Bristol City

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Bristol City boss Liam Manning was frustrated by his side's display in the 1-0 defeat against high-flying Burnley at Turf Moor, but praised their battling qualities.

Manning told BBC Radio Bristol: "You want to test yourself against a good team.

"I am proud of the lads for fighting to the end. The group have been terrific at that this season.

"Burnley are a very good side with great depth, but I know we are capable of playing better so that's why there is frustration there.

"We blocked shots, put our bodies on the line and kept going to the end but we were a sloppy at times and a bit careless with the ball.

"They created a lot of chances. As the games goes on, you think 'can we nick a point here', but it wasn't to be."

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Bristol City have to "take confidence" from their draw at Sheffield United when they visit Burnley on Saturday, says boss Liam Manning.

The Robins scored a 90th-minute equaliser to draw 1-1 with the second-placed Blades the week before the international break.

The Clarets, who are third, have the best defensive record in the Championship and are also the only team to have not lost at home this campaign, having only conceded five goals at Turf Moor.

"You look at their defensive record especially but even some of their attacking stuff, I think it's excellent," Manning told BBC Radio Bristol of Saturday's opposition.

"Everybody knows how difficult they are to play against. But we were saying that a few weeks ago against Sheffield United so we have to take confidence from that, belief from that and go there and 'do us'."

Burnley won 1-0 in the reverse fixture in November and while Manning was full of praise for Clarets manager Scott Parker, he said his side should not be "fearful".

"[It will be a] tough game, one we should face head on and definitely not be fearful of, it's one that we should relish," he said.

Both Burnley and Bristol City will be looking to cross their respective lines when they meet on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

For the Clarets, they are are eyeing a spot in the automatic promotion places. Just two points separating them and the two teams (Leeds and Sheffield United) above them.

Whereas for the Robins, they are even closer to a place in the top six. Seventh placed Bristol City are level on points with sixth placed West Bromwich Albion and two away from fifth placed Coventry City.

Both in form, both with a big potential prize on the line.

• Burnley have won each of their last seven league games against Bristol City, winning those by a combined aggregate scoreline of 18-7.

• Bristol City have failed to win any of their last six away league games against Burnley (D2 L4), since a 1-0 victory at Turf Moor in December 2007.

• Burnley are unbeaten across their last 25 league games (W15 D10), the Clarets' longest victory without defeat since a 30-match stint between September 1920 and March 1921.

• Bristol City are unbeaten across their last five away league games (W1 D4), last enjoying a longer run without defeat on the road between November 2022 and February 2023 (six games).

• Bristol City have hit the woodwork 14 times in the Championship this season; only Norwich City (15) have done so on more occasions.

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Bristol City midfielder Scott Twine says he is looking forward to returning to Turf Moor on Saturday for the first time since leaving Burnley permanently last August.

Twine played 14 games for the Clarets during the 2022-23 campaign scoring three goals, when they won promotion to the Premier League under Vincent Kompany.

"I enjoyed my time at Burnley, felt like fans treated me well as well. I am looking forward to it," Twine told BBC Radio Bristol.

Twine said he was still "quite close" to a number of players still at the club. However he admitted that does not hinder his ambition when he faces them this weekend.

"I desperately do want to score against them and do want to win the game," he said.

"But they're a great team and they deserve to be where they are and it's no surprise to me that they're doing that well."

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Former Bristol City manager Gary Johnson says everyone at the club needs to "believe" they can reach the play-offs as the season heads into its final stretch, starting away to Burnley on Saturday.

Johnson was the last Robins manager to take the club into the Championship top six during the 2007-08 season.

Bristol City are seventh in the table, level on points with West Brom above them and two points behind Coventry in fifth with eight games remaining.

"You've just got to keep going and believe your team and the team believe in their manager and the club are good enough. Every game is a cup final and that's how you've got to treat it," Johnson told BBC Radio Bristol's Sound of the City.

Johnson managed Bristol City from 2005 to 2010 and led the side to fourth in the table in 2008, taking them to a Wembley play-off final where they were beaten 1-0 by Hull.

He said it is like being inside a "pressure cooker" at this stage of a season.

"You've got to try and shut out the noise and you've just got to do your job as a manager and the players have got to do their job," he said.

"The players have got to realise they've got to go out and affect the game, they can't be waiting for somebody else to go out and do it because to get in amongst that top group in that top six, every player has got to play their upmost for the rest of the season.

"No one can afford an off day and that's going to be important."

Listen to Sound of the City every Monday at 18:00-19:00 GMT on BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Sounds.

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Bristol City head coach Liam Manning said he wants Nahki Wells to extend his stay at the club into a seventh season, and revealed early contract talks have taken place with the Bermuda striker.

Wells scored the Robins' second as they beat Norwich City 2-1 to continue their Championship play-off push, with the 34-year-old having found the target eight times this season, matching his figure from last term.

Wells was signed from Burnley in January 2020 and has been a regular and respected presence in the side under four different managers at Ashton Gate – Lee Johnson, Dean Holden, Nigel Pearson and now Manning – but his deal expires at the end of the season.

"Yes," said Manning, when asked if he would like to keep Wells, who is the only individual in the current first-team squad over the age of 30.

"We've been in touch with his agent, so that's still ongoing behind the scenes, [but] there's no news on that one.

"He's having a fantastic season, if you look at his contribution and what he brings to the group - he's the only one over the age of 30.

"He's hugely instrumental in [terms of] some of the stuff behind the scenes in keeping people well on track and focused and holding people accountable – the personality he brings and the standards he sets; you only have to look at his overall condition to see how well he looks after himself."

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Bristol City boss Liam Manning hopes to have George Tanner back before the end of the season but admitted he cannot be certain after the full-back underwent knee surgery.

The 25-year-old sustained the injury in blocking a shot during the 1-1 draw at Sheffield United on Tuesday night but completed the full 90 minutes.

Tanner, who has made 26 Championship appearances this season, had an operation on Thursday, but the timeline as to when he may return remains uncertain.

There could be some relief for Manning, however, with Ross McCrorie due to resume training over the international break with a view to competing for a place for the Robins' next Championship fixture at Burnley on 29 March.

"It was from an outstanding moment, he's made a block and there's a little bit of swelling afterwards – it's one of those injuries that unfortunately happen," Manning said, after the Robins' 2-1 victory over Norwich City.

"Hopefully we will see him before the end of the year, but I don't know for definite – you never know how he will respond.

"The operation went well, so hopefully we can accelerate things but all depends on how his body responds."

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Bristol City boss Liam Manning spoke to BBC Radio Bristol following their 2-1 win over Norwich.

"A nervy last five minutes but it is testament to the group and another experience ticked off," he said.

"We have been in that position numerous times this season and dropped points so to get one over the line, huge credit goes to the lads for staying calm and sticking at it – running, fighting and competing and doing the gritty side of the game that is so important.

"I thought we carried a real threat – Sykesy's goal, a moment of real quality, delighted with the press to regain it for Nahki who obviously had another chance. Some of the attacking moves were really quite slick and we progressed the ball up the pitch really well and caused real problems.

"Nahki's a little frustrated not to score two but you need big players to step up in big moments and delighted we showed the quality to do that. The lads are in a good spot and we have to keep it going.

"We have had some tough times along the way since I have been here, we have taken a bit of stick, but it was around building something, the way we work – coaching takes time, especially how we coach the players, to make decisions and not be robots.

"Naturally along the way, you going to get it right and get it wrong. It's a young group so you have to suck up some tough experiences along the way but what we've done is made sure our behaviours are always good.

"We don't get too hung up if it's been poor and we don't get carried away when it's been good – that's been a massive strength."

Bristol City will look to maintain their push for a Championship play-off spot when they welcome Norwich City on Friday night (20:00 GMT).

The Robins picked up a valuable late draw at Bramall Lane on Tuesday to extend their unbeaten run to six games (W3 D3) and are just two points off the top six.

The Canaries have won just one of their previous seven matches (D4 L2) and are seven points behind the play-off places.

• Bristol City are looking to complete a league double over Norwich City for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign.

• Norwich have won four of their past seven league visits to Bristol City (D2 L1) and are looking to win consecutive games at Ashton Gate for the first time since March 1975.

• Bristol City have won seven of their past 10 home league matches (D2 L1) and haven't conceded more than once in any of those 10 games.

• Norwich City are unbeaten in their past three away league games (W1 D2), last enjoying a longer unbeaten run on the road between February and April 2023 (five).

• Anis Mehmeti has scored seven goals in his past nine league starts at Ashton Gate and has scored nine goals at home this season. The last Robins player to reach double figures for home league goals in a season was Andreas Weimann in 2021-22 (12).

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Bristol City have proved they can match the very top teams in the Championship, says midfielder Mark Sykes.

The Republic of Ireland international came off the bench to score a last-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Sheffield United, the new leaders, on Tuesday.

"I watched the game in the first half and thought we were the better team and it felt like that when I was on the pitch and it was getting the message to the lads the game was there for the taking," Sykes told BBC Radio Bristol.

"We've played Sheffield United a few times and it's felt like we've been the better team and not got anything from the games."

The draw moves the Robins to within two points of the play-off places with nine games remaining.

"We've got to move on quickly with another game in a few days at Ashton Gate and hopefully we can get another good result," added Sykes.

"We know as a group we can play against these teams and I feel we've shown we were much the better side and hopefully we can show that for the rest of the season."

Bristol City host Norwich City on Friday, when a win would take them into the top six ahead of the weekend's other games.

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Despite two 1-1 results in three days, Bristol City's draw away to Sheffield United felt "a lot different" said assistant manager Chris Hogg.

The Robins scored a 90th minute equaliser at Bramall Lane to come away with a point against the second-placed Blades, after being held by 10-man Hull on Saturday.

"The outcome is the same but I think for supporters and players alike and the staff it feels a lot different to what it did at the weekend," Hogg told BBC Radio Bristol.

"The challenge for us with nine games left is to keep churning away, keep trying to perform the way we want the group to perform.

"What you do see is an identity of the team and some of the actions and behaviours that we've been saying we want to see and the lads are doing a great job at the moment of producing that."

Hogg said the Robins deserved the point, which keeps them right in play-off contention, after responding well to going a goal behind, before Mark Sykes' late equaliser.

"Then the pleasing thing I think you see going the goal down you see the reaction," he said.

"We just kept playing the way that was getting us some joy in the game, what we wanted to do pre-game, passing the ball and using it and attacking certain spaces.

"It was a good deserved point I think."