Pearson praises fighting spirit after dogged display

DELIGHTED Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson hailed his team as they clinched a battling win over Preston.

First-half goals from midfielders Mark Sykes and Sam Bell did the damage for the Robins who survived a spirited second-half fightback from the Lilywhites.

Veteran striker Ched Evans pulled a goal back for the hosts shortly after the hour mark as Preston piled on the pressure in a frantic finish. But Pearson’s charges clung on to extend their healthy unbeaten run to eight games.

Defeat was Preston’s fifth league defeat in a row at home this season as their play-off hopes took an unwelcome dive.

“I was really pleased with the collective effort and our desire,” said Pearson.

“It was a bit tetchy at times, but it doesn’t matter because it will go down as an away win.

“We had to be up for the battle – and we were.

“They put us under a lot of pressure but we showed some really quality in a tough, physical game.”

Sykes pounced after only six minutes when Robbie Brady sold his goalkeeper Freddie Woodman short, firing into an empty net. Bell doubled the lead in first-half injury time with a clinical strike before Evans grabbed his seventh of the season to set up a tense finish.

Preston manager Ryan Lowe said: “It’s disheartening. Our reaction in the second half was fantastic, but both goals were sloppy.”

PRESTON: Woodman 6; Storey 6, Lindsay 5 (Cunningham (45) 6), Hughes 6; Browne 6 (Potts (82) 6), Ledson 6 (Onomah (81) 6), McCann 6, Brady 5 (Fernandez (82) 6); Delap 6, Evans 7, Cannon 6

BRISTOL CITY: O’Leary 6; Tanner 6 (Kalas (68) 5), Vyner 7, Atkinson 7, Pring 6; James 6, Naismith 5 (Williams (31) 6); Sykes 8, Scott 7, Bell 8 (Weimann (88) 6); Wells 7 (Cornick (68) 5)

STAR MAN: Sam Bell – The midfielder impressed and bagged his fourth goal in as many games.

Leigh Doughty 7