Bristol Live fan columnist Math Withers breaks down Bristol City’s 1-0 victory over Leicester City
Considering the opposition, the performance and victory was arguably the best of the season. It was certainly up there with the wins away at Watford and home to Southampton, for me, and was a real team performance with everyone contributing. It was also a performance that the head coach needed following a difficult period that has seen a growing swell of doubters around his ability to lead a team at this level.
One swallow doesn’t make a summer and Liam Manning knows that, which is why I think he was a little reticent to do his normal fist-pumping at the end of the game. He will have been pleased with the way his players executed the game plan and played with the required intensity against a team that is full of Premier League and international quality.
I’m not dressing this up, Leicester City missed chances and we were reliant on a man-of-the-match display from Max O’Leary and an off-day for Jamie Vardy, but that is the Championship. Maybe Max evened things up for us with Vardy, following his histrionics in the reverse fixture earlier in the season when Vardy scored the winner and ran the length of the field to celebrate in front of the City fans, who in fairness to Jamie had been given Mrs Vardy some stick.
The return to fitness of Scott Twine meant we got to see Jason Knight in, what I consider, his best position in central midfield. I thought Knight’s pressing, ability to win back the ball and attacking intent was excellent and whilst Twine himself was somewhat on the periphery of things, his clever movement to receive the ball in tight areas, created space and opportunity for others.
