They looked like the relegation certainties for 29 minutes. We might have been 3 up by then. The one we did get was brilliant in its simplicity and execution. Smooth little move saw the ball arrive at Buchnan's feet and he put the ball exactly where the likes of MOTD pundits would "draw a box" of "this is where the ball should go. Kazim ghosted in behind the defender and put it firmly away.
Bielik's injury. It didn't look good and it would not surprise me one iota to see him out for the season. That's a shame as we appeared to have found the right midfield 3. Bielik, Shinnie in the DM roles and then Bird in the advanced, attacking central role. A win would have seen Bristol still top 6 and they weren't good enough. I felt we went off the boil following Bielik's exit and I think it was the shock of losing him to what looked like a very serious injury that got inside the heads of the players and was why City bossed the remainder of the half. Their reshuffle also helped them get in the saddle in the last third of the 1st half.
They had more possession in the 2nd half (by the end it was 49 - 51) but we still looked the more likely to go home with the points. We had a total 12 shots to their 4. 6 on target to their 2. Yet again we showed what the team is capable of. Can we repeat this against the Millers on Tuesday?
A lot of good performances. I don't think anybody had a bad un. IMO Max Bird was among the best. Absolutely brilliant in that more forward role and still very good when he moved back to replace Bielik as DM. Kazim also had a very good game. I was one of those who questioned the wisdom of bringing in a 1 in 7 striker but added the caveat of "wait and see". I waited and, boy, have I seen. Not just his play but the way he cajoles and instructs his team mates. Do this, go there, well done, hard luck...... humble pie time and I'm happy to devour my slice.
We are not out of the woods by a long chalk but there is every reason to be confident in rising up the table to finsh comfortably in midtable.
The strangest thing at the moment is that prior to the the kick off yesterday I was reasonably certain we'd win. They play a game that we are better at than them. I am not as confident for the game against the Terriers on Tuesday. They play a game that stops us playing and we struggle against that style. I want a win but I'm expecting a draw at best.
