Having fallen at the first hurdle in this year’s FA Cup, Bristol City return to Championship action this weekend as they travel to the Coventry Building Society Arena to face Coventry City.
The Robins come into Saturday afternoon’s game unbeaten in their last four league matches having claimed 10 points from a possible 12 over the festive period. While Liam Manning was frustrated by his side’s cup exit, he and his squad’s full focus is now on the race for the play-off places.
Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues are currently 16th in the Championship table, only six points clear of Hull City who occupy the final spot in the relegation zone and 12 away from the top six. Although they managed to book their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup against Sheffield Wednesday last time out, Coventry have only managed to win one of their last five league games.
The powers at be at the CBS Arena made the bold decision to part ways with Mark Robins early on this season. While he did oversee a disappointing start to the season, things haven’t changed immensely under Lampard who has won four of his opening 10 matches.
City have already faced the Sky Blues twice this season, both times at Ashton Gate. The first saw Coventry knock the Robins out of the Carabao Cup in the first round and the second saw the points shared in a 1-1 draw as George Tanner’s brilliant volley was cancelled out by former Red, Kasey Palmer.
Since then, a lot has changed at both clubs and it is unlikely those previous encounters will have any bearing on what happens on Saturday afternoon.
Ahead of Saturday’s game, Bristol Live spoke to Simon Lillibury from That Cov Pod to get the latest insight from the CBS Arena…
How would you evaluate Coventry’s campaign so far?
Coventry’s campaign so far has been underwhelming to say the least. Few people would have thought we’d have a new manager in charge back in August and the squad simply haven’t lived up to the hype most pundits and fans gave them during pre-season. While most were expecting a top-six finish or beyond, we now find ourselves in the lower mid-table, searching for a new way forward under Lampard. After so many years of stability and progression under Robins, this season has been an unwelcome shock to the system.
What has been the biggest issue holding the Sky Blues back so far this season?
The biggest issue holding us back has to be the lack of experience and leadership throughout the squad. This summer we lost Matty Godden, Liam Kelly, Simon Moore and Callum O’Hare, while the likes of Kyle McFadzean also recently departed. They were players that had been around for years and were real leaders.
In their place, we have a squad that possesses talent but lacks the know-how and experience to grind out wins. The late defeat at Norwich was a prime example of what we’ve seen all season. Combine that with the loss of key coaches Adi Viveash and Dennis Lawrence in 2024, the lack of investment in the midfield across the summer, key injuries to Ben Sheaf and underperforming strikers and you have a lot to go at. Statistically, the underlying data has been good throughout the season and having changed the majority of the coaching staff, the blame now lies at the players’ door.
What sort of impact has Frank Lampard had since arriving at the CBS Arena?
Lampard’s impact is tough to judge for me so far. We’ve not enjoyed the usual new manager bounce that you usually see, but there have been improvements in some aspects. The form of Ephron Mason-Clark was the big turnaround that we saw. He was given minutes in his preferred left-wing position and duly delivered and he was named December’s Championship Player of the Month but is now injured. He only got his opportunity due Haji Wright picking up an injury in the final game before Lampard arrived.
We seem to have more of the ball under Frank and have recently switched to a three at the back due to those key injuries but he still needs to settle on his preferred system and line-up. Hopefully, a few January additions will help him do just that, with the midfield in serious need of some help. Wright and Mason-Clarke returning from injury in the near future will also be massive and give us more of an idea of how Lampard wants to set up this squad in the long term.
Bristol City Live on Whatsapp
Join Bristol City Live’s Whatsapp community for all the biggest Bristol City stories sent straight to your phone
Bristol City Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.
Through the app, we’ll send the Bristol City news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis and more straight to your phone.
To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select ‘Join Community’.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live team.
We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.
To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’.
If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
How is former Robin Jay Dasilva getting on this season?
Jay Dasilva has been one of the players who has disappointed fans this season, but he’s not on his own in that regard. He seems like a great guy to have in the squad but he constantly is targeted physically and has cost us a few goals this term. It doesn’t help that we have switched between a back four and five, but Jake Bidwell seems a fair more solid option in either system in that position.
Who are they key players Bristol City fans should be looking out for?
Fortunately for Bristol City fans, Coventry’s three most influential players are all unlikely to start. Mason-Clark is definitely out with a hamstring strain, captain Ben Sheaf is out for around four weeks and although Wright is the closest to returning, he will only be named on the bench if he is to make the matchday squad.
In terms of the fit players, Jack Rudoni has been a threat this season and boasts an excellent delivery from set pieces. It depends on what type of Ellis Simms turns up in attack. If he fancies it, he can run centre-backs ragged, but unfortunately, consistency has been his issue this term and he can be quiet at times. Tatsuhiro Sakamoto is also an exciting winger to watch when he’s on the ball. He could turn your full-backs inside out if he is given the chance!