Match Report: From Bruised to Battered, City Stake Claim at Stoke

[Olé]

There are two Championship venues at which Bristol City routinely emerge with all the swagger and self-belief of a heavyweight boxer. After their 2-0 winning heroics at one such ground in Middlesbrough on Saturday, Chris Hogg’s men picked themselves up off the canvas after a bruising opening 15 minutes at the Britannia Stadium, decided this was not who they are, and subsequently battered a bewildered Stoke side.

A goal behind in just minutes to Lewis Koumas stunning bicycle kick to cap an incisive move, the visitors, still dealing with the loss of manager Liam Manning following his infant son’s death, went two behind inside quarter of an hour without laying a glove on their opponents, Andrew Moran turning home. But the away side came out swinging, and by half time had already drawn two world class saves from Viktor Johansson.

That was just a warning and right from the bell in the second half, City produced easily their best 45 minutes of football so far this season, dismantling their surprised opponents with confident passing and first to every loose ball, led by the impressive Max Bird. Nahki Wells scored twice in little more than 3 early minutes in the second period, and stylish sub George Earthy was among the players Johansson desperately denied.

There was no sign of the onslaught from kick off - after their unexpected win at the Riverside, if anything City looked punch drunk rather than punch happy as Korean left winger Bae Jun-Ho got in behind them immediately, first Eric-Junior Bocat forcing an early save and then with little more than 60 seconds on the clock, Koumas spun acrobatically to volley into the top corner after Tom Cannon knocked down Bocat’s deep cross.

But punch happy was a more befitting description for City who quickly came out swinging and won a succession of corners, with both Wells and Zak Vyner heading wide and over respectively - only for the away side to succumb to a sucker punch. Luke McNally upended Cannon well outside his own area and was left caught out of position as Koumas overlapped and squared for Moran to tuck home unmarked at the far post.

2-0 down in under quarter of an hour with Stoke fans bellowing out Delilah, and for a moment the pocket of travelling fans up in the corner stand may have felt like throwing in the towel. But as it was, City were just getting started, and with one or two exceptions that was the last time the hosts laid a glove on far more convincing opponents, Hogg’s men getting up off the canvas to produce 70 minutes of one sided attacking football.

The away side moved the ball quickly and unlike much of the season, went for goal quickly, with Stoke desperately throwing bodies in the way of Jason Knight and Anis Mehmeti efforts, before Wells found space in the left channel to sting Johansson’s hands inside 20 minutes. City were moving through the gears and they bundled Ben Wilmot to ground before Mehmeti fed Knight to force another save from the man of the match keeper.

Ross McCrorie headed another corner just wide, and Bird fired over, before the away side produced the chance - and the save - of the half, as a few minutes past the half hour Bird again had time to pick his shot from fully 25 yards out and sent a wild, dipping piledriver arching towards Johansson’s top corner, the Potters number one springing acrobatically to his left to produce a world class save to somehow tip the effort over the bar.  

The Swedish keeper was now the only thing between City and the succession of knock out blows reining down on their hosts, and next he clawed away Wells flashing close range header from Joe Williams cross, while George Tanner, Vyner, Knight and Mehmeti all had half chances too - Stoke finishing the first period desperately defending against opponents who finished the half with 10 corners and 18 shots, despite being two behind.

No surprise then that City emerged after the break to take total control of the contest, making light of their early bruising to produce a battering that silenced the shellshocked Britannia Stadium crowd - who watched on grimly as Stoke quickly surrendered their lead, the initiative, and in the end clung on desperately for a point. With impressive half time sub George Earthy pairing with all action midfielder Bird, the visitors had their tails up.

In less than five minutes Williams cross from a Sykes short corner swung beyond everyone in a loosely defended box and Wells was unmarked beyond the far post with time to steer his first time shot inside the keeper, before peeling away to the travelling supporters behind him. And within two minutes City were deservedly level as they poured out of midfield, Bird fed Earthy whose touch spun free for Wells to poke inside the opposite post.

By now the visitors comfortably had the measure of their bewildered hosts, who like a weary fighter staggering around the canvas, were simply clinging on as City picked punch after punch looking to complete the job. Knight saw a shot blocked before Wells fed the onrushing Sykes who forced another save from Johannson, although in a rare counter, the Potters also got Jun-Ho sprinting away down the left channel only to fire well over.

McNally headed wide from a corner, before just inside 70 minutes the clearest chance to seal the victory as Bird and Earthy again combined, the latter breaking the lines onto a through ball to steer a looping shot over Johansson into the top corner that the keeper somehow clawed out with Sykes then denied on the follow up. Bird was leading City’s assault and twice went close, heading wide from a free kick and firing over on the break.

Wells finally departed for the final ten minutes, replaced by Sinclair Armstrong, who typically had several barnstorming runs at defenders as City tidied up comfortably to clear their lines, only to be caught offside in attacking positions. Miraculously Stoke even had a chance to land a sucker punch against the run of play, less than five left when Moran released Million Manhoef and in a crowded box sub Niall Ennis lifted onto the roof of the net.

Yu Hirakawa made a cameo appearance as the game headed into injury time, but in truth the sparring had been reduced to guarded defending as both sides decided to protect their point. In an emotional week with two potentially tough successive trips to the North in four days under caretaker Hogg, City will be pleased with 4 points - and despite their slow start, judges would comfortably have rewarded City’s battering with a points decision.

Based on the style of football, City have had mixed fortunes so far this season on both entertainment and results. But play like they did at Stoke - with speed of passing, willingness to shoot, conviction in their superiority, and ability to compete even after early adversity, and City should go on to have a good season. Despite taking only the one point, the second half was as good as anything this side has produced in the Liam Manning era.

O’Leary 8

Tanner 9

McCrorie 7

Vyner 7

McNally 8

Williams 8

Bird 9

Knight 8

Mehmeti 7

Sykes 8

Wells 8

 

Earthy 9

Armstrong 5

Yu 6

[maxjak]

As ever .............a great report Ole.  So pleased that finally Earthy has been given a chance to make an impression?

[The Original OTIB]

Not sure how McNally gets an 8, lacks composure and can be reckless, diving in an example last night when staying on feet best option, goal followed soon after. 

[FNQ]

Great write up Ole.. one thing not mentioned was Joes fifth yellow card. Can’t help but thinking that we missed a trick by not resting him for this game, going to now be a big loss for us against Leeds.

[Davefevs]

33 minutes ago, The Original OTIB said:

Not sure how McNally gets an 8, lacks composure and can be reckless, diving in an example last night when staying on feet best option, goal followed soon after. 

I don’t like criticising ratings (sorry @Olé), but these feel like they have been done based on our attack only.  Defensively we were pretty shoddy, the opposite of Boro.

[GrahamC]

42 minutes ago, FNQ said:

Great write up Ole.. one thing not mentioned was Joes fifth yellow card. Can’t help but thinking that we missed a trick by not resting him for this game, going to now be a big loss for us against Leeds.

If we had rested him, lost last night, he came back on Saturday & we got beat, OTIB would be going mental.

With 4 points from 6 (some on here were predicting this to be the start of 5 straight defeats) Saturday is a free hit now.

[Clutton Caveman]

1 hour ago, The Original OTIB said:

Not sure how McNally gets an 8, lacks composure and can be reckless, diving in an example last night when staying on feet best option, goal followed soon after. 

Also caught under the ball twice when his man pulled away

[FNQ]

34 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

If we had rested him, lost last night, he came back on Saturday & we got beat, OTIB would be going mental.

With 4 points from 6 (some on here were predicting this to be the start of 5 straight defeats) Saturday is a free hit now.

Each to their own I suppose.. 4 points is indeed a great return from these two games, and like you after the Cardiff game I certainly didn’t think that we would get them. But I just think that Leeds will be a tough game, a Joe Williams type of game, and although you see it as a free hit, if we get smashed it could very well be extremely demoralising and set us back… we need to be at our absolute best imo. And BTW although it was mooted yesterday that GE was too lightweight for the championship, as it turns out if he would have played the full 90 who knows we may have won?
 

 

[Charlie BCFC]

1 hour ago, Olé said:

There are two Championship venues at which Bristol City routinely emerge with all the swagger and self-belief of a heavyweight boxer. After their 2-0 winning heroics at one such ground in Middlesbrough on Saturday, Chris Hogg’s men picked themselves up off the canvas after a bruising opening 15 minutes at the Britannia Stadium, decided this was not who they are, and subsequently battered a bewildered Stoke side.

A goal behind in just minutes to Lewis Koumas stunning bicycle kick to cap an incisive move, the visitors, still dealing with the loss of manager Liam Manning following his infant son’s death, went two behind inside quarter of an hour without laying a glove on their opponents, Andrew Moran turning home. But the away side came out swinging, and by half time had already drawn two world class saves from Viktor Johansson.

That was just a warning and right from the bell in the second half, City produced easily their best 45 minutes of football so far this season, dismantling their surprised opponents with confident passing and first to every loose ball, led by the impressive Max Bird. Nahki Wells scored twice in little more than 3 early minutes in the second period, and stylish sub George Earthy was among the players Johansson desperately denied.

There was no sign of the onslaught from kick off - after their unexpected win at the Riverside, if anything City looked punch drunk rather than punch happy as Korean left winger Bae Jun-Ho got in behind them immediately, first Eric-Junior Bocat forcing an early save and then with little more than 60 seconds on the clock, Koumas spun acrobatically to volley into the top corner after Tom Cannon knocked down Bocat’s deep cross.

But punch happy was a more befitting description for City who quickly came out swinging and won a succession of corners, with both Wells and Zak Vyner heading wide and over respectively - only for the away side to succumb to a sucker punch. Luke McNally upended Cannon well outside his own area and was left caught out of position as Koumas overlapped and squared for Moran to tuck home unmarked at the far post.

2-0 down in under quarter of an hour with Stoke fans bellowing out Delilah, and for a moment the pocket of travelling fans up in the corner stand may have felt like throwing in the towel. But as it was, City were just getting started, and with one or two exceptions that was the last time the hosts laid a glove on far more convincing opponents, Hogg’s men getting up off the canvas to produce 70 minutes of one sided attacking football.

The away side moved the ball quickly and unlike much of the season, went for goal quickly, with Stoke desperately throwing bodies in the way of Jason Knight and Anis Mehmeti efforts, before Wells found space in the left channel to sting Johansson’s hands inside 20 minutes. City were moving through the gears and they bundled Ben Wilmot to ground before Mehmeti fed Knight to force another save from the man of the match keeper.

Ross McCrorie headed another corner just wide, and Bird fired over, before the away side produced the chance - and the save - of the half, as a few minutes past the half hour Bird again had time to pick his shot from fully 25 yards out and sent a wild, dipping piledriver arching towards Johansson’s top corner, the Potters number one springing acrobatically to his left to produce a world class save to somehow tip the effort over the bar.  

The Swedish keeper was now the only thing between City and the succession of knock out blows reining down on their hosts, and next he clawed away Wells flashing close range header from Joe Williams cross, while George Tanner, Vyner, Knight and Mehmeti all had half chances too - Stoke finishing the first period desperately defending against opponents who finished the half with 10 corners and 18 shots, despite being two behind.

No surprise then that City emerged after the break to take total control of the contest, making light of their early bruising to produce a battering that silenced the shellshocked Britannia Stadium crowd - who watched on grimly as Stoke quickly surrendered their lead, the initiative, and in the end clung on desperately for a point. With impressive half time sub George Earthy pairing with all action midfielder Bird, the visitors had their tails up.

In less than five minutes Williams cross from a Sykes short corner swung beyond everyone in a loosely defended box and Wells was unmarked beyond the far post with time to steer his first time shot inside the keeper, before peeling away to the travelling supporters behind him. And within two minutes City were deservedly level as they poured out of midfield, Bird fed Earthy whose touch spun free for Wells to poke inside the opposite post.

By now the visitors comfortably had the measure of their bewildered hosts, who like a weary fighter staggering around the canvas, were simply clinging on as City picked punch after punch looking to complete the job. Knight saw a shot blocked before Wells fed the onrushing Sykes who forced another save from Johannson, although in a rare counter, the Potters also got Jun-Ho sprinting away down the left channel only to fire well over.

McNally headed wide from a corner, before just inside 70 minutes the clearest chance to seal the victory as Bird and Earthy again combined, the latter breaking the lines onto a through ball to steer a looping shot over Johansson into the top corner that the keeper somehow clawed out with Sykes then denied on the follow up. Bird was leading City’s assault and twice went close, heading wide from a free kick and firing over on the break.

Wells finally departed for the final ten minutes, replaced by Sinclair Armstrong, who typically had several barnstorming runs at defenders as City tidied up comfortably to clear their lines, only to be caught offside in attacking positions. Miraculously Stoke even had a chance to land a sucker punch against the run of play, less than five left when Moran released Million Manhoef and in a crowded box sub Niall Ennis lifted onto the roof of the net.

Yu Hirakawa made a cameo appearance as the game headed into injury time, but in truth the sparring had been reduced to guarded defending as both sides decided to protect their point. In an emotional week with two potentially tough successive trips to the North in four days under caretaker Hogg, City will be pleased with 4 points - and despite their slow start, judges would comfortably have rewarded City’s battering with a points decision.

Based on the style of football, City have had mixed fortunes so far this season on both entertainment and results. But play like they did at Stoke - with speed of passing, willingness to shoot, conviction in their superiority, and ability to compete even after early adversity, and City should go on to have a good season. Despite taking only the one point, the second half was as good as anything this side has produced in the Liam Manning era.

O’Leary 8

Tanner 9

McCrorie 7

Vyner 7

McNally 8

Williams 8

Bird 9

Knight 8

Mehmeti 7

Sykes 8

Wells 8

 

Earthy 9

Armstrong 5

Yu 6

Don’t like doing it but think some of the ratings are generous. Think McCrorie was the only one who deserved a positive rating from the back line, Mehmeti was ineffective imo and as good as Bird was second half not sure he was a 9

[Davefevs]

5 minutes ago, FNQ said:

And BTW although it was mooted yesterday that GE was too lightweight for the championship

Was it?  That surprises me, sturdy little fella I reckon.