Bristol City chairman backs manager Derek McInnes

Bristol City chairman Colin Sexstone insists manager Derek McInnes is the right person to take the club forward.

McInnes has been in charge at Ashton Gate since October and after taking 13 points from his first six matches in charge, City have now gone seven games without a win in the Championship.

"We've got a very good manager," Sexstone told BBC Radio Bristol.

"If they [the fans] expect us to start chopping and changing, that's not the way it's going to work."

Sexstone continued: "He's only been in the post for four months and it's been tough. He had a very good start but now it's difficult.

"There's no question that it's been a difficult year. We fully understand the fans will be frustrated. I'm frustrated as I'm a fan as well.

"But having said that they'll be no one else outside of Bristol feeling sorry for us. If we wallow in self pity, that is only going to help our adversaries. We've got to get behind the club."

Former St Johnstone manager McInnes took over following the sacking of Keith Millen with the Robins sat bottom of the table.

By January they had risen to 19th in the league standings, but their recent run of poor form leaves them just three points above the drop zone in 21st.

Scotsman McInnes has made two permanent signings since his appointment - Richard Foster and Stephen Pearson - and has also dipped into the loan market to acquire Sean Davis, Stephen McManus and Chris Wood.

On the last day of the transfer window sought-after striker Nicky Maynard moved to West Ham but the club have yet to bring in a replacement, despite being hit by a number of long-term injuries to key players, which Sexstone believes has had a major effect on their results.

"In my 16 years in sport, I have never witnessed such a run of injuries to key players at a really important time," he added. "But you can't go out and buy players willy-nilly because we have injuries.

"I can't ever remember a time where we've not supported the manager. If bringing more players in would help then we would.

"If the manager comes forward with someone in the short term who can help us then we'll look at that."