Few would have expected when the Championship season got underway that Marcus McGuane would have become one of the first names on the Bristol City teamsheet heading into the festive period.
The midfielder arrived from Oxford United with little fanfare during the summer transfer window, with most supporters expecting the 25-year-old to be little more than a rotation option who would provide some depth in the middle of the park following Taylor Gardner-Hickman’s loan move to Birmingham.
However, an injury to Joe Williams ultimately opened the door for the former England youth international to establish himself as a starter and while McGuane is keen to see his teammate back to full fitness, he is relishing the chance to put together a run of games in City colours.
“Obviously Joe is an excellent player and was playing beforehand,” McGuane said in his pre-match press conference. “Now that I’ve got the opportunity to play, I feel like it’s my responsibility to step up.
“I came here because I wanted to play and I feel like I’m more than good enough to play. I feel like it’s a very competitive group and that’s what you need. Hopefully, Joe isn’t too far away from coming back and that will boost the team and make us better both in training and for the games.
“Like I said I want to play and put together good performances to keep my shirt.”
In Williams’ absence, McGuane has formed a strong midfield partnership with Jason Knight with Max Bird typically deployed ahead of the more defensive pair. So far, the Robins’ new-look midfield trio has appeared to be well-balanced both in possession and when without the ball, with City’s summer signing adding a bit of defensive steel in the middle of the pitch.
Having faced off against both Knight and Bird during his time at Oxford United, McGuane is relishing the opportunity to play alongside the former Derby County duo.
“Obviously I’ve played against them a lot of times and they’re fantastic players,” the 25-year-old said. “They’re really good players and Knighty is really good to play with in midfield.
“I feel like first and foremost, defensively we do a good job and then on the ball, he’s a great player. Max as well, I feel like he’s got fantastic ability and fantastic talent and they’re two real good lads.”
During his time at the Kassam Stadium, McGuane played under the management of Manning and his assistant Chris Hogg, playing some of his best football in Oxford United colours during their spell in charge.
Although the project at Ashton Gate has many differences from the one currently developing at Oxford, the midfielder feels his previous experience under the City boss has helped him adapt to life in the South West.
“I feel like it’s very similar,” McGuane explained. “Liam and Hoggy obviously have their way of playing and their identity so I feel like it’s quite easy for me to slot into that.
“The structure is there for us as players and they give you the freedom to go there and express it. At times, as a team, we could probably do that a bit better and show that a bit more, but I feel like since I’ve been here I’ve been able to see the clear progression of the team and see what we’re trying to do out on the pitch.”
While the Robins have been in impressive form on the road so far this season, they have struggled to turn good performances into wins at Ashton Gate. Their last win at home came all the way back in September when they managed to get the better of both McGuane and Manning’s former club Oxford United.
Only Hull City, QPR and Portsmouth have managed to pick up fewer than City’s 10 points at home so far this season. However, McGuane insists that poor record isn’t playing on the mind of him or his teammates.
“Me personally, I would say that I haven’t felt that,” the midfielder admitted. “But I can obviously see by the results that is the case.
“I can’t put a finger on it but like I said, all we can do is go into every game confident. I feel like we’re a confident group of boys, we know what the game plan is, and we know what we want to get out of the game, so it’s just about being confident and obviously turning those draws or losses into results.
“The games that we have drawn and lost have been pretty tight and we’ve shown that we can compete, so I feel like it’s fine margins.”
Manning’s side registered back-to-back defeats for the first time since September as they were beaten 1-0 by Watford at Vicarage Road on Tuesday evening as once again the Reds failed to convert their chances into goals.
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Even though the Robins have drawn a blank in each of their last two matches, they have got into some good positions and forced good saves from James Trafford and Daniel Bachmann and McGuane believes that shows it isn’t time for City to start panicking.
“It would probably be easy for us to say we were a little bit unlucky,” he said. “As players, we probably put pressure on ourselves going into every game knowing that games are won on scoring and the way you defend your box as well.
“As I said, we created some good opportunities and I think I’d be a little more worried if we weren’t getting into those positions and creating those opportunities.
Bristol City welcome Plymouth Argyle and Wayne Rooney to Ashton Gate on Saturday. The Pilgrims are yet to win on their travels so far this season and were beaten 6-1 by Norwich City last time out so supporters are expecting to see Manning’s Reds get back to winning ways.
Although McGuane is confident the Robins are close to getting back to winning ways, the 25-year-old believes it would be naive to expect Argyle to roll over after such a big defeat.
“That’s the thing about the Championship, you can’t underestimate any team,” the midfielder explained. “They’ve had a heavy defeat, but I feel that a team that has suffered that are probably going into this game knowing that they need a reaction as well.
“We know what we need to do and we know what what we need to get out of the game so I feel like that’s all we can do, focus on ourselves and play our normal game.
“Like I said, goals win games so that’s the main objective.”