With the international break now entering its second week, Bristol City Under-21’s clash with Charlton Athletic at Ashton Gate offered a glimpse of what the future could hold for the Robins.
Although City were forced to settle for a 0-0 draw as they spurned multiple good scoring chances, there were plenty of positive aspects to their performance to leave supporters encouraged heading into the next stretch of Championship games.
Olly Thomas will have felt he should have broken the deadlock in the opening exchanges as he turned an excellent cross over the bar with his left foot, while both Elijah Morrison and Rob Atkinson had clear opportunities to secure all three points in BS3.
At the other end, Joe Duncan didn’t have a whole lot to do between the posts as the Robins’ backline kept the visitor’s dangerous attack at arm’s length for the majority of the clash.
Of course, there will be some concerns about the lack of clear scoring chances City produced over the course of the 90 minutes, but it only ever felt like one side would manage to secure all three points.
There may not have been too much action on the pitch, but we’ve delved into the main talking points from the draw…
New role for Rob Atkinson
While it has been a long time since Atkinson last made a first-team appearance for City, the centre-back has been included in each of the Robins’ last two matchday squads and appears to be closing in on a return to full fitness.
His 90 minutes at Ashton Gate on Monday was his second of the international break. Although there were one or two signs of rust, the defender got about the pitch well and went about his work diligently without ever needing to get out of second gear to send a reminder to supporters of just how good he can be.
What was interesting to note however was the fact he was playing as the right-sided centre-back in City’s back four with Josh Campbell-Slowey to his left. Most City fans will remember the left-footed defender playing on the left-hand side of one of Zak Vyner or Tomas Kalas or as the left-sided member of a back three for much of his career at Ashton Gate.
Despite being on his weaker side, the 26-year-old looked as comfortable as ever in possession and even managed to pop up with one or two of his trademark attacking runs that Robins supporters have missed over the last 18 months or so.
With Rob Dickie firmly established as the left-sided defender in Liam Manning’s current system, you have to wonder if Atkinson is being deployed in this new position so that he can play alongside his namesake when he returns to the first team starting XI. Even if that isn’t the case, it is yet another string to the excellent defender’s bow and his return will to full fitness will be a massive boost to the Robins ahead of the festive period.
Elijah Morrison sends an attacking reminder
City supporters have certainly been left excited by what they’ve seen from Morrison so far this season. The teenager has been introduced twice from the bench this season, both against Leeds United and Sheffield United, and impressed with his energy and work rate on the left flank.
Against Charlton at Ashton Gate on Monday, he was deployed in a more advanced role as a left winger ahead of Raphael Araoye at left-back and didn’t look at all out of place as he stretched the game with his impressive pace and trickery.
Although he couldn’t test the keeper with his shot right at the end of the first half, he was City’s biggest threat going forward as he played numerous teasing crosses into the penalty area and linked up well with those around him at the top end of the pitch to cause the away side plenty of problems.
With both Cam Pring and Haydon Roberts back from injury, opportunities for Morrison to impress as a left-back in Manning’s side could well prove hard to come by after the international break. The 18-year-old’s ability to perform in that more advanced, attacking role could well offer him another route into the first team, especially with the fixtures coming thick and fast over the festive period.
He will have of course have to try attempt to displace Anis Mehmeti who has really begun to establish himself as a regular starter with some excellent displays prior to the November international break.
Young talent tied down
After the full-time whistle at Ashton Gate on Monday, the Robins announced later in the evening that Luke Skinner had put pen to paper on his first professional contract which would see him remain with the Robins until the summer of 2027.
The wide forward didn’t manage to get on the scoresheet against Charlton, but he did stand out in a similar way to Morrison. His quick feet in the penalty area and direct dribbling style caused the Addicks’ backline all sorts of problems and while he never quite managed to test the keeper, there was enough on show to suggest the 17-year-old could be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
City deserve credit for moving quickly to secure the teenager’s services with such a long-term deal. So often teams outside of the top flight see some of their brightest talents poached by top-flight teams but by agreeing these sorts of contracts, the Robins have put themselves in a great position to retain players like Skinner.
Hopefully, the 17-year-old can continue to kick on and add a little more end product to his game. Manning has shown he is willing to throw young players in the deep end already this season, when he believes they are ready, and if the teenager continues to impress, he could be the next cab off of the rank on the Ashton Gate production line.
Brian Tinnion in attendance
Brian Tinnion may not have quite as hands-on a role with the academy as he once did at Bristol City now that he is the Robins’ technical director, but the former Reds player and manager was in attendance in BS3 on Monday afternoon.
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The 56-year-old watched on at Ashton Gate and could be seen in conversation with Ali Hines and some of the players after the full-time whistle so it is safe to say that he is still keeping an incredibly close eye on what is happening at the City academy.
Considering his current role, it is of course still vitally important that Tinnion knows what sort of talent is coming up on the impressive production line that is the Robins youth set-up so he knows what sort of additions will be required when the January transfer window rolls around.
While it was hard to tell if Manning was in attendance from our vantage point halfway up the Lansdown Stand, the first team boss was at last week’s game against Exeter City in the Premier League Cup. It is safe to say the major decision makers at the club have a good understanding of what sort of players could be knocking on the first team door in the coming weeks and months.
While some fans have been quick to suggest there is a lack of a pathway to the first team fro academy players at this moment in time, the Reds appear to be doing all that they can to ready their young talent for the step up to the first team.
The scoring issue remains
One of the criticisms levelled at City’s first team so far this term has been their occasional inability to transform possession and dominance into genuine scoring chances. While this was only one game for the Under-21s, a similar issue was present.
City managed to repeatedly get into the final third and create an overload or a scoring opportunity, only to either turnaround and play backward or play the wrong pass at the wrong time to kill the attack.
Although Thomas could have scored in the opening exchanges, he didn’t see an awful lot of the ball at the top end of the pitch and occasionally looked slightly isolated as both Morrison and Luke Skinner stayed out wide. Ultimately, it doesn’t too matter if this is a one-off, but it will be slightly concerning for fans if both the men’s first team and the Under-21s are suffering in a similar manner in the final third.
Perhaps the main difference between the two sides is the fact that one team has a free-scoring forward like Nahki Wells and the other is missing that sort of presence at the top end of the field. City need to find a way of converting possession into goals more regularly if they want to make a genuine top-six push over the coming months.