INSTINCT? LOOK HIOU IS TALKING

FAMARA DIEDHIOU described the festive cracker that took the fizz out of Wycombe’s Christmas as pure instinct.

Just as he did against Derby and Blackburn this season, the powerful striker (above) bounded off the bench to net a winner that kept City’s Championship play-off bid on course.

But this was his most spectacular contribution, a right-footed rocket from 15 yards on 87 minutes that flashed into the roof of the net. “I just hit it. There were no questions in my head,” he said. “When the ball dropped, I simply banged it in without thinking.”

The battle for one place between Diedhiou and Chris Martin is proving important to City head coach Dean Holden.

Martin responded to being selected by heading home a cross from the on-fire Callum O’Dowda on 23 minutes. But rockbottom Wycombe deservedly equalised on 68 minutes when Garath McCleary’s shot took a deflection off Adrian Mariappa to wrong-foot goalkeeper Dan Bentley.

At that point, the visitors looked the more likely winners and manager Gareth Ainsworth found plenty of positives in their performance. He said: “I’m not sure how we lost because I would have been disappointed with a point on the balance of play.

“City paid £5million for Diedhiou, which is more than my entire team cost, so they are entitled to expect that sort of finish.” BRISTOL CITY: Bentley 6, Hunt 6, Kalas 9, Vyner 7 (Mariappa 64, 6), Rowe 6, Semenyo 7, Bakinson 5, Nagy 6, O’Dowda 8 (Edwards 77, 6), Wells 5 (Diedhiou 69, 8), Martin 7

WYCOMBE: Allsop 6, Grimmer 5, Knight 7, Charles 7, Jacobson 6, Thompson 7 (Adeniran 83), McLeary 8, Horgan 6, Onyedinma 6 (Mehmeti 62, 6), Akenfenwa 6, Kashket 7 REF: Keith Stroud