Time to see what Bristol City are made of

As Aaron Wilbraham rounded the floundering Thorsten Stuckmann in the Preston net with nine minutes on the clock, the crowd rose in expectation. Back to business, normal order restored, the disappointment of unfamiliar defeat banished. 

But he put it wide. The tone set for a day of missed chances as City fell to a first home defeat since February thanks to Callum Robinson’s 28th-minute strike.

“We hadn’t had a defeat, and then all of a sudden when two come along it hits you a little bit,” Steve Cotterill told the club’s official website in the aftermath. “Everybody might think the wheels are falling off, but we’ll come again.”

For the first time during Cotterill’s tenure the heat, as much as it can be for a dominant high flyer hitting a speed bump in third gear, is on.

“If someone would have said to us after 18 games we would be top of the table, we’d have been delighted with that.”

True words, clearly, had Wade Elliott not been dismissed early last week, nor a glut of chances passed up this, the proud unbeaten record could easily still be intact. City have not become a bad team overnight but consecutive 1-0 reverses have given a startling reminder of their mortality.

There was no avoiding the magnitude of the fixture. A pre-match official website entry in which Cotterill stressed the importance of getting “back to winning ways” ended: “The match is sold out.” In a different article goalkeeper Frankie Fielding spoke of an “extra edge in training” after disappointment along the M4. “The match is sold out.” Oh, and of course, then there was the separate piece: “City v Preston North End – SOLD OUT.”

This was a big game, a chance to re-establish themselves as pace setters against a promotion rival. As it is, within the space of seven days, City have suffered consecutive losses to clubs occupying the upper echelons and had an appeal against captain Wade Elliott’s controversial red card at Swindon rebuffed.

Reflecting on the reaffirmation of his three-match ban due to a lack of video evidence Elliott, while “disappointed and gutted”, personified professionalism. “All I can do now is use the 22 days as positively as I can. I’ll get a good training load in me for when I’m able to play again,” the skipper said. “I know one of their lads got a bit of stick for celebrating my red card. He’s a young lad and I don’t think you can be too harsh there.”

His manager was less magnanimous. “It’s blatant there’s been an injustice and I’m very disappointed with the disciplinary panel.” Understandably frustrated at losing his leader for not only Saturday’s defeat hosting Preston but, additionally, what must now be considered a crunch tie at Peterborough on Friday, “motivation” was the buzz transforming the negative into a positive.

“Wade has clearly been fouled three times and the assistant referee, who it is said made the decision, had Aaron Wilbraham’s frame blocking his view. We’ll use this as a motivator for the rest of the season.”

Make no mistake it has been a grounding week at Ashton Gate. In front of the nation on Friday, at seventh-placed Peterborough, it will be seen what this team is really made of.