Pearson delighted as his ‘gritty’ City treat fans to away win
It was a collective effort, a bit gritty, it had to be against a side that have got quite a bit of quality
NIGEL Pearson praised his side for showing the exact reaction that was required at Stoke City, describing the performance in a 1-0 win as gritty, stubborn, honest and organised.
The Bristol City manager asked his group of players to show their character and personalities on the pitch and they certainly did that with Jay Dasilva the unlikely goalscoring hero when his cross rippled the back of the net with 10 minutes to play.
The Robins were resolute in defence, frustrating the Potters with their doggedness, as City gained just their second clean sheet in 21 matches.
On any other day, City could have had added to their scoreline had Antoine Semenyo worn his shooting boots but Pearson was delighted with the application his side showed to come away with a rare away win.
Speaking after the game, he said: “We talk about personalities and I think we showed that in abundance today. It was a collective effort, a bit gritty, it had to be against a side that have got quite a bit of quality.
“For me, it was about the way we approached the game and had we had drawn or lost it, that would have been the most important thing for me as it is now but it’s nice to get rewards for the hard, honest endeavour and we created some really good chances, too.
“It was a good away performance, stubborn, organised and we counter-attacked with some real threat.”
Pearson, who shared a wry smile when he described Dasilva’s goal as a “pinpoint cross to the far post”, admitted one of his main frustrations is that his side fail to show those characteristics on a more consistent basis, especially coming off the back of a below-par showing against Peterborough last weekend.
“I think that is one of the frustrations for all of us and for our supporters who have travelled up in numbers again today,” he added.
“They see us at home last week and I don’t ever like to show disrespect for opponents because what we have to remember is that Peterborough are fighting for their lives and our own performance didn’t produce what we needed to. This week, there was a determination that everybody could see out there.
“When you consider the whole of
last season fans weren’t a part of the matchday experience, for me I get great enjoyment seeing the players interact with the fans today. It’s a big part of playing sport professionally.
“We’ve had harsh lessons at times, we’ve not been a million miles away from being 10 to 15
points more. Our season would look a lot more healthy than it feels at times.
“It’s important the players enjoy being together and they’ll enjoy their journey back together on the team coach. Those are parts of the day that are important, especially when we’ve had the season that we’ve had, some promise, disappointments, and tough times, too.
“But we still are capable of putting in a performance, which, while it wasn’t pretty, we caused them problems because we irritated them with possession in the first half, created chances in the second.”