We’ve only ourselves to blame, laments Pearson
BRISTOL City were agonisingly close to securing the three points and getting that home win monkey off their back: a clubrecord run in BS3 that has been pushed on to 17 games.
But for a third time this season the Robins wilted at home in injury time and Ashton Gate was left stunned at the final whistle.
A first senior goal for 18-year-old Alex Scott put the hosts ahead and it looked likely that the West Country outfit would finally secure a victory at home for the first time since January 26, when Huddersfield were beaten 2-1.
Lyle Taylor’s two injury-time strikes - one from the penalty spot, and another as Dan Bentley pushed a Joe Lolley strike straight at the 31-year-old forward, who pushed the ball into the open net - dramaticall and decisively changed the course of the game however.
Pearson bemoaned the ‘Groundhog Day’ feeling to the media after the game, after Luton Town (90+1 minutes) and Blackpool (90+3) also scored in injury time to get rewards while visiting BS3, and even Forest Green Rovers (90+6) did too in the EFL Cup.
Fitness has improved at Bristol City but he was asked if there was work still to do on concentration?
“It’s Groundhog Day, talking to you chaps isn’t it?,” said Pearson after the game. “In terms of you looking for different ways of asking the same question. The bottom line is we’ve thrown away a very, very good situation. I think we’ve played okay. In the second half we didn’t get a hold of the ball in the way we needed to. In the first half in particular we were very good at stopping them from playing, we did some good stuff ourselves but in the second half we were wasteful and if we had drawn the game I would still have been disappointed. To be stood here talking about a 2-1 defeat is really quite tough.
“My job now is to make sure we get the preparation right for the weekend. I’m not going to bemoan the situation; I’m not going to make excuses. It’s a game we should have come away from with three points but we’ve really thrown it away tonight and we’ve only got ourselves to blame,” he said. As for the continuing run at home, it’s now 266 days since a win at home, and 615 since supporters saw one in person given the 18 months without crowds at matches during covid regulations.
Pearson was asked if he had a message for supporters who have had to trudge through this dire run.
“Yes, I’ve got sympathy for them and they’re quite right to grumble but if they want to grumble, grumble at me. Not the players,” he said.
“We’re desperately wanting to give the fans something to be positive about. I thought the fans stuck with the team throughout the game and that’s important but of course I understand their frustrations. It’s not an easy one for them, I know that. We have a great fanbase, a very loyal fanbase and we’re not really giving them what they deserve.”