Bristol Live picks out the stand-out talking points after Bristol City continued their winning start under Roy Hodgson against Sheffield United
Roy Hodgson, interim head coach of Bristol City, after the Robins’ win over Sheffield United(Image: Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
More than 44 years after his last Ashton Gate success as Bristol City boss, Roy Hodgson ventured onto the Robins’ pitch after an hour and a half of ‘blood and thunder’ against Sheffield United to applaud Section 82 and the rest of the home crowd for their efforts.
As the 78-year-old did so, the Reds fans applauded and chanted, having seen their own wait for three points in BS3 come to an end. Granted, their 72-day gap between victories paled in comparison to that of their interim head coach, but after months of frustration, Easter Monday was cause for celebration.
Hodgson’s assessment couldn’t have been more accurate. This had not been 90 minutes of free-flowing football from the Reds, but through a combination of grit, determination and hard work, City had got over the line to lift spirits in and around south Bristol.
However, it was an impressive first-half display that had provided the Robins with the platform from which they were able to hold on, with Mark Sykes’ fourth goal of the Championship campaign ultimately proving to be the difference by the time the full-time whistle was blown.
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Controlling Adam Davies’ clearance, Sykes broke towards the Blades’ penalty area with the goalkeeper stranded in No Man’s Land. In a position many would have panicked, the 28-year-old remained calm, rolling a low finish into the bottom left corner from range to give Hodgson’s side something to protect.
And protect it they did. Though it had been the Reds who dominated the opening period, City were left indebted to their backline and, in particular, goalkeeper Radek Vitek, come the full-time whistle.
Time after time, the Manchester United loanee produced saves worth a goal at the other end of the field to frustrate Chris Wilder’s side. By the time the full-time whistle had been blown, the 22-year-old had almost single-handedly ensured it would be the Reds carrying their bank holiday celebrations into the four-day week.
Naturally, whether those celebrations extend into the third week of April will be determined by what happens at QPR this weekend. Before we turn our attention to the future, however, here are the stand-out talking points from the Robins’ 1-0 win over Sheffield United…
Bristol City exceed Roy Hodgson expectations to provide fan release
The last time Bristol City played at Ashton Gate, a little over two weeks ago, the Robins’ home ground was a cauldron of frustration, anger, and apathy. The now sacked Gerhard Struber made his way around the rapidly decreasing crowd at the final whistle to little to no fanfare after an all-too familiar flat defeat to West Brom.
Undoubtedly, the events of the March international break – the sacking of Struber, surprise appointment of Roy Hodgson and changes to the leadership structure – added to such a feeling amongst supporters leading into the Easter weekend.
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Although the Reds’ Good Friday win at Charlton Athletic took the sting out of such emotion, it was always likely to be what happened in front of more than 21,000 supporters on Easter Monday that dictated the mood amongst the City faithful leading into the run-in. It is at home where most fans see you in action, and therefore, it is there where most opinions are shaped.
Hodgson’s side’s performance against Sheffield United was a display that contained flashes of quality, but one that was built on a foundation of determination, concentration, commitment and – above all else – hard work.
Any markers of a team on the beach, with nothing to play for, or with a lack of belief – a criticism levelled a fortnight ago against West Brom – were missing as those in red and white emptied their tanks to find a way over the line in a manner that will win few beauty competitions, but will garner plenty of respect.
To do that once in your first game under a new manager deserves credit. But to do it again, just three days later, is worthy of more praise. City have once again shown that even if the play-off dream remains just that, they have plenty to play for and in doing so have provided their supporters with the sort of release the squad itself experienced at Middlesbrough.
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Such a demonstration has been welcome by Hodgson himself, as well as fans, with the interim head coach eager to shine a light on his players’ efforts, which have been beyond what he anticipated when he walked through the door eight days ago.
“I think I’ve done, with the team, in our talks and the little bit of coaching sessions, about as much as I can do in a week to try and suggest to them what could be a good way for us to play,” the City boss explained. “They have responded well, well beyond A: expectations and B: what I could demand of them. Way, way beyond.
“For me to try to take credit, I would feel embarrassed by that. It’s down to their determination, concentration.”
Why Jason Knight played right-back as Bristol City captain stands tall
Perhaps few players in Bristol City colours demonstrated that determination and concentration mooted by Roy Hodgson against the Blades in a more obvious manner than the Robins’ skipper, Jason Knight.
It came as a surprise to those in their seats early at Ashton Gate on Easter Monday when the Ireland international – who Hodgson himself had suggested just seven days ago should have been playing in his natural midfield role more often – was warming up alongside Noah Eile, Neto Borges and Cam Pring, the Reds’ back four.
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Any suggestions that such an approach was a clever ploy to confuse Sheffield United were put to bed when 3:00pm rolled around, and Kight was clearly stationed at right-back, behind Mark Sykes, who most had anticipated would start deeper, having deputised for George Tanner and Ross McCrorie already this term.
From the outside looking in, Hodgson’s decision to make such a call raised eyebrows. In fact, however, it had been Knight himself to suggest such an alteration, feeling it would get the best out of Sykes – a prediction that proved true when the winger scored the winner.
“He chose it to be fair,” Hodgson told Bristol Live when asked about Knight’s position. “First of all, at half-time against Charlton, I had to say to him, ‘Look, I think you’re doing a fantastic job in the centre of midfield, but I do need – I think – to bring Sam Morsy on, and that means you’re the one to move to the right, if that’s okay?’ ‘Yeah, yeah, no problem, I’m happy there,’ he said.
“He did a great job, and now, we’ve lost our right back, so there’s no right back really, with everyone injured at the moment. Who was the obvious choice to play right back? It could have been Sykes playing there with Jason in front of him, or vice versa. That was how I saw the equation, and Jason said to me, ‘I think I should play right-back. I think Mark Sykes should play further forward.’
Bristol City captain Jason Knight in action for the Robins(Image: Photo by Stephen White – CameraSport via Getty Images)
“I said, ‘That’s great.’ That suited me too because having his ability, his experience, and his determination at the back in a game where I knew back players would be put under pressure was really good for me. He had an outstanding performance today.”
The Robins’ skipper has come in for more criticism than usual this term, perhaps as a result of the high standard he set last term. However, when City have needed him to step up and shoulder a burden – whether that be by playing centre-back against Middlesbrough or right-back against the Blades – he has stood tall in the manner expected of a captain.
It should also be noted that his performance out of position on Easter Monday was impressive. Few unfamiliar with the 25-year-old would have been able to notice that he wasn’t a natural full-back as he helped the Reds to a battling clean sheet.
‘Super Radek Vitek’ leaves Bristol City with tough summer task
It is perhaps unfair that I have made it this far through this verdict without highlighting Radek Vitek, outside of the introduction. On a day Bristol City as a collective had to weather a storm, few fronted up as well as the Manchester United loanee between the posts.
On his way to a 10th clean sheet of the Championship campaign – his first since that aforementioned January win over Sheffield Wednesday – the 22-year-old made seven saves. Those seven saves came from shots that had a cumulative xGOT of 1.41, meaning that – in Layman’s terms – Vitek alone prevented 1.41 goals.
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The pick of those stops came in the 73rd minute when the Czech stopper flew across his goal, becoming completely horizontal in the process, to claw Mark McGuinness’ header out of the top right corner. Perhaps because of his highlight reel this term, what was a match-deciding intervention felt like just another moment of vintage Vitek.
In the space of the Easter weekend alone, you could argue the loanee has won City four points. Consider his displays against Blackburn Rovers, Oxford United, Watford, Norwich City, Preston North End and Middlesbrough, amongst others, and it becomes clear quite quickly that the 22-year-old’s performances this term have a large hand in the Robins’ current league position.
The Reds, whoever was responsible for bringing Vitek to Ashton Gate, deserve credit for finding such an influential goalkeeper so late in pre-season. However, Vitek’s performances – partnered with the sale of Max O’Leary in January – have left City with a difficult task this summer.
If we are to assume the United loanee won’t return to the West Country either on loan or permanently, a fair assumption to make considering how highly the stopper is thought of at Old Trafford and the Red Devils’ likely desire to test him at a higher level, Charlie Boss, the Reds’ new sporting director, new head coach and recruitment team are going to have to find a very, very good replacement.
(Image: Getty Images)
Of course, you can never say never, and who knows, Vitek could be a Robin again when the 2026/27 campaign rolls around. If not, though, having had a taste of the sort of impact a match-deciding goalkeeper can have over the last 10 months or so, supporters will be keen to see that six-foot-seven-inch void filled.
Joe Lumley, who is contracted until the summer of 2027, is a more than able deputy, while Lewis Thomas is a good third-choice option. To kick on next term, however, the City will need someone closer in standard to Vitek than those already – or previously – in the building.
Roy Hodgson has had perfect first week, now Bristol City need to build
With their back-to-back wins over the Easter weekend, the first time they’ve taken six points from two games since Christmas, Bristol City have provided supporters with a sliver of hope heading into the final five matches of the campaign.
Of course, while the gap to the top six stands at seven points, as it does at the time of writing, the faintest dreams of a play-off finish – however unlikely – will continue to be harboured. Outside of the league table and results, however, it is now down to the Robins to ensure that the bank holiday weekend is viewed as the start of an impressive run-in, not a new manager bounce.
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Hodgson himself admitted in his post-match press conference on Easter Monday that while he has been impressed in his first week in charge, he has only watched two games and taken two or three training sessions at the High Performance Centre. Give it a fortnight, and the 78-year-old’s assessment may be rather different.
The short-term nature of this interim appointment means that things in south Bristol are in a state of flux, with a month of the campaign to play. Opinions are changing constantly, emotions are mailable, and what happens off the field is viewed as just as important as what could occur off of it.
While things are going well, the Reds need to ensure things stay that way. For the players and Hodgson, the best way to do that is by continuing to win and perform. As the old saying goes, a winning football fan is a happy football fan. When it comes to those above the interim boss and the squad, now is the time for ducks to be put in a row.
The sooner a sporting director and, in turn, a permanent head coach, is appointed, the quicker the uncertainty around Ashton Gate becomes a moot point. If both vacancies can be filled while the Reds are giving fans something to get behind on the pitch, the anger, frustration and apathy mentioned in the early paragraphs of this verdict will remain on ice.
Of course, should things not go to plan at QPR, things could very quickly turn again; something someone as experienced as Hodgson will be more than aware of.
OPINION
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