'A great start is now just an average one'

Bristol City fan writer David Pottier is surprised forward Harry Cornick has not been given more minutes so far this season

Many say you cannot judge how a season is going to pan out until at least 10 games have been played.

As we go into the second international break of the season, City have played nine games but after Saturday's home loss against QPR what had been seen as a great start after five outings has now morphed into an average one.

The Robins are winless in four now despite a sprightly performance against Ipswich on Tuesday night, and a win against the west London side would have put a different complexion on things but they are a team in form right now, undefeated in six since a 7-1 drubbing at high-flying Coventry City.

More to the point, they must relish the prospect of coming to Ashton Gate as they have now won five and drawn one of their past six visits.

Scott Twine should have given City an early lead had he shown just a little composure but they went in at half-time ahead through an Emil Riis header.

Despite the lead, too many City players were having 5/10 performances and it was no surprise when QPR levelled through Richard Kone. Anis Mehmeti and Ross McCrorie went close but you just had the feeling there was going to be an unhappy outcome and so it proved.

Paul Smyth clearly pushed McCrorie in the back as he positioned himself for the looping header which hit the back of the net and then referee Ed Duckworth further fuelled City's anger when, in the dying seconds, he failed to award a penalty when Neto Borges was flattened right in front of him.

City's fall-off in form is, without question, because of the sheer number of first-choice players being injured.

Jason Knight, Cameron Pring, Max Bird, Joe Williams and Luke McNally would be definite starters in the eyes of most fans. The squad depth, if you can call it that, does not extend to the front men where it is a case of quantity not quality.

The team formation is, for now, to play with just one striker and head coach Gerhard Struber can call upon Fally Mayulu, Harry Cornick and Sinclair Armstrong. He has shown an unwavering preference for the latter but there must be some really obscure reason for not giving the willing Cornick some minutes.

Things don't get any easier for City after the international break as they begin a run of six games in 20 days with little prospect of having any of the injured players back in contention and, looking at who the games are against, to achieve a respectable nine points to maintain this now average start looks quite daunting.