Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Sport
Richard Forrester

Bristol City verdict: Opportunity knocks for Dan Bentley as Nigel Pearson goes on the attack

It came as no surprise to see Nigel Pearson spitting feathers after another performance where Bristol City's defensive weaknesses were exposed.

It almost feels as though this could be a copy and paste job following the defensive efforts on show during the defeats at Blackpool, Luton and draw at Preston in recent weeks.

City were encouraging in the first half and arguably deserved to go ahead when Andi Weimann brilliantly found the top corner after latching onto Antoine Semenyo's through ball.

There may have been an element of good fortune to Swansea's equaliser as it was certainly a scuffed shot that trickled towards the back post. Although there was a miscommunication between Zak Vyner and Jay Dasilva to allow Michael Obafemi to run in between them and find the net.

Then came the sense of inevitability which was realised 25 minutes later when Cyrus Christie bundled home the second from yet another cross before Joel Piroe added the final sucker punch.

Swansea have compounded The Robins to 10 away games without a victory and the wait for a clean sheet stretches to 11 league matches. Here's the verdict from a rain-soaked defeat in south Wales.

Nigel Pearson blows his top

As a manager who prides himself on protecting his players and his man-management, he certainly pulled no punches in his post-match interview. It's fair to say Pearson was fuming, probably not helped by being made to wait outside for Russell Martin to conduct his interviews.

The quote "I’m not protecting players on a day like today when we should get something out of the game at least. What I’m not having is I’m not having players who cop-out," certainly resonates as it paints a picture Pearson has reached the end of his tether with some players in particular.

Pearson was short, abrupt and damning in his assessment of his players - his defenders especially. His initial anger and frustration almost left the press room shocked in silence and he was in no mood to speak out on other issues, for example, the injury to Max O'Leary that forced him off in the second half.

Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson was not happy at the full-time whistle (Rogan/JMP)

If he was in that kind of mood in the post-match press conference, one can only assume how he reacted in the dressing room after the contest. On his way out of the room after the questions had been concluded, Pearson said: "The game hasn’t been reinvented, chaps."

At one point when he was becoming increasingly irate in the presser, Pearson had to pause mid answer to take a gulp of water, almost as though he needed to calm himself down.

Time will tell if Pearson's outburst will have the desired effect on his side when they host Middlesbrough next weekend. Fortunately for The Robins, they can look forward to three home matches in their next four outings - a welcome relief.

Time for Robbie Cundy?

You get the feeling Zak Vyner's days could be numbered at City following Pearson's prickly comments after the game.

He didn't call out any players by name, but he made it abundantly clear that those who have continued to make the same mistakes are likely to be banished to the substitute bench.

You only have to look at the first and potentially the third to determine Vyner was at fault. For the opener, he just appears to be on his heels and switches off for a brief second while Obafemi sneaks behind him.

It's defending that will get punished at this level and it was the catalyst for the floodgates to open. Dasilva was obviously frustrated in his team-mate following his reaction while Vyner himself knew instantly he had made an error.

The third wasn't pretty viewing either after he was nutmegged by Joel Piroe before the player drilled the ball in the bottom corner past the helpless Dan Bentley.

Robbie Cundy of Bristol City warms up (Andy Watts/JMP)

Assuming Pearson's comments were directed towards Vyner and those passages of play, it would be a big surprise to see him in the starting XI next weekend which then poses the question, who comes in for him?

Rob Atkinson remains sidelined with an injury and therefore that leaves just Robbie Cundy and 19-year-old Duncan Idehen who was on the bench today for the first time in City colours.

Cundy is the obvious choice and despite question marks over his fitness, could slot into that defence for his full City debut. The Under-23s play on Tuesday afternoon so don't be surprised if Cundy gets some minutes under his belt.

A chance for Bentley

He has been waiting patiently for his moment in goal after being dropped following the defeat to Huddersfield in December and he may finally get it.

There have been plenty of calls for his recall with Max O'Leary's goals against record but Pearson has so far resisted the temptation to start his club captain.

Bentley finally got himself back on the field just after the hour mark after O'Leary was forced to come off injured following a collision with Obafemi.

In all fairness to O'Leary, credit where credit is due - it was a brave piece of goalkeeping as he took one for the team to deny the scorer of the opening goal. He attempted to carry on for around 10 minutes before Pearson ordered Bentley to get himself ready and moments later the captain was reunited with his armband.

Unfortunately for him, he conceded twice as Swansea took advantage of some shoddy defending. But just before that first went in, it was an absolute sensational double stop before Christie stooped to head it home.

He initially denied him with an excellent reaction save and the second I'm pretty sure he didn't know much about but it was still highly impressive while on the floor. It's a small glimpse of the qualities Bentley has to offer.

One thing that did stand out while Bentley was on the field, he appeared to dominate his box and offer more of a presence, especially when barking instructions at his team-mates.

The severity of O'Leary's injury remains unknown but it could be opportunity knocks for Bentley to regain his spot between the sticks.

The penalty curse continues

What is it with Bristol City and penalties? We wrote an article in January highlighting how The Robins are the worst team in Europe for being awarded a spot-kick out of over 600 teams. Quite remarkable. Also quite unremarkable how it hasn't changed today.

Two more decisions went against City today. The first saw Jay Dasilva go down in the box during the first half following a tangle of legs.

It was one of those which could have gone either way. Clumsy by the defender but there would have been obvious protests from the Swansea players had Keith Stroud pointed to the whistle.

Pearson was absolutely adamant about it on the touchline. He raced up to the fourth official and used a few choice words to suggest Dasilva had been kicked on the back of the ankle.

The player himself pleaded to Stroud but he was having none of it. So, on to the next one and arguably the clearest out of the two shouts.

This one involved Antoine Semenyo when he took a tumble in the box after Jamie Paterson, of all people, appeared to stamp on his foot. The striker was down for a number of minutes in pain and considering Semenyo isn't one to make a meal of things, it felt genuine from the striker.

Nothing came of it, obviously. Meaning City's penalty record of earning just one this season - Chris Martin at Coventry - still stands.

SIGN UP: For our daily Robins newsletter, bringing you the latest from Ashton Gate

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.