Goals from Josh Brownhill, Famara Diedhiou and Bobby Reid saw Bristol City to a 3-1 victory over the Blues, their first win at Portman Road in 39 years, Martyn Waghorn netting for Town. Brownhill’s deflected goal put the visitors in front in the second minute, Diedhiou doubled the lead on 31, before Waghorn pulled a goal back for the Blues four minutes prior to half-time. However, there was to be no second half comeback from Town and Reid sealed the three points eight minutes from the end.

Mick McCarthy unsurprisingly initially named the same XI which beat Sunderland 5-2 on Tuesday evening.

However, Tom Adeyemi suffered an injury in the warm-up and Tristan Nydam replaced the former Cardiff City man alongside Cole Skuse in the deeper midfield role.

McCarthy again started with Waghorn, David McGoldrick, Bersant Celina behind lone out-and-out striker Joe Garner.

Central defender Adam Webster was back on the bench after recovering from his ankle injury, while keeper Dean Gerken also returned to the 18 after missing the Black Cats thrashing due to a hip problem.

For Bristol City, who went into the game seventh, one place and one point behind the Blues, midfielder Marlon Pack, who has already amassed five bookings for the season, was replaced by Brownhill in an otherwise unchanged side.

The visitors took the lead with the first shot of the game. Callum O’Dowda cut the ball back from the right to Brownhill, who hit a shot from the edge of the box which hit Nydam in the face and deflected past the wrong-footed Bartosz Bialkowski to his right.

The Robins created another opportunity in the 10th minute with Famara Diedhiou sent away with only Luke Chambers between him and the goal but the Blues’ skipper make an important challenge.

Bristol City continued to have most of the ball and might have done better with an opening in the 13th minute but Reid eventually shot powerfully from a tight angle on the right against Jonas Knudsen with the ball ricocheting back somewhat painfully into his own face.

On 17 Knudsen was shown the game’s first yellow card for a foul on O’Dowda after the Irishman had got away from him on halfway. The Danish international subsequently underwent treatment before continuing.

The visitors were inches from doubling their lead in the 21st minute when Reid cut in from the right and smashed a powerful shot which was goalbound until Jordan Spence slid in and got enough on the ball to deflect it on to the bar. Without Spence’s touch the ball would certainly have ended up in the net.

The Blues finally started to cause the Robins backline some problems in the 22nd minute when Skuse sent Garner away towards goal but the former Rangers man was crowded out and his shot looped into the air off a defender

A minute later, Waghorn was sent away down the right by McGoldrick and cut the ball back to the edge of the area for ex-Robin Skuse, whose shot was blocked.

After a slow first 20 minutes the Blues were starting to make an impact and on 27 Garner fed Celina not too far outside the area and the on-loan Manchester City man hit a powerful shot just past Bristol City keeper Frank Fielding’s right post. Moments later, Joe Bryan was booked for wild lunge on Garner.

But the visitors quickly got back on top, Jamie Paterson wasting an opportunity when he cut in from the right and smashed a shot which flew out for a throw.

However, on 31 Paterson created his side’s second goal of the game. The former Nottingham Forest man crossed from the left and Diedhiou rose above the diminutive Nydam and nodded down and into the corner of the net to claim his sixth goal of the season, his fifth in six games.

The Blues carved out what was their best chance of the half in the 36th minute when Iorfa cut the ball back to Celina from the right and the Kosovan international diverted towards goal but Fielding saved sharply.

Bialkowski gathered low to his left from Paterson on 40, then a minute later the Blues pulled a goal back.

After good work from McGoldrick, the ball ran out to Knudsen on the left and the Danish international sent in a low ball which the on-rushing Waghorn slammed his sixth goal for Town having made only six starts into the net off the underside of the bar.

Garner and Aden Flint clashed soon after the restart, the City defender appearing to stand on the Blues frontman following a challenge on halfway. After speaking to both players after the ball had gone out of play referee Simon Hooper took no action.

Moments later, Flint’s central defensive colleague Nathan Baker caught Garner with a flailing arm as they battled for an aerial ball, Hooper awarding Town a freekick but surprisingly not showing the former Aston Villa man a card.

Bristol City threatened again in the final moments of injury time, Flint heading Paterson’s left-sided corner into the ground and Bialkowski tipping it over the bar.

Soon after, referee Hooper brought an entertaining half to a close with the Robins deserving their lead.

Lee Johnson’s men had controlled the game for the most part and could well have scored more than their two goals, Spence having got in a vital touch to divert Reid’s shot on to the bar.

Town had started slowly and didn’t really get going until the 20-minute mark when they began to have more of the ball and create one or two chances.

Waghorn’s goal gave the Blues a lifeline ahead of the second half but their performance needed to be an improvement on their first-half display if were to get anything out of the game.

Bristol City were the first to threaten after the restart, O’Dowda breaking away in the 49th minute after a Town corner and Knudsen blocking his shot.

The Blues created a chance a minute later when McGoldrick cleverly turned away from his man in the centre circle and found Garner just outside the area to the left. The former Preston striker took the ball down on his chest before hitting a well-struck shot but too close to Fielding, who batted away.

Flint shot wide for the visitors, then in the 54th minute Town switched Iorfa for Adam Webster, back after the ankle injury he sustained at Luton in the Carabao Cup in August. Webster slipped into his usual central defensive role with Spence moving to right-back.

Nydam found Garner with a cross from deep on the left on 56, the striker diverting the ball into the box but a defender clearing.

In the 62nd minute Freddie Sears replaced Celina, who had been unable to make the same impact as he had on Tuesday.

O’Dowda curled a shot wide on 66 before Grant Ward replaced McGoldrick, the Blues’ number 10 quickly making his way to the tunnel accompanied by physio Alex Chapman, although not appearing unduly hampered by injury.

Webster headed a Ward freekick over on 70, then six minutes later the visitors switched Paterson for on-loan West Brom striker Jonathan Leko.

As the game moved into its final scheduled 10 minutes Garner was booked for jumping into Flint and in the 82nd minute the visitors sealed their first victory at Portman Road since a 1-0 win in September 1978.

The impressive Reid struck a shot from 25 yards out which caught Knudsen on the way through and beat Bialkowski.

The linesman had initially flagged, presumably as he felt the ball had been turned in by a Bristol City player, but after consultation the referee awarded the goal.

The Robins swapped O’Dowda for Niclas Eliasson and then Matty Taylor for Reid, shortly after the scorer of the third visitors’ goal had been booked.

The well-organised visitors saw out the remaining minutes as comfortably as they had the rest of the half to take their unbeaten run to 10 games and to climb above the Blues up to fifth.

Town can have few complaints about the result. The visitors gained their lead when on top in the first half and prevented the Blues from making too much headway in the second with Garner’s shot straight at Fielding and Webster’s header over their only real chances.

The result sees the Blues drop to eighth ahead of the international break with a trip to Sheffield United, who are third following today’s 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest, their next fixture in a fortnight’s time.

Town: Bialkowski, Iorfa (Webster 54), Chambers (c), Spence, Knudsen, Skuse, Nydam, Waghorn, McGoldrick (Ward 66), Celina (Sears 62), Garner. Unused: Gerken, Connolly, Bru, Kenlock.

Bristol City: Fielding, Bryan, Flint, Wright (c), Baker, Smith, Brownhill, Diedhiou, O’Dowda (Eliasson 86), Reid (Taylor 89), Paterson (Leko 76). Unused: Steele, Woodrow, Magnusson, Hegeler. Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire). Att: 15,256 (Bristol City: 623).

Photo: TWTD

Rensham added 17:19 - Sep 30 won't win another game this year, might get a draw against Burton away
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Reuserscurtains added 17:20 - Sep 30 I was there today as I always am, and I will say 3-1 flattered them. I know you shouldn't lose 3-1 at home but the boys played some ok stuff and were unlucky with soft goals. No point drumming the boys today. It was a loss and we move into Norwich with our heads focused. Mick played an attack side and we lost to the better team today. Love the town, let's have the Norwich

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prebsa added 17:22 - Sep 30 Well that was not to great was it. Same issues we had against Sunderland and that was our defending! Especially from set pieces. We really need to sort it out because we cant outscore our opponents every-week and today has proved that! I thought Micks subs on Tuesday were perfect, today they were the complete opposite. McGoldrick and Celina are two of our best players and two of our most creative players' dont get why he would take them off so early. Normally Mick takes way to long to make his subs. In my opinion Sears is not good enough and all he brings is extreme hard work and a lot of running around. Yes they got two deflected goals but we were defensively poor and that has been our problem today and for most other weeks. Hence why our goal against column is extremely poor, its our fantastic goals for column that is helping us out. Knudsen went from being great on Tuesday to average today and chambers was poor yet again. Forward wise we were looking okay until Mick made the changes then we couldn't get the ball to stick hence why I think the changes were wrong. We are heading in the right direction with our attacking style of play, but we need to improve our defence and quick, hopefully Webster will help with that!

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hello66 added 17:22 - Sep 30 Here we go slowly down the League .......... Mick out ....be back when his gone !
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Bluetone added 17:23 - Sep 30 Hoof, hoof, hoof the ball way up in the sky Is anyone on the other end? Who cares I don't not I.
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BlueMachines added 17:24 - Sep 30 Shame we couldn't build on Tuesday. We need the injuries to clear up and if they do we should improve defensively. Onwards and upwards from this one.
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Bluewelshman added 17:25 - Sep 30 I'm hoping that Huws comes back after the Int. break, as we need a proper box to box player to link the midfield to the attack, and today without Tom it shows that without this type of player we struggle to attack. COYB
10

yungblue added 17:26 - Sep 30 Simply beaten by a better team, they got it spot it. Better players better tactics better football. Very similar to the Fulham game. Have to come to the realisation that that shows our level, we are around a 10th/11th place team judging from the first 10 games.
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martin587 added 17:26 - Sep 30 Some you win,some you loose.I thought we played well in patches but weren't really at the races today.A few plus points though,I think that just about sums it up. No point in moaning,still a long season to go.
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ShropshireBluenago09 added 17:28 - Sep 30 Tough opposition today. Bristol city are unbeaten in 11 matches now, but by the sounds it wasnt all that one sided. We will have missed Adeyemi today, he has given Skuse more confidence. On we go, still improving.
3

yungblue added 17:30 - Sep 30 Just to mention. MM got his substations completely wrong today. Taking off Celina and McGoldrick (later forced) for Sears and Grant Ward killed the game, lost all levels of creation after that and were never getting back in the game after.
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planetblue_2011 added 17:30 - Sep 30 I've been to 3 home games this season, Birmingham, Fulham & today. First game we were advage, other two we were second best. Bristol deserved it today, they were better than us. Seems like we play well one game & crap the next. I seem to go to the crap games. Fingers crossed we turn it around again!!!
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dirtydingusmagee added 17:32 - Sep 30 WELL, Mick played the team I wanted to play, but it was a case of ''after Lord Mayors Show'' wont be slagging anyone off it was a poor game and fortunate goals sunk us , move on .
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carsey added 17:39 - Sep 30 We got beaten today because we kept hoofing the ball up for their massive centre halves to head clear. Garner was never going to win that war. Should have played on the deck at pace. Celina a waste of space today and none of the players were reacting quick enough with the possible exception of Nydam who showed that he is part of the future.
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Taricco_Fan added 17:44 - Sep 30 On the evidence so far this season we are the very definition of the flat track bully.
2

TimmyH added 17:45 - Sep 30 Well if ever there was a result to bring a team back down to earth than this is it, as good as Tuesday's performance was this on the flip side this was as bad. Strangely subdued performance by many players and basically out passed by a slicker Bristol side, in fact no Championship side had more attempts today on goal than our visitors!. A lot of work for McCarthy to do to get some balance in the side rather than all out attack, yes we might see some entertaining games particularly against bottom half clubs who we stand a reasonable chance of beating but so far we've come up with diddly squat against top half sides. Disappointing.

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blue75 added 17:52 - Sep 30 Where to begin. Right team wrong tactics. If you try to stop a team playing instead of imposing your own game on them you get what happened today. Bristol weren't great they just played football reminded me of what we used to be about. A lot of down markers for my comments about how McCarthy should attack Bristol not stop them playing looking forward to their defence of the sh*t I had to watch today!!!

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finzha added 17:56 - Sep 30 First half we actually played quite well, definitely deserved to go in level at the break. Second half was the hoof ball from last season, a shame but they forced us to do it, they were obviously happy to sit on their lead. Unlucky boys Also, what a moron that Dedhiou is for screaming like a little boy in front of our fans. Hope he gets injured
3

cat added 18:02 - Sep 30 Lacklustre performance on a day when "Madame fortuna" left the building, with pedestrian play evident, woeful passing with no urgency or intent. Credit to City for some slick counter attacking football. No complaints though going into October in 8th with a game in hand, but certainly not a performance to get the crowds flooding back.
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EssexTractor added 18:05 - Sep 30 Having missed the last two hone matches but impressed by the written reports I was hopeful that today's return would see a hat trick of home victories, but sadly not so. We got what we deserved ,nothing, even though deflections assisted Bristol winning the three points. Today not one section of the team performed well enough, and so the whole team effort was disappointing. City played neat clever football, particularly in first 30 minutes One can really only judge on what is seen and today , despite MCGoldrick showing classy touches and Nydam showing oodles of promise there was little to memorise with a smile. Results of course are better than the wretched last year and both Waghorn and Garner have found the net, but their overall contributions are questionable,Waghorn is good with a goal chance, but contributing almost nothing at other times but more of concern is Garner, yes show passion , compete in a hard fought tussle with your centre halves but do not try to win or "con" free kicks, . You are not always fouled Joe, you are good in the air and you can hit a ball but concentrate on those positive parts and not the the nastier aspects that are evidenced even to home fans. Cellina I am advised is good, today though he simply did not impose himself My last posting commented that Iorfa was inadequate against Fulham, today I saw a repeat, how can he be of greater value than Josh Emmanuel????

7

docsavage52 added 18:27 - Sep 30 Now I remember why I gave my season ticket up, what a load of ruvbish. Only change from last year is names on the team sheet. Let's play football to the half way line and then turn round and go back, ok that didn't work let's hoof it up field to players who are 12 inches shorter then the smallest defender. A waste of £100 it cost for 3 of us. I direction mcgoldrick is about as good as a balloon with no wind in it. Utter crap.

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Spanishblueblood added 18:28 - Sep 30 Personally i just dont get the tactics, hoof it up to Garner who is up against Flint who is a foot taller! Garner puts himself about but spends too much time going down. Defence all at sea, Iorfa is Iawful. Nydam was a positive, thought he gave a real strong performance and i liked Waggy, as for the rest.....nah not for me, poor! The result most certainly didn't flatter them, i thought Brizzle were better all over! Mick out!

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HALLSJ added 18:33 - Sep 30 Awful comes to mind, ref as bad as us
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rfretwell added 18:33 - Sep 30 Webster and Smith will make a huge difference to our defence against high balls. Get fit fast guys.
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jas0999 added 19:12 - Sep 30 Not sure why folk are making excuses. Massive and rightly praised on Tuesday, but equally today wasn't very good and the criticism is deserved. Bristol thoroughly deserved their win. Mick was right to say just that. We are an average side. Better than last year but currently not a top six side. It was great to score five against struggling opposition Tuesday. But it was just that. One game. Against better opposition, half decent sides, we haven't been good enough. Two good showings yes, but this was another to add to the not good enough column. We will win a few, lose a few. We will have an average season, but today was yet another disappointing performance and result. Tough October could define which way we are going.

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