I’ll admit that I wasn’t overly looking forward to the World Cup in Qatar during November and December. It meant a four-week break from Championship action and historically it feels like we (Bristol City) have struggled when the league returns.
As it transpires, I have actually really enjoyed the tournament. England came so close to a semi-final and who knows what else and there have been a number of really good games and shocks throughout. Because of England’s quarter final against France, it meant a rearranged 12:30pm kick off away to Rotherham United at the AESSEAL New York Stadium and that could mean one thing - a 7am start on the road.
We got to Rotherham in plenty of time and met up with some fellow Reds at a local hostelry for a late breakfast and some refreshments. It was great seeing some familiar faces and chewing over the World Cup and our thoughts on the likely City line-up.
In the end, there was an immediate recall following a return to fitness for Kal Naismith and Nigel Pearson opted to play Andy King and George Tanner in a back three with Cameron Pring and Andi Weimann in the wing-back roles.
We went three in the middle with Matty James, Joe Williams and Alex Scott. Up top Nahki Wells and Tommy Conway were the preferred pairing with our Ghanaian World Cup participant Antoine Semenyo having to settle for a place on the bench. We subsequently discovered that both Zak Vyner and Jay Dasilva were absent due to illness.
A few in the pub questioned the King decision, with Rob Atkinson on the bench, but for me it made sense, not playing two left footers in the back and King had been impressive in the last outing at home to Watford.
Both sides struggled to get any pattern or rhythm to their play in the opening period. They looked exactly like two teams that hadn’t played a competitive match in a month. Lots of misplaced passes and not a lot to write home about. Rotherham perhaps shaded those opening exchanges with their on loan Arsenal player Brooke Norton-Cuffy causing City a few problems. Naismith hit a couple of misplaced balls but even early on showed what we have missed in his absence.
Just on the quarter of an hour City took the lead, and it was all down to Nahki Wells. He showed good strength to outmuscle Rotherham defender Lee Peltier from a Cam Pring throw up the line before beating Millers captain Richard Wood for pace and sending in a low cross which defender Wes Harding horribly sliced into his own net.
City could and perhaps should have doubled their lead 10 minutes later. Naismith played a brilliant ball through the middle into Tommy Conway, opening up Rotherham but Conway couldn’t find Alex Scott or Wells, pulling the ball to the penalty spot and not to a teammate.
Rotherham countered and the impressive Norton-Cuffy made enough space to beat Pring who couldn’t get a full block on the cross and the ball looped up over Max O’Leary and Chiedozie Ogbene was all alone at the back post and couldn’t miss. Tanner and Andi Weimann both switched off and allowed Ogbene to get the run on them and find space.
City didn’t let the disappointment of conceding impact them and within minutes had regained the lead. Naismith hit another wonderful pass up the line, which Conway controlled brilliantly before outpacing Wood and firing in a cross which the keeper couldn’t deal with and Joe Williams bundled it over the line.
The goal was almost a carbon copy of the Wells run and cross for the opener and it was no surprise to see Rotherham change their back line at the break. There was a funny moment following the goal as Williams raced away and mirrored Weimann’s trademark celebration with the Austrian.
Wells almost made it three firing in a shot which was well saved after a strong interception, run and pass from Scott. Wells also saw a free kick hit the top of the wall after a foul on Conway and Wells must have thought it was close to beating the wall and going in, holding his head in his hands in disappointment.
With King on a booking after fouling Ogbene a few of us in the stands thought that Pearson may bring on Atkinson at the break as a replacement. He opted not to and in the end his decision proved the right one, with King have a really assured game.
There was an early second-half substitution for City with Mark Sykes replacing Weimann after he had limped from the field at half time following an earlier foul and then in the second half seemed to go to ground with no one around him.
I was following the ball and so when I heard Weimann scream out and saw no one near him, I feared a knee injury. As it was, he looked to roll his ankle and despite trying to continue the substitution was the only real option.
City had defended well with Naismith and King heading dangerous crosses away and O’Leary punching the ball clear. They looked to extend their lead and Millers keeper Viktor Johansson pulled off a fine outstretched fingertip save from a Scott shot. City didn’t have to wait long for their third, following a short corner routine the ball was fed back to Scott and his pinpoint cross was headed in by the on rushing Pring to score his first City goal.
The Robins managed the game out and we were able to get on the road, eager to get back to Bristol to watch the England game with three points in the bag. It wasn’t a classic game but a 3-1 away win at Rotherham is a good result and there were positive performances from the likes of Pring, Naismith, King, Scott, Wells and Conway.
Our 3 Peaps In A Podcast Bonus show ratings were: Max O’Leary 6, George Tanner 6, Andy King 7, Kal Naismith 7, Cameron Pring 7, Andi Weimann 5, Alex Scott 7, Matty James 6, Joe Williams 6, Nahki Wells 7, Tommy Conway 7, sub Mark Sykes 5 (subs have to have come onto the field before the 60th minute). A game average of 6.33 and a season average of 6.25. For Nigel it’s a 7 - hard to be critical with a 3-1 away win.
SIGN UP: For our daily Robins newsletter, bringing you the latest from Ashton Gate
READ NEXT
