Bristol City must strengthen case for defence

The regular column on the fortunes of Bristol City FC is written by Steve Coombes

Consecutive 2-2 draws have harvested a multitude of noteworthy mentions this week. With all four goals coming from set pieces, Tuesday night’s exhibition at home to Bradford in how to lack concentration when defending a dead ball signalled a record breaking 14th successive game undefeated to start a league campaign. 

Fast forward to Saturday at Barnsley and fellow centre back Luke Ayling’s back post header would, somewhat remarkably, mean that all 10 of the starting outfield XI have already graced the score sheet at some point this season. It reinforced the club’s status as top scorers across the four English leagues – 32 goals in 15 games. 

Vague assumption informs us that that’s good. However, with Aaron Wilbraham rescuing a point the table toppers have failed to keep a clean sheet since mid September, conceding 13 goals in seven league games. 

What will cause most concern to City boss Steve Cotterill is his side’s inability to repel the opposition. Despite his team’s swashbuckling style which frequently bordered on the irresponsible on Tuesday night, the manager must be concerned at how his three centre backs, plus two wing backs, plus a holding midfielder, plus a target man, plus every other outfield player, all of whom crowded into their own box to defend the ultimately game tying corner, could not prevent the well-known threat.

“I thought that {set pieces} would be the outcome of the game and it was, which is slightly disappointing from our point of view considering how much we work on that sort of thing,” Cotterill told the club’s official website. “They sat in and made it difficult and only wanted to join in on the counter attack or knock a ball forward and get a set play. We’re disappointed we haven’t taken three points.”

Without being especially irrational, the Bantams could just as easily have left Ashton Gate with all the spoils. An archetypal away performance threatening to expose gaping vulnerabilities to the quick counter attack. City’s improved second half showing could have counted for nothing had Bradford hitman Billy Clarke not crashed the post from six yards moments after his first half leveller.

The current spate of conceding, from set piece or not, has not gone unnoticed. 

“Clean sheets are my focus, first and foremost,” Tuesday’s double goal scorer Flint said. 

“It’s always nice to help the team out (by scoring goals) but we’ve conceded too many at the other end. We have to start eradicating the goals against because its killing us in matches,” the towering centre half added. “We need to look at that and improve.”

With predominantly forward-thinking wing backs, emphasised by the advanced role occupied by summer signing Mark Little on the right flank versus Bradford and, to a lesser extent, Joe Bryan on the left, consideration is needed on the realism in expecting such box-to-box dynamism from a pair who looked jaded midweek. 

Advanced playmakers Wade Elliott and Luke Freeman can also leave the side feeling top heavy which, while clearly not a significant issue to date, may leave either Korey Smith or Marlon Pack exposed and overworked in a holding role in front of the back four. 

What may not be an issue in mid October, a third of the way into the season, can quickly evolve with congested winter fixtures likely to take its toll on the continuity that Cotterill seems so keen to preserve.

Depending on your point of view the unfortunate, or indeed perhaps fortunate, truth of City’s imposing start to the season is that results have largely been achieved through dogged persistence rather than controlled assurance. Home victories against MK Dons and Chesterfield both came while battling spells of adversity, while away fixtures at Rochdale, Fleetwood and Saturday’s trip to Barnsley could have swung either way. 

Let the record books leave no doubt that City’s start to the season has been anything but dominant, but scoring 2.13 goals a game for the remainder is a mighty ask, conceding less than 1.86 shouldn’t be.