Bristol City

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Bristol City boss Gerhard Struber urged his side to transfer their impressive away from to home matches following a 1-0 victory at Norwich City.

The Robins moved into the top six after Mark Sykes' goal gave them victory over former boss Liam Manning's team at Carrow Road.

They are unbeaten in five games on the road - but the victory followed a run of only one point from their last three at home.

"The effort and how much the boys invested was on a very high level," Struber told BBC Radio Bristol.

"Every single player was so focused and concentrated in his own task and how we went as a team was brilliant.

"The boys left everything on the field - the belief was we would score a goal and the determination was at an outstanding level and I felt it was only a matter of time (before we scored.

"We now have to bring our away power to our home games, this is something that should be the next step."

The Robins return to Ashton Gate on Tuesday when they will take on Southampton.

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Bristol City have recalled midfielder Jed Meerholz from his loan spell at Aldershot Town.

The 19-year-old made 14 appearances in all competitions, scoring once, and starting 11 National League games, utilised in the heart of the Shots defence.

Robins boss Gerhard Struber is dealing with a central midfield crisis ahead of Saturday's trip to Norwich with skipper Jason Knight, Max Bird and Joe Williams all unavailable.

Williams, 28, is set to be out until the New Year with an ankle injury sustained in the Championship play-off semi-final against Sheffield United in May, though Knight (groin) and Bird (calf) should be back sooner.

"With Knighty I would say the healing we saw on the scan is looking good but we must be patient with him and he will be out for six to eight weeks," Struber told BBC Radio Bristol.

"With Birdy it could be a quick comeback and we hope within the next few weeks he will be back but we have to be patient here as it's the second time he's had something in his calf."

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The international break is finally over and Norwich City will look to get back on track when they welcome Liam Manning's former team Bristol City to Carrow Road on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Canaries have lost all five home games in all competitions since Manning's arrival and went down 3-1 in the East Anglian Derby at Ipswich last time out to sit 19th, two points above the drop zone and with just one point from their past four league games.

Gerhard Struber's Robins are five points better off in 10th but also went into the break off the back of a defeat, going down 2-1 at home to QPR, and have taken just two points from their past four matches.

• Norwich City lost home (0-2) and away (1-2) to Bristol City in the Championship last season, after only losing one of their previous 14 league encounters before then (W9 D4).

• Bristol City could record successive away wins in the league at Norwich City for only the second time, previously doing so in February 2009.

• Since the start of April, only Sheffield United (12) have lost more Championship league games than Norwich City (9) and only Sheffield Wednesday (29) have shipped more goals than the Canaries (28).

• Bristol City are one of three sides unbeaten away from home in the Championship this season (W2 D2), along with Coventry and Millwall. The Robins' last away defeat came under current Norwich manager Liam Manning, losing 4-0 at champions Leeds in April.

• Josh Sargent scored in each of his first four Championship games this season, netting five goals. Since then, he's failed to score in five appearances in a row, last going more without a goal between February and April 2023 (7 games).

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Bristol City technical director Brian Tinnion has revealed the club have offered new contracts to Anis Mehmeti and Zak Vyner.

Defender Vyner, 28, is closing on 250 City appearances since joining from Aberdeen in 2020 while former Wycombe winger Mehmeti, 24, has scored 21 goals in 116 appearances since arriving in 2022 and was their top-scorer last season.

At a Fan's Forum at Ashton Gate on Wednesday, Robins legend Tinnion joined CEO Tom Rawcliffe, head coach Gerhard Struber and defender Rob Dickie to take questions from supporters, many of whom were concerned about the possibility of the squad being broken up as contracts expire and with financial restrictions on incomings.

After it was revealed vice-captain Dickie had signed a two-year extension to stay at Ashton Gate until 2028, Tinnion added: "I think it's really important if we can't invest, that we keep the squad together.

"We have secured Rob, we have offered Zak Vyner a new contract, Anis Mehmeti has been offered a new contract and we've been in talks last week about extending a few who have two years left.

"We are looking to keep this squad together because it's a really good group of players. If we can't invest we have to try and keep what we have got until we can sell them on to reinvest."

Rawcliffe also revealed the club had enquired about signing Manchester United keeper Radek Vitek on a permanent deal when they signed him on a season-long loan in July.

Rawcliffe said: "He signed a new contract there in the summer. They have a right to recall him, we hope that isn't the case but that clause is in there.

"We asked about taking him permanently but were very quickly rebuffed. He's settled in really well, for a 21-year-old keeper we're really pleased."

Tinnion also admitted the club's strikers "have got to start firing" before the January transfer window, otherwise City might need to look at making moves.

Emil Riis has scored four goals in his first nine appearances since signing from Preston but no other forward has scored this season.

Sinclair Armstrong has found the net just three times in 48 appearances since joining on a four-year deal, while fellow 2024 recruit Fally Mayulu has been out of the first-team picture for long spells.

"We chose to keep Sinclair Armstrong [last January] and he's working very hard but if it doesn't work, if Gerhard decides (players) aren't going to make the impact we want, then we'll look at it again in January," Tinnion said.

"The Championship is a really tough division to get game time to develop players."

Struber also told fans some academy players were "knocking on the door" of the first team including under-18s forward Leo Pecover, who has been training with the squad.

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Bristol City midfielder Joe Williams will not return to first-team action until the new year, says boss Gerhard Struber.

The 28-year-old has not featured for the Robins since injuring an ankle in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final against Sheffield United in May.

"Joe Williams is a long-term project and i don't think we will see him on the field this year," Struber told BBC Radio Bristol.

City are also still missing the injured midfield duo of captain Jason Knight (groin) and Max Bird (calf) with Struber only slightly more optimistic on their prospects.

"With Knighty I would say the healing we saw on the scan is looking good but we must be patient with him and he will be out for six to eight weeks," he added.

"With Birdy it could be a quick comeback and we hope within the next few weeks he will be back but we have to be patient here as it's the second time he's had something in his calf."

The head coach has confirmed goalkeeper Max O'Leary will be in the squad to travel to Norwich for Saturday's Championship match (15:00 BST) having been out since July following ankle surgery.

John Acres
Final Score

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Bristol City struggled with the aerial ball in their 2-1 defeat to QPR, and the visitors took full advantage.

There were too many hopeful passes played into the QPR penalty area looking for Emil Riis which were easily dealt with, and the hosts looked vulnerable when defending set-pieces and crosses.

Bristol City took the lead and looked comfortable for long spells - until two balls into the box, one resulting in Richard Kone's equaliser, the other in Paul Smyth's late header, ultimately cost them.

It suggests that for City, clean sheets may be harder to come by unless they shore up aerial organisation and are more decisive with second balls.

They also were wasteful in front of goal and missed some excellent opportunities.

QPR took theirs, and were roared on by 3,000 away fans in good voice. They looked dangerous on the break, and will be well clear of a relegation battle if they show the same togetherness and work rate between now and the end of the season.

David Pottier
Fan writer

Image source, Rex Features

Many say you cannot judge how a season is going to pan out until at least 10 games have been played.

As we go into the second international break of the season, City have played nine games but after Saturday's home loss against QPR what had been seen as a great start after five outings has now morphed into an average one.

The Robins are winless in four now despite a sprightly performance against Ipswich on Tuesday night, and a win against the west London side would have put a different complexion on things but they are a team in form right now, undefeated in six since a 7-1 drubbing at high-flying Coventry City.

More to the point, they must relish the prospect of coming to Ashton Gate as they have now won five and drawn one of their past six visits.

Scott Twine should have given City an early lead had he shown just a little composure but they went in at half-time ahead through an Emil Riis header.

Despite the lead, too many City players were having 5/10 performances and it was no surprise when QPR levelled through Richard Kone. Anis Mehmeti and Ross McCrorie went close but you just had the feeling there was going to be an unhappy outcome and so it proved.

Paul Smyth clearly pushed McCrorie in the back as he positioned himself for the looping header which hit the back of the net and then referee Ed Duckworth further fuelled City's anger when, in the dying seconds, he failed to award a penalty when Neto Borges was flattened right in front of him.

City's fall-off in form is, without question, because of the sheer number of first-choice players being injured.

Jason Knight, Cameron Pring, Max Bird, Joe Williams and Luke McNally would be definite starters in the eyes of most fans. The squad depth, if you can call it that, does not extend to the front men where it is a case of quantity not quality.

The team formation is, for now, to play with just one striker and head coach Gerhard Struber can call upon Fally Mayulu, Harry Cornick and Sinclair Armstrong. He has shown an unwavering preference for the latter but there must be some really obscure reason for not giving the willing Cornick some minutes.

Things don't get any easier for City after the international break as they begin a run of six games in 20 days with little prospect of having any of the injured players back in contention and, looking at who the games are against, to achieve a respectable nine points to maintain this now average start looks quite daunting.

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Frustrated Bristol City head coach Gerhard Struber lamented his side's lack of sharpness at both ends of the pitch after they let a half-time lead slip at home to QPR.

The Robins, who are now without a win in their last four games, went in front at Ashton Gate when Emil Riis headed his fourth goal of the campaign before the visitors struck back to take the points through second-half goals by Richard Kone and Paul Smyth.

"This is a typical moment from the Championship," Struber told BBC Radio Bristol.

"You have to be sharp in all moments and we have not had the sharpness in two boxes in the second half which you need – in both directions we were not sharp and we gifted this game so cheaply.

"We had enough chances to win this game. They are really good at the moment and you have to stretch your performance because this was not enough.

"It's a shame we got out with nothing when we can see so many good moments, how we break them down, how we play against the deep block and create chances against them – this was very good to see.

"This is the frustration, I can see my boys in really good moments but in two or three moments we're not ready and lose this game."

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Bristol City will seek to get back on track when they welcome upwardly-mobile QPR to Ashton Gate on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Robins have fallen off the pace in the Championship, taking just two points from their past three games after collecting 11 in their opening five matches.

They remain fifth but are only a point ahead of the 10th-placed Rs, who themselves have taken 11 points from the five games since their 7-1 humbling at Coventry in August.

Resurgent Rangers have a fine recent record against City and a win could see the visitors climb into the top-three depending on results elsewhere.

• Bristol City are winless across their past four league games against QPR (D2 L2), scoring just two goals across those matches.

• After failing to win any of their 10 away league games against Bristol City between 2004 and 2019, QPR have since won on four of their past five visits to Ashton Gate (D1).

• Bristol City are winless in their past three Championship games (D1 L2) – if they fail to win here, they will equal their longest winless run of the previous campaign (four games in December 2024).

• QPR have only lost two of their seven away games in the Championship since the start of April (W4 D1), after losing all six away matches they played across February and March.

• Anis Mehmeti has been directly involved in 20 goals in the Championship since the start of last season (16 goals, four assists), more than any other Bristol City player.

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Bristol City boss Gerhard Struber hopes Rob Atkinson's injury problems are not serious after the defender scored his first goal for the club since 2023 in their 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town.

Atkinson headed home Anis Mehmeti's corner in the first half but had to go off with a quarter of an hour of the game remaining.

"We invest a lot in the last few weeks in set-pieces and we know Rob Atkinson has outstanding aerial power," Struber told BBC Radio Bristol..

"He has something in the ankle, and something in the knee right now but the game showed how important Rob Atkinson is for us, not only to score but how strong he is in defence moments in his personal duels."

Victory could have put the Robins second in the table, but instead they remain in fourth place.

"It is a really good performance from the boys. How we executed the match plans were super disciplined. All the boys worked together, so close," said Struber.

"I cannot remember them having a good chance against us. We must remember this is a team that has a £200million transfer value.

"You could see their quality and how our boys dealt with it was really good."

Bristol City will be at home again on saturday when they face QPR.

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Bristol City will seek to get back to winning ways at Ashton Gate as Ipswich head west on Tuesday night (19:45 BST).

After going down 3-1 at home to Oxford United in their most recent home game, the Robins drew 0-0 at Preston on Saturday to stay fourth in a tightly-packed chasing pack behind early leaders Middlesbrough.

Though they lie 12th, the Tractor Boys are only three points behind after beating Portsmouth 2-1 at the weekend, though they have only picked up one point from their two away games thus far, with the third at Blackburn abandoned 10 minutes from time, with Town trailing 1-0, and to be replayed in full.

• Bristol City lost both league meetings with Ipswich Town in 2023-24 when they last faced each other, more than their previous 10 league matches against the Tractor Boys beforehand (W6 D3 L1).

• After their 1-0 win in October 2023, Ipswich could enjoy back-to-back away league wins at Bristol City for only the second time ever, previously doing so in 2011.

• Bristol City have both scored and conceded in nine of their past 10 home league games, the exception a 0-0 draw with Charlton in August.

• Ipswich have won just one of their past 13 away league games (D5 L7), a 2-1 victory at Bournemouth in April.

• Bristol City are unbeaten in their past eight midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (W4 D4) since a 0-1 defeat to Watford in November 2024.

David Pottier
Fan Writer

Image source, Rex Features

City needed a performance after losing at home to Oxford in their previous game. They certainly delivered in that respect nullifying everything Preston had to offer in attacking intent on Saturday.

They would have won were it not for Anis Mehmeti's effort in the dying seconds bringing a wonder save from the home side's goalkeeper Daniel Iversen.

Arguably Mehmeti has been one of City's star performers so far this season but he is still very erratic in front of goal. This was epitomised midway through the second period when, after being put through by Zak Vyner, he was one-on-one against Iversen but skewed his shot wide of the target.

Mehmeti was signed by Nigel Pearson from Wycombe in January 2023 to bring some attacking flair to the squad. He took time to establish himself but last season found the net 12 times before seemingly falling out of favour with coach Liam Manning in the spring. This may explain why the Albanian has not signed the contract that has been offered to him and seems unlikely to if rumours are to be believed.

Accordingly, he will walk away next summer as a free agent. Whether he achieves his desire to play in the Premier League remains to be seen but if he makes it two successive seasons of double-digit goalscoring he'll get a very good deal for himself at another Championship club I would imagine.

Worryingly for City their man of the match Vyner is also out of contract in nine months time. The defender almost joined Wrexham in the last window and although personal terms were agreed City stuck to such a price that the deal collapsed.

They may rue that decision as, unless Vyner is offered revised terms and re-signs, he too will walk and secure a nice payday for himself.

The same applies to midfielder Mark Sykes and illustrates a worrying trend at City over recent years of not tying down players to new deals or generating revenue through sales.

Back to more immediate matters and when Jason Knight hobbled off the pitch in the closing stages on Saturday it was the first time since April 2024 that he had not completed 90 minutes.

At the time of writing we don't know how long he is going to be ruled out for but with Max Bird, Josh Stokes and Joe Williams all out injured, City definitely have a crisis in the engine room of the team formation.

It will be interesting to see how head coach Gerhard Struber shuffles his pack in the two home games before the international break.

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Bristol City boss Gerhard Struber told BBC Radio Bristol he felt his side deserved more than a draw in the goalless stalemate with Preston.

"I think performance-wise it was really good. The boys realised in the end we had really good chances to win the game. I thought we had many battles on the field, which is what we would expect.

"In the end we were not so lucky today. I think we invested a lot in both directions. We invested so much in the opponents' half.

"In the end we deserved much more than one point but that's sometimes football and we have to accept that."

Preston North End will look to sustain their superb start to the Championship when they host Bristol City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Lilywhites have only lost one league game this season to put themselves in the top six after ending their last campaign on a winless run following their FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Aston Villa.

It puts the hosts level on points with the visiting Robins, who are coming off a disappointing loss to Oxford United last time out.

• Preston have won just two of their last 13 league games against Bristol City (D7 L4), with both victories in that run coming at home (December 2020 and January 2024).

• Bristol City have won two of their last three away league games against Preston (L1), as many as in their previous 20 visits to Deepdale (D8 L10).

• Preston have won three of their last five league games (D1 L1), more victories than they'd managed in their previous 18 in the Championship (W2 D8 L8).

• Bristol City are unbeaten in their three away league games this season (W2 D1), last having a longer run from the start of a campaign back in 2019-20 (6).

• No player has been involved in more Championship goals this season than Bristol City's Anis Mehmeti (6 – 4 goals, 2 assists). The Albanian has been involved in five goals in his last three league appearances for the Robins (3 goals, 2 assists).

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Bristol City chief executive officer Gavin Marshall is to leave his role at the end of October to take a position with the Welsh Rugby Union.

Marshall is the CEO of the Bristol Sport group, which includes Bristol City, Bristol Bears men's and women's rugby teams and the Bristol Flyers basketball team.

Earlier this month, Marshall, who was also chair of Bristol City Women, helped facilitate the sale of the team to the Mercury13 group.

"For almost a decade I have lived and breathed our multi-sport offering, and I am proud to have played a part in helping drive record growth across all five sports teams during that time," he said.