Liam Manning has made a spirited claim following Bristol City’s win over Millwall, with the Reds boss insisting his squad “can’t not get better” in the future because of their work ethic, attitude and honesty.
The Robins moved level on points with sixth-placed West Brom following their 2-0 win at The Den on Tuesday evening. Second-half goals from Zak Vyner and Harry Cornick proved to be enough for City to claim all three points and secure a first win away from Ashton Gate since before the November international break.
Vyner turned home his first of the season, early in the second half, after Cam Pring picked him out with a smart pass to the back post. Cornick then wrapped up the victory with his first Reds goal in over a year after Lukas Jensen was unable to keep ahold of Sam Bell’s half-volleyed effort.
The win in South East London ended a run of nine away games without a win for the Robins. While Manning has remained adamant his side’s performances on the road have been better than results have shown, he believes the tough recent run can only help his “young” group continue to grow and improve.
“I think that’s the bit. I know you’ve spoken a lot about the away form as well but we’ve been in good positions and conceded,” Manning said to Bristol Live after the full-time whistle. “It’s not like we’ve gone away from home and not been in games or not been close.
“The group is so young, we’ve only got one player in Nahki [Wells] over the age of 30. When you look at it, the group, if they keep reflecting on the experiences we have, they can’t not get better with the way they work, with their attitude to learn and improve and their honesty.
“You can be really tough with them and they’re honest with themselves so the group are great to work with.”
While neither team managed to create too many clear-cut chances at The Den on Tuesday night, the best scoring opportunities of the game seemed to fall the Reds’ way. Scott Twine and George Earthy both forced strong saves from Jensen and the Lions’ keeper denied Mark Sykes what looked like a simple tap-in when he punched clear Pring’s cross from the left wing.
Other than a brief spell before the break, City had dominated the opening 45 minutes even if they hadn’t managed to break the deadlock. Alex Neil felt that his side’s slow start was a result of a slight shift in the Robins’ system which saw them press with a defensive five, rather than in a 4-4-2 formation.
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.
Although Manning confirmed after the full-time whistle that the minor tweak was made deliberately to try and get the better of the Lions, he felt his side’s fight both in and out of possession was what them helped get over the line in the end.
“Of course, we did our work on them and rightly so because they’re such a difficult opponent,” Manning admitted at full-time. “It was one of those, we’re always trying to find that sweet spot of adapting elements to the opposition and also trying to be us and we spoke around that.
“We knew we were going to have to earn the right tonight, we knew we were going to have to fight, duels, second balls, we knew we were going to have to do that. I think that was kind of the biggest message and then it was a case of trying to do us, go and play how we want to play.
“You never get it all your way in a game of football so of course they had real moments where they got on top, but we showed that desire to defend and put our bodies on the line. I thought it was a really professional performance.”