Nigel Pearson says Rob Atkinson has fallen down the pecking order at Bristol City and tasked the centre-back to "be more enthusiastic" after he was left out of the squad in the defeat against Stoke.
The 24-year-old travelled with the rest of his club team-mates but sat in the stands with the manager opting for a defensive central trio of Zak Vyner, Andy King and Kal Naismith with George Tanner on the bench.
City were on the receiving end of two defensive errors that proved costly, with question marks over King's involvement for the first. He failed to deal with a punt in the box under the pressure of Tyrese Campbell with the ball ricocheting off his back and into the path of Liam Delap who fired home.
