Match Day Thread Bristol City v Preston North End Ashton Gate 10/11/2018

Motorway time again and this time we are off to Bristol City

Here's the Wiki bit
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club in Bristol, England, who currently play in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded in 1894, they have played their home games at Ashton Gate since 1904.

Initially contesting games in the Southern League, the club has spent most of its history in the second and third tiers of English football. They have spent eight seasons in the top flight, finishing second in the First Division in 1906-07, their highest finish to date. Bristol City have won the Football League Second Division once, the Football League Third Division once, the Football League Third Division South once, the Anglo-Scottish Cup once, and a record three Football League Trophys. They were FA Cup runners-up once and, despite being an English team, have also won the Welsh Cup.

The club's home colours are red and white, and their nickname is The Robins - a robin featured on the club's badge from 1976 to 1994. The team's main rivals are Bristol Rovers, with whom they contest the Bristol derby, and Cardiff City, with whom they contest the Severnside derby.

Bristol City's current manager is Lee Johnson.(Pictured with his father Gary below)

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City have spent a lot of money in recent years on the Stadium a now highly impressive ground and have paid out a lot of transfer fees in the hope of eventually ending up in the top division. They recently announced losses of about 24 million.
Last season they were the new love child of Sky TV never off the box mainly due to their league cup run in which they reached the semi final before coming second to Manchester City.
Over the summer they sold Flint, Bryan and Reid racking in well over 20 million

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As usual they have been inconsistent and have lost the last two, they have some decent players and no doubt no matter what happens on Saturday mini me will say we are a new group who arev still learning, style of play hasn't changed except they don't have a giant in the back four any longer.

North End teams news you won't hear on the official site both Browne and Robinson are carrying injuries and are playing through the pain barrier. Six games unbeaten for us can't say we are playing really well though!!!!



Team News: Bristol City

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Manager Alex Neil must make at least one change to the side that drew with Ipswich Town to extend their unbeaten run to six games last weekend.
Goalkeeper Chris Maxwell is suspended for one game after his sending-off at Portman Road, meaning Declan Rudd should return between the sticks, whilst Michael Crowe could be included in the matchday squad for the first time since his summer move from last weekend’s opponents.

Andrew Hughes missed the game against the Tractor Boys through injury and he will be assessed before the squad is named for the trip to face Lee Johnson’s men.

There are no other concerns after last weekend, with just the long-term casualties of Billy Bodin and Josh Harrop unavailable through injury, but the likes of Paul Gallagher, Lukas Nmecha and Darnell Fisher will all be pushing for a start.

Last weekend, City boss Johnson gave Liam Walsh his second start of the season, his first in the league, as he made three changes to his starting XI. Jay Dasilva and Matty Taylor joined Walsh in the team, ahead of Lloyd Kelly, Callum O’Dowda and Jamie Paterson, respectively.

Max O’Leary retained his spot in the City goal, despite Niki Mäenpää making his return from injury, being named on the bench. Nathan Baker also returned to the matchday squad, on the bench and could push for a start against the Lilywhites.
Mo Eisa and Hakeeb Adelakun are close to being involved, having had more minutes behind the scenes after injury, but former North End favourite Bailey Wright is a little way off a return to action just yet.
The Robins captain has returned to training after an extended period out of action following an operation in the summer, but is not expected to make the matchday squad until after the international break.

Speaking at his midweek press conference Johnson updated on all the injuries in his squad, saying: “Jack Hunt got injured in training last Wednesday session [last week]. I think he’s pulled the muscle away from the bone on his seventh rib. What happened on Saturday was that he was alright, but then made a slide tackle against Reading and felt it. We were going for the game so we didn’t need to risk it. We dosed him up with inflammatories and he trained [Wednesday] no problem.

“Callum O’Dowda is ill today [Wednesday] so we’ll have to text him and see how he is. Hakeeb Adelakun is a possibility for Saturday as an impact player; Bailey Wright is ‘no’ and still hasn’t trained with the squad and Frank Fielding is very slowly recovering.”

Ref Watch: Bristol City

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For the second time this season we have experienced match official Geoff Eltringham taking charge of one of our away games when the Lilywhites travel to Ashton Gate on Saturday.

The referee was in charge of North End’s trip to Elland Road back in September, having officiated five games for Alex Neil’s side in the 2017/18 season.

Last year, having taken charge our early season game at Derby County, Geoff also took charge of the Boxing Day trip to Barnsley, our January win at Nottingham Forest, March’s victory over Bristol City at Deepdale – our last clash with the Robins - and finally our goalless draw with Norwich City in mid-April.

He also refereed one North End game in 2016/17, the home clash with our Barnsley, having also done one the previous season, the 1-0 home win over Reading.
The year prior to that he took charge of three PNE games, including the 2-0 home win over Peterborough United in March. Back in the 2013/14 campaign he also took charge of North End twice, both of those at Deepdale - the 1-1 draw with Tranmere Rovers back in November 2013 and then the goalless draw with Sheffield United in March.
The County Durham official is an experienced referee who had taken charge of North End a number of other times in the past including the very first game after the departure of Graham Westley, when John Dreyer took the team against an in-form Bournemouth side and ran out 2-0 winners.

He also looked after a thriller back in 2010, when North End overcame Crystal Palace 4-3 at Deepdale.
For the game, the referee will be assisted by Mark Pottage and Matt Foley, whilst Tim Robinson will act as the fourth official.

He has so far taken charge of 15 games this season, with 49 cautions and three red cards issued, his last game being Portsmouth’s 1-0 win over Bradford City at the weekend.

 

Bristol City 0 Preston North End 1 Robinson

Bristol City line-up: Maenpaa, Dasilva, Webster, Baker (Eliasson, 55), Brownhill, Diedhiou (Taylor, 64), Walsh (Paterson, 55), Weimann, Pack ©, Kalas, Hunt. Subs not used: O’Leary, O’Dowda, Kelly, EIsa.

PNE line-up: Rudd, Clarke ©, Earl, Pearson, Huntington, Davies, Barkhuizen, Gallagher (Browne, 74), Maguire (Nmecha, 84), Johnson, Robinson. Subs not used: Crowe, Fisher, Moult, Hughes, Barker.

Attendance: 19,797 (566 PNE fans)

Referee: Mr G Eltringham

They really must look forward to our visits to Ashton Gate fourth visit in the Championship and fourth victory and although only one goal suggests a close game personal view thought we won this comfortably.
City had only one effort on target a free kick from ex Nobber Brownhill which Rudd tipped over the bar and that came with about 5 minutes of normal time left.
After a horror of a journey down got there about 25 minutes before kick off walked through the City fanzone something which we don't have and in a certain ways we are miles behind City in ways of entertaining fans before and after the game.
City better side early on with them getting plenty of joy down the right with Hunt finding acres of space to fire in crosses one which Diedhiou headed over. The period of ascendency didn't last long, Barkhuizen had a header blocked for us and was also unlucky when he tried to take the ball round the keeper. North End were getting plenty of joy down either flank and duly took the lead when Barkhuizen got in down the right fed the ball to Johnson who threaded through to an unmakred Robinson one up.
Easily keep them out until half time.
We should really have killed them off in the early stages of the second half Barkhuizen being denied after good work by Robinson, North End seemed to be playing with more confidence than we have seen this season.
City made changes which went down like a lead balloon with the home support, the biggest cheer they made all afternoon is when they brought on an ex Bristol Rovers player Matty Taylor.
City created next to nothing as we sat back and soaked up the pressure to make it seven unbeaten.
International break then next up the Plastics at Deepdale it's a local game for locals only.

Bristol City head coach Lee Johnson:

"Individually we didn't get our game going and the frustrating thing is we didn't show our identity or have a spark. It hurts but we have to be careful not to be too down because we're still 13th and can stick a run together, although I understand that run seems a long way after a performance like that. Credit to Preston, they executed their game plan.

"We've got quality in the squad and it's my job to bring it out. I can only apologise. I'm upset because I want the fans to see a performance full of energy, brightness and gumption and they didn't get that today."

Preston North End manager Alex Neil:

"It was a pleasing performance. Probably the perfect away performance. That's us unbeaten in seven games and this is a difficult place to come. Defensively we were solid and we carried a threat going forward. I think everyone did their jobs today.

"The win was the most important thing for us and I think we've started to pick up a bit of momentum now and hopefully we can build on that."

 

18th now and rising.

 

Apparently first team ever to win five consecutive games at Ashton Gate