No room for slip-ups as pack chase Robins

This comment article is written by Bristol City fan Steve Coombes

Three competitions, three wins, three clean sheets, it’s a measure of the season Bristol City are having, the standards that have been set, that it all feels rather regulation.

Progression in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, where only a two-legged tie versus Gillingham stand between the club and a first visit to Wembley since the 2008 Championship Play Off final, was book-ended by 1-0 victories over AFC Telford in the FA Cup and Saturday’s last-gasp effort against Crawley Town which maintained their status as league leaders.

“To get those three wins are absolutely massive,” manager Steve Cotterill told the club’s official website. “I’ve said a few times that I’m proud of them. But, my God, the effort they’ve put in – not just today but all of this week – and the miles that they’ve travelled, has been fantastic for this football club.”

Coming in the wake of consecutive losses to promotion rivals Swindon and Preston North End, a flurry of successes played out in a business-like manner has not only reinstated a winning mentality, it has emphasised the growing sense of camaraderie emanating from the club.

“It was a massive effort from the lads and I’ve just thanked them – not just for what they have done for the football club, but what they’ve done for me this week.” Cotterill added.

Unlike previous months, December is a less imposing prospect with fixtures against those occupying the lower echelons of the table. A positive week full of workmanlike performances, after the imposing dominance displayed during the 3-0 victory at Peterborough to start the spell, has set the tone for dodging a glut of seeming banana skins. The need for focus is paramount.

“October and November was a tricky period against a lot of teams at the top of the table,” playmaker Luke Freeman said this week.

“We’ve now got a spell against teams at the other end, but often they can be just as tough, or sometimes tougher as they’re fighting for their lives. We need to concentrate as we do for any game.”

With the gap having narrowed at the summit there is no room for complacency. Second-placed Swindon have registered five consecutive league victories, MK Dons in third have not lost a league game since their Ashton Gate visit in September, while Preston in fourth have emerged from a difficult patch which ended, again notably, with a victory of their own in South Bristol late last month. Four points separate City and Preston, should MK Dons win their game in hand a solitary point distinguishes themselves and Swindon from top spot.

“This is a crucial period,” Cotterill emphasised prior to the Crawley clash. “Teams may lift silverware in May, but it’s over the next two to three months that championships are won.”

If City are to deliver on their early season charge and hold off an increasingly in-form pack, there can be no room for slip-ups.