Match Report: TC15 goes CR7 for improbable win

[Olé]

If ever there was a football match in need of a cameo from Cristiano Ronaldo it was this absolutely dreadful game of Championship football - easily City's worst performance of the season. Struggling Rotherham had pace and press and that was all it took to control a poor game against disjointed visitors, the hosts dominating without having any quality to go ahead for a forgettable 80 minutes.

With CR7 unwilling to swap Saudi Arabia for the billions on offer in Rotherham, it fell to 21 year old City sub Tommy Conway - fresh off months out with injury - to decide it was his time to go full Ronaldo, exuding confidence as he first ran from deep in the left channel before a textbook cutback and inch perfect curl top corner, then scoring a second (96th minute) winner with an outrageous backheel. 

With both "winners" coming right in front of City's small, strike-depleted away section, for both the youngster headed to his crowd with trademark Ronaldo hand waving, spin, and general agitation at a lack of respect - emotion after injury but the sort of self belief and arrogance that only two stunning goals can produce and appropriate swagger for a fixture he injected much needed class into.

Much was made before kick off that It would be hard to reach the New York Stadium due to train strikes and that Sky TV's somewhat tactical choice to televise two less favoured sides would deplete the crowd. On a cooling Autumn night just short of 10,000 converged on a deceptively small ground. The visitors, somehow, had a few hundred, and bookies had Nigel Pearson's men as clear favourites.

The game was anything but. City barely put up a fight in the first half - admittedly their hosts pressed and favoured quick touches - but it was all one way traffic. Joe Williams was a particular weakness, conceding an early free kick on the edge of the box which Cohen Bramall fired over. Next his reckless backward pass in midfield sent Andre Green clear but his shot was also wildly off target.

City have been in every one of their matches this season, but inexplicably the one sided pattern of this fixture continued with visitors giving the ball away cheaply either by going long or getting caught in possession, while Rotherham looked on top, midway through the first half Mark Sykes over complicated on halfway and gave it away, the Millers in with pace to flash it across the face of goal.

City's first chance of the half came midway through - a rare break saw Williams ball in half cleared and Matty James outside the box smashing it back past the far corner. Up at the other end Green somehow put it wide from a yard out from Jordan Hugill's flick on. And then City's best chance of the half, off Harry Cornick's long throw on the right, Sam Bell appeared to be hauled down far post.  

Pearson's men looked uncomfortable and a shadow of the team this season. On 35 yet another City loose touch gave it back on the halfway and Rotherham broke down the left and nearly squeezed a header in at the near post with the hosts camped around the City box. Another quick break from the left saw Bramall wide open and his early ball into the middle was nutted over by Fred Onyedinma.

The away side had not got to grips with the flow of the match and offered little against an obviously poor side - so after the break it was simply a case of contain and then build.  That finally happened before the hour when Rob Dickie picked out Bell in space wide left whose cross into he box was met by Cornick with the goal ahead of him but also with the same stretching, wild glance as Onyedinma. 

City still didn't look fluid but were starting to build. On 66 Sykes robbed his opponent on halfway and picked out Bell on the left who slipped it inside for Cornick in the box whose shot was blocked - Bell's follow up bundled away. With Nahki Wells and Andi Weimann on for Sykes and Cornick it was still the hosts playing with purpose albeit Williams 25 yard effort curled into the keepers hands.

By now two poor sides had run out of ideas (City possibly never had any) and the hosts had resorted to timewasting sensing that an indulgent referee would help speed them to an absolute minimum of a 0-0 conclusion. More fool them. Conway and Andy King for Williams and Jason Knight was a decisive twist with ten minutes left and of course it was Conway who went full Ronaldo.

Crashing through the time wasting fag-end of the match, Conway picked up the ball 35 yards out on the left and with his first touch drove at a defender, skipped inside onto his right foot and slammed an unerring shot at the far corner, lasering past defenders and the helpless keeper into the only place that it could go. KABOOM. City only had a few hundred but this was late pandemonium.

It didn't last. City were awful all night and in no time Rotherham won a right wing corner and predictably the visitors were all over the place, even a Millers compete miskick from the initial clearance took two of Pearson's men out of it, last gasp sub Hayden Roberts beaten for Arvin Appiah to get to the byline and cut back for Tyler Blackett steaming in centre of the box to drive home a leveller.

That should have been that as a dominant Rotherham flirted between time wasting and all out attack for the deserved winner. Albeit Taylor Gardner-Hickman did wriggle clear on the right to cross for Weimann to loop a first time header at the top corner that the keeper held in injury time. Scorer Blackett went down and Rotherham players massed on the touchline to delay the final minutes.

The decision proved fatal. Down to 10 men and with time added to time added on, an awful City had one chance left and on 96 a smart ball from Gardner-Hickman put King in space on the left and he squared it to the near post where Conway casually shrugged off a marker to steer a sublime backheel into the same corner as his screamer before strutting off with the same Ronaldo energy. 

With less than 10,000 in attendance and an unlikely choice for Sky Main Event, this had been an abysmal advertisement for EFL and Championship football - with City the worst of an already poor encounter. That Conway came off the bench after long absence and produced the box office, superstar finish is a reflection of not only how poor City were but how bright a future the Scot has ahead of him. 

 

O'Leary 7

Gardner-Hickman 6

Pring 5

Dickie 7

Naismith 6

James 6

Williams 5

Knight 6

Sykes 6

Bell 5

Cornick 5

 

Weimann 6

Wells 5

Conway 10

King 6

Roberts 5

[Dollymarie]

I do love your match reports @Olé especially when they’re ones with a last minute winner! 

[Garland-sweden]

The pass from King to Conway and his finish was class. Otherwise we were poor but the points to us. Clear pen for us first half, wrestling Bell. 

[Major Isewater]

2 hours ago, Garland-sweden said:

The pass from King to Conway and his finish was class. Otherwise we were poor but the points to us. Clear pen for us first half, wrestling Bell. 

There was also a foul on Dickie which should have been a penalty but hey this is Bristol City.

[One Team]

Superb report @Olé and respect for making the effort to go! 

[Super]

Probably have TGH a 5 same as Pring both struggled last night. Other ratings about right.

[DT The Optimist]

Great report as always.  Thanks for taking the time. For what ever reason our games against Rotherham are always turgid grinding games, never pleasing to watch. 
At home Rotherham have beaten Norwich, held Preston, lost narrowly to Leicester so perhaps they stop a lot teams from playing… 

match officials get a hard time. We certainly had one really clear pen denied with almost WWF as commented on sky. 

 

[Redstart]

TGH was playing out of position so had a tough night, but he still had the ability to find King with an excellent cross field pass in the 96th minute.  I like players that actually look up and can see and make a pass when it matters. 

[Rob k]

Great write up 

I personally give Naismith a 7, i thought he was good last night with Dickie, i also give Max a 6 for the goal, should be saving that for me

 

[Jacki]

Great report… not sure I completely agree with it though!

I do agree that Rotherham were comfortably the better side before the break but, despite how poor and lacking in ideas we were on the ball, I thought we at least put bodies on the line and showed resilience to stay in the game. We also should have had a clear penalty.

After half time, it was still a poor game of course but we had a lot more of the ball and I felt we at least matched them. It’s not a high bar but I didn’t think we were outplayed in the period at all and we probably had marginally the better chances. And, of course, we had a trump card to come on in Conway who showed us just what we’ve been missing.

Overall I’d say we lacked quality for long periods. But, their goal aside, we battled hard to keep the ball out of our net and at least showed some fight and commitment.  I could easily see us having lost that game in previous season. Oh and I would also say that was the best I’ve seen Dickie play for us. He was outstanding at times last night.

COYR

[archie andrews]

7 minutes ago, Rob k said:

Great write up 

I personally give Naismith a 7, i thought he was good last night with Dickie, i also give Max a 6 for the goal, should be saving that for me

 

Probably would have if it werent deflected... 

[Charlie BCFC]

I personally disagree that we were second best never mind comfortably. Yeah we were mostly pretty poor but Rotherham are easily the worst team we’ve played against this season, they were as bad as us if not worse. Great report otherwise though!

[GrahamC]

3 hours ago, Garland-sweden said:

The pass from King to Conway and his finish was class. Otherwise we were poor but the points to us. Clear pen for us first half, wrestling Bell. 

There was a second clear one straight after, Dickie was being blatantly held by Peltier, awful officiating.

Have a feeling the ref was the one who bought that dive at Hull last season.

Rubbish, inexplicably gave a foul against Bell when their keeper & defender collided, some other very odd decisions that usually went against us, plus of course he’s missed two penalties.

[Rob k]

11 minutes ago, archie andrews said:

Probably would have if it werent deflected... 

I think you’re being very lenient, for me he has to keep it out and had we not won i think more criticism would be heading his way. However, we picked up the 3 points so we move on. 

[2015]

Harsh on Cornick to give him a 5. Thought he was our best player first half.

[IAmNick]

3 minutes ago, 2015 said:

Harsh on Cornick to give him a 5. Thought he was our best player first half.

Maybe our best player was a 5 first half...!

[Bazooka Joe]

4 hours ago, Garland-sweden said:

The pass from King to Conway and his finish was class. Otherwise we were poor but the points to us. Clear pen for us first half, wrestling Bell. 

Better grappling than in the Rugby World Cup or WWF.

But, as per usual, refereeing of worse standard than Sunday League football.

Edited October 5, 2023 by Bazooka Joe

[Bazooka Joe]

Whilst basking in the euphoria of winning last night, let's not forget that Rotherham are probably the worst club in the Championship.

However, Conway fully deserved his 10.

Love how he goes so f/king mental when he scores.

[Son of Fred]

1 hour ago, GrahamC said:

Have a feeling the ref was the one who bought that dive at Hull last season.

Plus two penalties in that game!.....

At least he hasn't cost us points on this occasion.

Another letter of apology incoming

Edited October 5, 2023 by Son of Fred

[Open End Numb Legs]

Well done and respect to all those who made it there last night. We heard you singing and the win was what you deserved.

[Davefevs]

3 hours ago, Redstart said:

TGH was playing out of position so had a tough night, but he still had the ability to find King with an excellent cross field pass in the 96th minute.  I like players that actually look up and can see and make a pass when it matters. 

I think TGH is just getting up to match speed / fitness.  Generally I think he’s been sound, but what he gives us alongside decent technical ability is longer-range passing.  Tanner rarely plays anything remotely expansive.  TGH happy to ping a pass, even a 35-yard square one to Pring to avoid having to make two passes via Dickie and Naismith.

Last night he was very efficient with his passing, and we can see that “range” in his pass-map.

One of the few who managed to pass to a teammate last night.

Defensively he does “ok”, but last night you have to factor in Sykes had a very poor game in-front of him and left him exposed vs the marauding Bramall as well as having to deal with Onyedinma (or Green when they swapped).  That cover didn’t get any better when Bell came on.

I think he is going to be a real asset to us.  Not even 22 til December.

Edited October 5, 2023 by Davefevs