Palmer’s positive play helps City break their Preston curse
BRISTOL CITY VS PRESTON NORTH END, CHAMPIONSHIP Talking points from Bristol City’s victory against Preston at Ashton Gate, by Gregor MacGregor
THE new year is showing promise for City, with two wins in two league and cup games since the defeat at Luton on Deceber 29. Invincibility may not last long but it was time to enjoy getting one over this particular Lancastrian opposition at long last.
We wish Antoine Semenyo well. His absence on Saturday for personal reasons led to Dean Holden calling on Kasey Palmer, and promoting the former Swansea City loanee from the bench to the starting XI at Ashton Gate, and Palmer was integral to one of City’s best home performances of the season.
Only once had City won at home by more than one goal in the league (Sheffield Wednesday back in September) and to do so again four months on shows where improvement is needed.
FRONT-FOOT FOOTBALL CITY, injected by vigour from
Palmer, started on the front foot. The pressing was high and so were spirits with the midfield playmaker central to it: demanding the ball, finding space, dictating the proceedings and taking on his markers at every opportunity. At one point in the first half he was playing keep-ball against four Preston midfielders, until dumped to the ground by a late challenge.
Unfortunately, the former Chelsea man could not come up with the telling contribution but instead the unlikely Tommy Rowe could. His corner on eight minutes landed nicely on the head of Famara Diedhiou for the in-form striker to score his fifth of the season and City’s fourth of the last five goals the Robins have scored at home.
Ben Davies is reportedly wanted by Premier League sides and could move to the top division in the summer, while fellow centre-back
Paul Huntington is highly rated, too, hitting the crossbar in the second half from a corner in this game. But neither could deal with the powerful Diedhiou who has been City’s most in-form player of late, constantly reminding the club’s hierarchy of his worth.
City were on their way to an unlikely win against dreaded opposition. It had been almost 10 years since Preston were beaten by City but suddenly the Robins had their tails up, with both full-backs raiding high and Chris Martin and Diedhiou stretching the defence. It took until well into the first half for Preston to register their first and only shot on target as Darnell Fisher crossed low and Scott Sinclair got a shot away.
Palmer was superb early on and is maybe a reflection of the strength in depth at top-six rivals Swansea City that they could afford to have the playmaker on their bench. City do not have that luxury. Even though there will probably be games where the 24-year-old does not have such an impact, and he was strangely afforded a lot of space in the middle (although who would have predicted a 4-4-2 with Zak Vyner excellent in defensive midfield and Palmer and Adelakun wide?), City need such players.
CAPABLE KASEY
PALMER carried City forward and there was an exuberance to the home side’s play all too lacking at times in this campaign and in the last one. That attitude possibly rubbed off on others and we saw a front-foot performance for the first time in weeks.
As Diedhiou scored from a setpiece to further force the hand in those contract negotiations, there were more signs that this partnership with Chris Martin may offer
more than anything Nahki Wells has to offer at the moment. The 30-year-old is a very handy option from the bench, however.
Sky Sports exclaimed that City never lose when ahead and they were proved correct, with Zak Vyner snapping into tackles in the middle and lending a physical authority sadly lacking at other times. Daniel Johnson was thrown to the floor in one mugging, and it was great fun to see.
Aided by Adam Nagy’s energetic pressing and runs beyond the front two at times, there was a lovely blend to this City team. The Robins had every golf tool for the occasion, as Lee Johnson might say. City could go long or had the silks to finesse it with craft instead, as Hakeeb Adelakun majestically dragged the ball at times like a wayward toddler inadvertently wandering toward danger only to be yanked back by the watchful parent.
That parent watching over the merging youth at Bristol City is Dean Holden, with the head coach effusive in his praise of Vyner and Palmer, pictured, after the game.
“He didn’t half put in a performance, particularly in that first half,” said Holden afterwards of
Palmer. “To come out from the cold like he’s done, someone told me it’s over a year since he last started, and we saw his qualities.”
And the head coach did more than alright too: his recent 4-4-2 has now helped lead to three wins in four at Ashton Gate and City remain in the hunt for the top six, even if a buffer of four points looks sizeable to making the jump to the play-off positions.
PRESTON RESPONSE
PRESTON came into their own in the second half and were dominant for a good 25 minutes. Forced from their slumber, no doubt warmed by some straight talking from Neil at the break.
City didn’t start the second period as rampantly as they did the first. Perhaps they knew what was to come. Palmer tired, it was his first start since December 2, and the Robins sank back.
But they dug in, weathered the storm (a storm that did not actually see Dan Bentley have to make a save however; he only had one to make all game) and then ended the match in the rampant mood that they started, partly revived by the energy that Han-Noah Massengo added, with one stinging low drive at Daniel Iversen almost stealing the show.
But the Preston curse is broken, if there ever was one, and City roll on. Now able to look forward, perhaps the shackles will be thrown off for several young players who have looked short of confidence of late but who may now see brighter times ahead again.