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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Sport
Richard Forrester

Weimann's milestone and four other things to look out for in Bristol City's final seven games

Seven games to go until the end of the season and for a large section of supporters, it probably couldn't come soon enough.

Inconsistencies, defensive records, late goals and a bleak set-piece record may have contributed to a lack of enthusiasm for the season but there is still plenty to prove for the last run-in before the summer.

It hasn't all been disappointing with the emergence of a young prodigy in Alex Scott while other youthful players have shown more than enough to prove they have bright futures ahead such as Han-Noah Massengo (whether at City or not) and George Tanner.

City's goalscoring threat has also been something to applaud with Weimann and Antoine Semenyo forging a rather prolific partnership with the help of thankless work by strike partner Chris Martin.

Manager Nigel Pearson will ensure none of his players will be on their holidays mentally before that final ball is kicked away at Huddersfield on May 7 and will demand total effort to achieve a final push up the table.

With a tricky tie at promotion hopefuls Bournemouth to come on Saturday, it may be more hope than expectation to achieve a result but there are a number of fixtures in which City will eye as a potential to increase their points tally.

With that in mind, here are five things to look out for between now and the end of the season.

Weimann's 20-goal milestone

In case you've lost count (understandably so), Weimann's goal tally now stands at 18 for the Championship season.

With 39 games played, that's an average of a goal every 2.16 matches, meaning he is on course to hit the whopping 20 milestone before the end of the season.

Where City would be without him this campaign is a hypothetical statement but it certainly provides food for thought after his form earned Weimann a recall to the Austrian national side for the first time in seven years.

When he returns from his international duty, Weimann will be solely focused on reaching and surpassing that 20 goal figure, joining a list of City strikers who have achieved it in the past.

Tammy Abraham went on to score 23 during his loan spell at Ashton Gate before his rise through the Chelsea side while Sam Baldock hit the net 24 times in City's 2013/14 League One campaign.

Nicky Maynard also scored 20 in the 2009/10 season, winning the Championship Golden Boot alongside Peter Whittingham.

Before this season, Weimann's season-best was 10 in a season but he will have a personal ambition to score at least two more and any more after that is an added bonus.

Another assist will mean Weimann will also hit double figures for the first time in his professional career but much could depend on whether plays him in the No10 role behind Chris Martin and Antoine Semenyo or out at right wing-back.

The Young Players

Pearson already has one eye on next season and with little to play in regards to avoiding relegation and promotion, now could be the ideal opportunity to bleed some youngsters into the side.

The manager has already handed Sam Bell an opportunity, albeit as a wing-back, and is open to allowing a number of Under-23 players travel with the senior squad on matchdays to get a taste of Championship football.

Josh Owers has been one of the names to have been a regular warming up before kick-off while goalkeeper Harvey Wiles-Richards is also a familiar face alongside Dan Bentley and Max O'Leary. Dylan Khadji was also spotted coming off the team bus before the West Brom match, although wasn't named on the bench.

Owers appears as one of the most likely names to come through before the end of the season with the 19-year-old named on the bench against the Baggies having been rewarded for a string of impressive performances for the U23 side.

Josh Owers in action for the Under-23s (Will Cooper/JMP)

His involvement is likely to depend on how City's midfield options fare between now and May 7 with Han-Noah Massengo, Alex Scott, Joe Williams, Matty James and Ayman Benarous ahead in the pecking order.

But with Williams' latest injury setback, Scott versatile in the wing-back role and Massengo's contract situation left unknown, there could be an opportunity for Owers to make his debut if Pearson decides to experiment with his side.

Centre-back Duncan Idehen will also be hoping to make an appearance, having made the bench against Swansea shortly after signing a short-term deal.

He's another who has performed well with the youth side and whether this season will come too soon for Idehen remains to be seen but manager Pearson is obviously a fan.

Back-to-back wins

A 1-0 victory at Blackburn earlier this month saw Bristol City overcome two hurdles - winning away from home for the first time since October and keeping their first clean sheet this year.

Now there's another unwanted record that City will be eager to end before the season finishes at Huddersfield in May.

City may have won 12 games this season, but none of them have been back-to-back, highlighting the ongoing inconsistencies throughout their season.

It has been a problem referenced on more than one occasion both by the manager and players and something they would be eager to eradicate with a number of winnable matches approaching (on paper, of course).

An away win at Bournemouth may seem a little optimistic but that is followed up by a home match with struggling Peterborough. Yes, they are fighting for their lives but City will fancy their chances of picking up three points.

That is followed by an away trip to out-of-form Stoke who have lost seven matches at home this season.

However, the most likely opportunity may come in the third from last and penultimate game. An away trip to Derby, who could already be relegated by that point, is then followed by a home match with Hull.

If City can pull off back-to-back victories, it will also help bring back some feel-good factor among the fanbase and could even help provide momentum heading into the following season.

Pearson's Kalas decision

The Czech Republic international has missed the last three matches through injury with manager Pearson admitting the centre-back has reached a "saturation point".

And after detailing the amount of minutes he has played in the last three years, he certainly has a valid point.

The international break would have come at a welcome time for Kalas to recover his body but Pearson certainly has a decision on his hands to make when the player is fit and in contention again.

Sticking with a backline of Robbie Cundy, Timm Klose and Rob Atkinson in the previous three fixtures, the duo were partly responsible for helping keep a club's first clean sheet in 15 matches.

A difficult 2-0 defeat at Barnsley followed before a 2-2 draw with West Brom before the international break and despite the goals conceded against the Baggies, City's defence was relatively untroubled for long periods and more than held their own against Steve Bruce's side.

Tomas Kalas has missed the last three games with injury (Robbie Stephenson/JMP)

Assuming Klose keeps his spot, Kalas' return could be telling on the plans going forward in central defence. Robbie Cundy and Rob Atkinson's performances suggest they deserve to keep their spot for now, especially with Kalas' suspect form before his time out of the side.

With Kalas' contract expiring in 2023, the fact he is one of the club's top earners, City's financial state and Pearson's openness about signing new centre-backs in the summer, there is every chance the 28-year-old may not be at Ashton Gate beyond the summer.

Therefore Pearson could be left in a quandary about how to deal with the player between now and the end of the season. If Kalas comes back in, could leave the likes of Cundy warming the bench - and with his contract expiring in 2022 it will also leave question marks over his future.

Signs of progress

If there's anything to take from this rather long and uneventful season, then surely signs of progress will one of the most important.

Ultimately that could relate to the young players coming through, the improved goalscoring and even the financial aspect in balancing the books but ultimately, it all comes down to the league table and the total of points earned.

Last season, City finished the campaign in 19th spot picking up a total of 51 points after losing their final four games of the season.

Pearson's side are now on 44, meaning they need two wins and two draws or three wins to eclipse their tally from last season.

With the average of one victory every 3.25 matches this season, it could go right down to the wire but as mentioned above, City will look to games at Peterborough, Hull and Derby as winnable fixtures.

They also won 15 games last season compared to 12 this time around. Although there has been one or two slight positives to take away in comparison to last season, ignoring the bleak defensive record.

They've already scored three more than the entirety of last season and the Robins will need to lose each of their seven remaining matches to beat last season's tally of 25 defeats.

If City's season can be considered a mere success should they reach a minimum of 52 points may be left down to personal interpretation but at least it will prove the club have moved in a forward direction.

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