the former City player watched from the press box as City ended a six-game winless streak with a deserved three points in front of 608 travelling fans.
It was a bitterly cold afternoon and an early start for those who made the visit up north but one well worth the trip thanks to goals from Joe Williams, Cam Pring and an own goal from Wes Harding proving the difference between the two sides.
City looked refreshed and rejuvenated coming back from the World Cup break and Rotherham struggled to deal with the pace and movement of Tommy Conway and Nahki Wells leading the line. Kal Naismith's return also proved a real positive with his progressive passes through the defence.
Cher's Believe was blasting out from the away dressing room after the game and although talk of a charge towards the top six may be premature, City can certainly use this performance to start looking above them in the table instead of over their shoulders.
Here's the verdict following an impressive 3-1 victory.
Like he's never been away
After two months sidelined with a calf injury, Naismith made his return to the starting XI lining up on the left of the defensive three. With Zak Vyner and Jay Dasilva ill, Andy King kept his role in the middle of the back three with George Tanner out on the right.
That was intriguing in itself given the opportunity to put Naismith in the middle and Rob Atkinson, who was on the bench, back in the side. But Pearson retained his faith in King following his showing against Watford before the break.
Immediately when Naismith got himself on the ball, his intentions were clear. He was positive with his passes forward, particularly finding the feet of Matty James.
After City opened the scoring through Nahki Wells' strength and hard work, there was a moment when they should have doubled their lead and it came through Naismith. He called for Pring to come short but delayed feeding it into his team-mate.
Instead, he threaded a beautiful pass beyond the Rotherham backline - through the eye of a needle - to release Tommy Conway. His backpass couldn't find housemate Alex Scott and when he should have perhaps picked him out in that situation.
The game plan was clear though and the persistence paid off when another ball over the top by Naismith found Conway on that left side. The striker made no mistake this time when his fizzed cross was touched into the net by Joe Williams.
We've seen the good and the bad in Naismith this season and as Pearson put it after the game, his positivity means he'll misplace a pass every now and again but what he offers going forward completely outweighs the risks he takes.
Defensively, Naismith could have helped Pring out in the first 20 minutes down that flank but the pair would later work in tandem to put together a really solid performance. That was epitomised by a brilliant header deep in the second half to relieve the pressure when City were under the cosh.
Credit should also go to George Tanner and especially King, who played the entire second half on a yellow card, but after two months out injured, Naismith played as though he had never been away.
Pring providing a welcome selection dilemma
Nigel Pearson said earlier in the season that he sees Cam Pring as a left wing-back despite his appearances before the World Cup break on the left of the back three. With Dasilva's illness, it was a golden opportunity for the 24-year-old to stake his claim in that position.
It was a rocky opening 20 minutes of the game going up against the tricky Brooke Norton-Cuffy, a product of the Arsenal academy. His opponent got the better of him on a couple of occasions early on but it was an intriguing battle that looked as though it was going to set the tone of the afternoon.
He was punished for Rotherham's equaliser when Norton-Cuffy managed to take it around him on the byline before digging his cross to the far post when his team-mate couldn't miss from close range.
But after that, barring one or two runs, Pring settled into the match and started to stamp his authority on the match. He was managing to push Norton-Cuffy back into his own half and make the runs forward to get City up the pitch.
The second half was no different and with the improved cover of Naismith, Norton-Cuffy couldn't influence himself on proceedings with manager Matt Taylor eventually substituting him off - a mark of respect for Pring's dominance in the second period.
It ended up being a game he will never forget after sealing the victory with a superb header to grab his first senior Robins goal. Take nothing away from Alex Scott's delivery, it was a brilliant ball from the left.
He's had to be patient for his opportunity, especially after spending so games out of the matchday squad last season and the start of this campaign, but Pring is a battler and he's not going to let this chance go without a fight.
Pearson now has a decision to make next week when presumably Dasilva returns from illness but judging by his comments after the game, it's his position to lose. The City manager said: "A very good performance. I'm pleased for him anyway today. He was very positive in and out of possession against a tough opponent. A good, all-round performance from him."
Andi Weimann's injury concern
There was a slight fitness doubt heading into the game after picking up an injury scare during international duty for Austria that ruled him out of their second game. Those concerns were eased after returning to training last week with Pearson opting to play him at right wing-back.
Whether he's still not fully fit is unknown but it wasn't the typical Weimann-like performance we have been accustomed to seeing. He looked a touch off the pace in the first 45 minutes, struggling to get forward to join Nahki Wells and Tommy Conway in the attack.
Defensively he was sound but those bursts of energy to get City up the pitch were lacking. He came out for the second half but gave us a heart-in-mouth moment when he fell to the ground, seemingly off the ball.
He was clutching his left Achilles and looked in real agony. The initial fear was that he had ruptured it and that would have meant his season was done and dusted.
A concerned Tommy Conway made his way over and the City physios came onto the pitch before Weimann gingerly back to his feet, much to the relief of the fans and coaches watching on from the sidelines. However, after a few minutes, it was decided he couldn't continue with Pearson taking him off in the 52nd minute for Mark Sykes.
After the game, Pearson couldn't determine the severity of his injury but confirmed Weimann had twisted his ankle. He'll now surely be a doubt for the visit of Stoke City next week.
Max playing his part
City still aren't getting enough clean sheets but they can take confidence knowing that their defensive record is a lot healthier than it looked for most of last season and parts of this one.
A lot of that is down to the introduction of Max O'Leary who continues to justify the manager's decision to bring him into the fold. Yesterday promised a difficult test not only for him but the men in front of him with Rotherham's desire to get the ball out wide and get crosses into the box.
The hosts focused their set-pieces on in-swingers, looking to drop them right underneath the crossbar and put O'Leary under pressure by piling bodies around him. It was a test the Republic of Ireland international stood up to and his bravery to come out and punch the ball played an important part of the victory.
Not only because it allowed City to clear their lines during the periods when Rotherham were on top, but he inspired confidence in that backline as the game progressed. Yes, their goal came from a cross out wide which he had no chance with, but Pearson's side didn't crumble under the pressure when those crosses came into the area.
His kicking could have been better and there were a couple of wayward clearances in the first half but he made up for it with a handful of smart saves. The best came in injury time when a looping header looked destined for the far corner only for him to get a fingertip on the ball to divert it wide.
That's nine goals conceded in nine league matches since coming into the side and with his contract expiring at the end of the season with the option of an extra year, O'Leary is playing himself into a well-deserved extension.
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