Bristol City have left it too late to make much impact on the current overarching feeling at the club, but finishing positively and leaving a temporary sweet taste in the mouth of fans is all they deserve for the efforts of the season.
Nigel Pearson, who has tinkered and changed, swapped and moved, ripped up plans and stuck them back together again, has found solace with an unlikely backline set of heroes. The unassuming but imposing bodies of Robbie Cundy, Timm Klose and Rob Atkinson all pioneering a team that are now unbeaten in four games and are doing so without their best centre-back.
Against Derby at Pride Park they had to do it without a first choice left wing-back and used two 18-year-olds instead. The midfield is doing its job with disciplined, yet energetic, showings to shut off angles, block off attacking moves and largely dictate their opponent’s plays.
Up front, it’s as good as it has been all season. Blistering on the counterattack and ruthless (ish) when it comes to finishing chances. Led by Andi Weimann and his outstanding 20 goals in the league, City, for once, look like a team with a bit of everything, a genuine gameplan, order, togetherness and structure.
Maybe it is too little too late, maybe this little period doesn’t change much because it’s under the backdrop of the season being over, maybe it’s a lot of nothing. But if you, like Pearson, believe that these games now are the foundation for next season and that City careers are going to be defined by what happens at the end of this campaign, there is, for once this year, just an inkling of something to be positive about.
After a second away win in a row, here’s are the moments missed from Pride Park…
Fans in full voice
One of the smaller questions of the day might be, can a relegated team be considered on the beach? Wayne Rooney would never say so, managers hate the phrase, but it was hard to ignore the ominous end of season school fayre feeling around Pride Park.
As fans waited to welcome their players and cheered them on despite the club’s fate for next season being predetermined, it was a surreal atmosphere of congratulating a relegated team.
City’s fans weren’t as forgiving as the rest of the league though. Where Derby do need recognition for their performance which would have them clear of the drop zone, mercy wasn’t on show. City fans have had their own struggle this season and enjoyed a chance to dish out the fun.
Before kick-off, fans opened with “you’re going down, you’re going down,” before switching to brutal honesty as they chanted “we are staying up,” instead. The Rams fans did reply, but it didn’t get off the floor as Robins supporters jeered again.
As the game started, the bouncing City fans were in a battle of shouts between fans, and put their opposition number on the canvas. “Sit down if you’re going down,” and, “stand up if you’re staying up,” were also serenaded in front of the home fans.
City fans in private might be a bit more respectful, and fearful, of the Derby situation given their own financial troubles and on-field issues, but for now, it was party time away from home.
Jackett's a temporary Robin
Among the impressive travelling contingent was a face well known to Robins fans, albeit not in any kind of direct City-related context.
Former Portsmouth, Wolves, Millwall and, most recently, Leyton Orient boss Kenny Jackett watched on from the away end with supporters frantically sending WhatsApps between them due to his presence.
Exactly why Jackett was present at Pride Park and, not only that, was taking in the game among the Robins supporters was unclear at the time; the 60-year-old is not a known City fan and has no real obvious previous relationship with the club.
Having recently been appointed an ambassador at hometown club Watford, where he spent his 10-year playing career, was Jackett there for the Hornets, potentially checking on Han-Noah Massengo or Antoine Semenyo?
It's a plausible theory but with one fundamental issue: scouts are grouped into their own section at grounds, often towards the halfway line, and certainly not in amongst the away fans, especially at a relatively roomy ground such as Pride Park.
Bristol Live understands the reason for Jackett's presence was far more innocent and lowkey than that. Quite simply, he has a good friend who is a City fan and had a spare ticket for the game. With nothing much else to do that afternoon, Jackett thought he'd join his pal. It was strictly for pleasure, not business.
And he ultimately experienced an enjoyable afternoon, although eyewitnesses are yet to confirm whether or not he engaged in the Massengo chant over the course of the 90 minutes.
Semenyo's perfect response
How do you end a nine-game scoreless run? In the fashion that only Antoine Semenyo could.
His brilliant left-footed strike across Ryan Allsop was only part of an entertaining period that encapsulates his importance to the team and his development under Pearson.
Before the move for the goal even starts, Semenyo initially demonstrated a key part of why City’s performances over the last week have improved. Against Stoke and Sheffield United they were wily to slow the game down and have control of the game in their own hands.
Even if all of the teams ended with more possession than City, especially at Stoke and Derby, it felt like Pearson’s side were dictating their opponents moves and were in a ready shape for the attacks which could come.
After taking the lead away from home again, Semenyo showed his nous in once again delaying the game to restart as he went down injured. He was properly injured and did have to be treated as away fans held their breath watching below them, but the act of frustrating an increasingly agitated home crowd was important.
It was Semenyo’s work against the clock that received chants of “you’re just a s*** Kazim-Richards,” from the home fans behind the goal. Looking outside of the lyrics, which are questionable at best, it might have been what sparked the reaction of Semenyo next.
As he re-entered play and determined himself to take back control of the game and shut the fans up, his first prey was Richard Stearman. If the defender didn’t hear Semenyo coming then he soon felt him, the Ghanaian striker pressed and hounded, nicked the ball away and scored with lethal efficiency.
Semenyo 1-0 Derby fans. Semenyo 1-0 Kazim-Richards.
Massengo on his merry way?
It’s no secret that Han-Noah Massengo is a City fan-favourite. He’s impossible not to feel intrigued by. Whether it’s the bush of bouncing hair on top of his head, his constant smiling around the ground, or the way his frenetic body movement sends sparks around him, he’s one of a kind.
There aren’t many like him in the league that dominate games at his age with the style, technical excellence and flair that he brings. The Frenchman’s form has been up-and-down this season, to be fair to him. He’s been asked to anchor a team, not a role that suits him, amongst senior players being in-and-out of the side around him.
Whatever seems to happen to Massengo happens in a bubble though; he appears to be playing a separate game to the rest, kicking the ball, running after it, taking no mercy on players that can’t keep up with his speed and twinkle toes on the ball.
It’s hard to ignore the transfer interest and contract situation that will cloud this summer though, and his time spent out of the starting line-up recently only adds fuel to that fire.
The game at Derby, and only matches against Hull and Huddersfield to come, could very realistically be his last in City red. That makes it all the easier to micro analyse his every movement on a matchday.
In Derbyshire he was the same sheepishly grinning star around the ground that he normally is, but might there have been a touch of goodbye in the wave he gave the City fans during the warm up before the game?
As the songs about his head size and love for vodka rang out from the away end, he gave just a small, but noticeable acknowledgement to those who chant his name endlessly.
Then, when he came on it was with the same fire and impact that you expect. It’s as if he has had the energy cooked up inside of him and it all has to come out before the full time whistle no matter how long is left on the clock.
His first moment was to run straight into midfield and shoulder barge his way onto the ball, knocking over his opponent. He then regained balance to knock the ball between his feet and dribble past another oncoming Rams player, leaving two white shirts embarrassed behind him.
As his one-track mind bursts forward and sprung City to life, trying to seal the game with a third goal, he was given another 50-50 challenge. This time he shielded the ball on his left and allowed his body to do the muscling. With some extra mischief and a bit of shirt pulling from both parties, he was tugged over and won a decisive freekick.
Here was Massengo in his element, appearing in a vacuum on the pitch free of responsibility and left to do his own thing that his teammates just like to watch.
Klose went on to nod the header into the goal and seal an away victory. It was Massengo’s briefest spark of quality and excitement that summed up what City fans might have to soak up their last minutes watching.
Tanner watches on
“Do you remember him?” asked a body in the press box as a clean shaven, youthful looking City face poked his head around the corner of the team bus. As a video of the Robins arriving at Pride Park is stopped and played back to catch a look of someone who wouldn’t look out of place being turned down from a pub, such is the baby-faced nature of him.
“It’s George Tanner!” they say.
Such is the length of time, nearly four months since his last appearance and over six since back-to-back starts, Tanner’s season has almost been forgotten. After a promising start, injury against QPR has kept him out of action for the majority of the season.
Given the injury troubles at wing-back and Pearson's reluctance to play four at the back, Tanner’s characteristics seem best suited to a more traditional, yet still attacking, full-back. He’s been missed.
As he entered the field once more on a crisp, yet still chilly, afternoon, it must have felt good to be back. His last minutes on a football pitch gameday were in gloomy, blustery conditions, now it was sunny, and the weather will have matched his mood.
Tanner was joined once by debutant Duncan Idehen, travelling but not part of the official squad for the afternoon. They linked up in the initial warmup, passing around in a small square. The 22-year-old, though sporting similar haircuts to Ayman Benarous and Alex Scott, stood out in his pristine, all-white attire.
Shrugging off the wind rattling around the stadium he was in short sleeves and matched the white bottoms with clean socks and perfect combination making boots. He could have fitted in at Wimbledon.
The fun had to end at some point though, and just as Tanner was getting into his day’s routine, he was moved away and onto his own. The fate of an injured player looking in once more took its toll as Tanner was forced to take himself out of the team’s drills and run on his own.
Exchanging short passes and quick sprints in an apathetic exercise. His glanced back across the pitch towards his friends involved in the hustle and bustle of a Championship gameday must have hurt.
A feeling that wouldn’t have eased as Alex Scott was substituted with less than 23 minutes on the clock and Sam Bell, one of City’s many makeshift wing-backs this season, was on the field, there might have been a hint of regret that as he made a step closer to returning to first-team action.
Unfortunately again for Tanner, he was still far enough away to miss out on these fleeting opportunities opening up beyond some impenetrable glass in front of him.
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