Bristol City defeated Millwall by two goals to nil in the Championship to move level on points with West Bromwich Albion, who sit inside the Championship play-offs. Daniel Wales reports.
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00:00Following a free weekend for Bristol City, the Robins returned to Championship action on Tuesday evening with an away trip to face Millwall.
00:08Liam Manning's side have displayed good form in the league of late and they knew going into this fixture that a win would see them move on level points with West Bromwich Albion,
00:18who sit in 6th place and just inside of the play-off places. Millwall is never an easy place to go, but the Robins had their tails up ahead of kick-off in the capital.
00:27And rightfully so, as Bristol City came away with a significant 2-0 victory that did indeed move them level with West Brom in the table.
00:35Both goals came in the second half, the first from Zach Viner not long after the restart and then the second was dispatched by Harry Cornick
00:43with around 7 minutes of normal time remaining in the match to send all three points back to Ashton Gate along with some very happy Robins fans.
00:55After the final whistle, head coach Liam Manning talked of fine margins in the Championship and how coming away with such a victory against a well-drilled side
01:03demonstrated how far Bristol City have come as a team in terms of managing games and overall being more consistent to keep gaining more points.
01:13Yeah, of course, ever so, you know, in the Championship, the margins are so fine, it's so tight.
01:19And, you know, obviously the first goal coming off a set piece, you know, such a huge part of it.
01:22So, yeah, it's one of those you have to, you have to stay focused, you have to, you know, maintain the level of discipline, do the little basic bits well,
01:29which credit to the lads, I thought they did.
01:31And then after the first goal, you know, I thought we managed the game really well.
01:35I thought we, you know, showed a real resilience to us, a real maturity.
01:40I think, you know, we've probably been a little bit gooey at times of, you know, losing a little bit of that.
01:44But I thought how we managed the game and, you know, the progress we showed in that tonight was excellent.
01:49Manning was also keen to discuss the two goalscorers.
01:52Zach Viner had not scored for almost two years until he found the net at the Den, with Manning happy to joke about that fact.
01:59On Cornwick, Manning was very pleased and praised his professionalism throughout the season so far, even when chances have been hard to come by.
02:11Yeah, long overdue. I've been giving him a bit of a stick, to be fair.
02:14Yeah, I'm delighted for him.
02:17He's, you know, he plays an important role on set pieces.
02:20But, you know, when you look at it, I think, you know, we need goals from everybody and everywhere.
02:24And, you know, I thought he did well tonight.
02:25Yeah, delighted for Corns.
02:27I think it's been a challenging time for him throughout the season, but I've always maintained a really good relationship with him.
02:33And I can't speak highly enough of him as a professional.
02:36I think, you know, he's kept his head down.
02:38He's worked behind the scenes, culturally, what he brings in terms of, you know, just his energy, his positivity, you know, the banter he brings.
02:44He's been huge for the culture behind the scenes.
02:46So I think, you know, he's one of those, he deserves that tonight because football is such a tough game.
02:52And, you know, things can change so quickly.
02:54So I'm really pleased for him.
02:55And that's why for me, you know, anyone to see is in contention to play.
02:59I thought he, yeah, you saw everything in terms of what the group.
03:02Think of him, you know, with that moment at the end, which, you know, I'm sure he'll remember.
03:06Defensive work has been a priority for Liam Manning of late, something which he thought his side demonstrated well against a tough opponent in Millwall,
03:15which saw them hold on to a goal difference boosting clean sheet at Maywell proved to be very useful come the end of the season in May,
03:23if the points are still very tight as they are now.
03:26I thought, you know, the way we defended the box, defended set pieces against such a threat, you know,
03:30when you look at their size and, you know, it's a really tough place to come.
03:34You know, they've been terrific here since Alex came in.
03:37So it's one of those, you know, so it's a really good win, really good performance.
03:42With plenty of travelling Bristol City supporters at the Den on a cold Tuesday evening,
03:46Manning was quick to highlight their backing, which he believed had helped spur the players on to the important victory
03:53ahead of another crucial game at Ashton Gate this weekend with the visits of Hull City to the West Country.
04:00Yeah, it's one of those fans were outstanding tonight.
04:03I thought, yeah, the energy there, you know, I know there's people paying a lot of hard-earned money,
04:07giving up a lot of time to travel and support the lads.
04:10And, you know, that away win's long overdue, which we were obviously pleased about and look forward to getting back home on Saturday.
04:16A confidence and morale boosting win for Bristol City over Millwall following their important victory over Middlesbrough at home in their previous outing.
04:26The signs are looking good for the Robins and as the games begin to become fewer,
04:31Liam Manning's side are in an ideal place to capitalise on any mistakes from teams around them
04:38and qualify for the playoffs by the time that the regular season comes to an end in May.