MASSENGO’S MESSAGE OF A REAL FIGHT

HAN-NOAH MASSENGO revealed that a team meeting during the week led to Bristol City ending a club record run of seven successive home defeats.

Boss Nigel Pearson had questioned the commitment of some of his senior players after a tame surrender at Coventry.

The response was a get-together without the manager, which ended with a collective determination to prove him wrong.

Midfielder Massengo (above with Forest’s James Garner) said: “We had a talk and decided we had to give everything on the pitch.

“Above all, that’s what we needed to do.

“The team is more important than any one player and today we were together and fought hard.

“It was only a draw and we always want three points.

”Now we have to take this performance into our next game and start winning again.”

The 19-year-old Frenchman – an £8million buy from Monaco in August 2019 – led by example, covering every inch of the Ashton Gate pitch.

Forest boss Chris Hughton bemoaned the lack of a cutting edge and warned that if his current squad could not find it, he would make changes in the summer.

“I don’t want to have a team, who keep clean sheets, but can’t score,” said Hughton.

“To have our top scorer on four goals at this stage of the season proves we need to demand more from individuals.

“Those goals have to be provided by players already in the squad or new ones that come here for next season.”

BRISTOL CITY: Bentley 6, Simpson 7 (Hunt 82), Vyner 7, Kalas 8, Rowe 6; Lansbury 7 (Bakinson 79), Massengo 8; Pearson 6 (Diedhiou 72), Semenyo 6, Palmer 6; Wells 6 (Conway 72, 6).

N FOREST: Samba 6, Christie 7, Worrall 7, Mckenna 7, Blackett 7, Yates 7, Garner 7, Knockaert 7, Krovinovic 7 (Dias 84), Mighten 7 (Freeman 88), Grabban 6 (Taylor 76). REFEREE: Stephen Martin