Bristol City

Championship

Saturday 14^th April 2012 – Kickoff:  1500hrs

Birmingham City will be looking to take the maximum three points when they play host to struggling Bristol City at St Andrews on Saturday.

Birmingham will be wanting to put behind them their recent disappointing result at West Ham which ended in a 3-3 draw. I say disappointment, before the match most Bluenoses would have taken a point at Upton Park any day of the week, but when your side is 3-1 up you kind of expect that the three points will be yours.

Not so, and it’s sometimes a familiar story when you support Birmingham but they have a great chance today to close the gap on The Hammers when Bristol City come to the midlands. Birmingham have lost just once in their last seven matches which was an eyebrow-raising 1-4 defeat at Fratton Park against Portsmouth. Aside from that though, they’ve beaten Middlesbrough, Doncaster Rovers, Burnley and Crystal Palace along with draws against Cardiff City and West Ham.

It’s their home form that has taken Blues into their current play-off position of fourth with a record of  12-8-1  33/12, and undoubtedly their success has stemmed from a solid defence which has conceded the least number of goals at home in the Championship. Indeed, they’ve kept eleven clean sheets which doesn’t bode well for a Bristol City side who have struggled to find the net on their travels so far this season.

I’m happy to say that the problems of last season’s goalscoring seem to have disappeared for Birmingham as they have produced goals from almost every position; strikers Marlon King (15 goals, 9 assists) and Nikola Zigic (10 goals) have had solid seasons, along with creative midfielder Chris Burke (12 goals, 15 assists) who has enjoyed his rejuvenated role at Blues. Even the defenders have chipped in with David Murphy and Curtis Davies scoring valuable goals.

Bristol City make their way to the midlands on the back of two straight league wins over Nottingham Forest and Coventry City, but with the greatest respect, a trip to fourth placed Birmingham should pose some serious problems for The Robins.

Bristol have improved slightly during the last few weeks with just one loss in their last six which was a 0-2 loss at home to Watford, but their away performances have produced just one win in their last eight matches while they’ve failed to score in eleven league matches.

Their away record overall reads  5-5-11  15/33 and I know I’ve said it before, but they’re really missing their former striker Nicky Maynard who left for West Ham, and still remains their leading scorer with 8 goals. However, they have former Birmingham loan striker Chris Wood and Brett Pitman up front along with Jonathan Stead and these three are very capable of causing problems in the box.

Birmingham let a two goal lead slip at West Ham on Easter Monday and I’m sure they’ll be champing at the bit to put this right in front of a passionate home crowd; I’ll go for a 3-1 home win here with Birmingham preserving their lead this time!

Main Pick:  Birmingham City AH-1 @ 1.85 Pinnacle

Reading v Bristol City

The FA Cup might be the main focus of attention in England this weekend but there are a couple of games in the Championship and the pick of them see’s Reading entertain Bristol City.

Reading have been previewed several times already this season, obliging more often than not when selected. Last weekend’s defeat against Hull at home would have been a sore one to take considering how close both clubs are in terms of league position and also because it ended a run of four straight victories at home in the Championship. They were unfortunate against Nick Barmby’s side a week ago and probably should have put the game to bed in the first half. However, we all know how competitive this league is and if you fail to capitalize when on top then you always run the risk of regretting it later in the game. That was the case and John McDermott will be hoping that his players use that experience and put it to good use between now and the end of the season. With most of their promotion rivals involved in cup action tomorrow, it’s a chance to make up some valuable ground.

Derek McInnes’ has had an excellent start to his Bristol City career since his move from St Johnstone earlier in the season. He has managed to put a six point gap between the Robins and Nottingham Forest who currently occupy the third relegation spot. Of course, they are not safe by any means but they do remain one of the few sides down that end of the table who are in a bit of form and look stronger than most in the bottom half at this stage of the season. Last Saturday’s win at home to Doncaster Rovers was doubly important as they not only beat a side who are below them in the table, but they also ensured that they returned to winning ways after losing a couple of matches on the bounce. Away from home under McInnes they have more than held their own with a recent win over Southampton at St Mary’s already achieved. They have, however, lost three of their last four on the road.

Reading have brought in experienced striker Jason Roberts in this week and he could play tomorrow. He will be an old head amongst what is a very young team. The fans will also be hoping that he can be more prolific in front of goal than some of their other strikers as their top scorers remain on six league goals for the season.

Bristol City are resigned to losing Nicky Maynard come the end of the season when his contract expires but they will be aiming to keep him beyond January. He remains one of the most potent strikers in the division and will be a big threat if fit to face Reading tomorrow.

Reading have won three of the last four meetings between these two sides. Despite being defeated last week they were still impressive and I think they can get their promotion charge back on track tomorrow.

My Selection: Reading to beat Bristol City

Best odds available: 5/6 available with William Hill

Championship

Saturday 28^th January 2012 – Kickoff:  1500hrs

The Madejski Stadium is the setting for the other Championship fixture on Saturday,  as Reading entertain an up-and-down Bristol City side.

Reading on the whole have been pretty consistent in their recent league matches but have lost to Hull City and Cardiff City also in recent matches. Outside the top six though, Reading have dealt with these teams quite effectively as wins against Brighton, Ipswich Town and Watford have proven, along with wins over Championship leaders West Ham and Leeds United.

The Royals’ home record stands at  6-4-4  20/14, and the recent home loss to Hull City halted a five match winning sequence which has lifted the Berkshire outfit to the fringes of the top six. They will be hoping to return to winning ways against an inconsistent Bristol City but will be wary as The Robins have already toppled second placed Southampton at St Marys Stadium earlier.

Strikers Simon Church (6 goals) and Adam Le Fondre (6 goals, 3 assists) have shared the bulk of the goalscoring, along with creative wingers Jobi McAnuff (4 goals, 7 assists) and Jimmy Kebe (2 goals, 6 assists) and midfielder Hal Robson-Kanu (3 goals, 3 assists). Former Leeds left-back Ian Harte can also be dangerous at set-pieces outside the box.

Visitors Bristol City are unpredictable at the best of times but recent wins at Southampton along with home wins over Millwall and Doncaster Rovers who both occupy places in the bottom six, have ensured relative safety from relegation for the time being.

The Robins however have won just once on the road in their last five with losses at Derby County, Brighton and most worryingly of all, Coventry City. This shows they do have a self-destruct button and they also struggle to find the net on their travels too.

Their away record stands at  4-3-7  13/22, and have failed to score on five occasions. In striker Nicky Maynard (8 goals, 2 assists) they have a consistent goalscorer, although he is now on Wigan Athletic’s radar and the west country side have given The Latics permission to discuss a possible transfer in January.

This could very well spell trouble for Bristol City as the only other performer so far in terms of goals has been Albert Adomah (5 goals, 5 assists) along with support from former Birmingham and Leeds midfielder Neil Kilkenny (4 assists).

Despite confidence that City could score at Reading, I’m backing the home side with the play-offs in their sights to secure a vital home win that could place them in the top six; Reading to win 2-1 as a scoreline.

Main Pick:  Reading straight win @ 1.76 Pinnacle

Value Pick:  Reading AH-1 @ 2.42 Pinnacle

Championship

Tuesday 3^rd January 2012 – Kickoff:  1945hrs

It’s a potential six-pointer  that I look at next as 21^st placed Bristol City take on 20^th placed Millwall at Ashton Gate on Tuesday night with both sides looking to pull away from the relegation dog-fight.

Bristol City, fresh from doing the ‘double’ over Championship leaders Southampton when they beat them at St Marys Stadium on Friday night 1-0 to secure an unlikely victory and inflict defeat on the leaders for the first time on home ground which is the biggest shock result in the Championship so far this season.

The Robins now have a three point over relegation rivals Nottingham Forest and could leapfrog both Millwall and Ipswich Town if they win by two clear goals on Tuesday night. But first things first, let’s take a closer look at City’s current form; their home record stands at  2-3-6  9/14, with those two wins coming recently over Burnley and Southampton, and since then they’ve lost to Middlesbrough (remember they have the second best away record in the Championship) and drew with Nottingham Forest 0-0.

Strikers Nicky Maynard (7 goals, 2 assists) and Albert Adomah (5 goals, 5 assists) have done the bulk of the damage so far, along with cameo performances from Brett Pitman (3 goals, 1 assist) and Marvin Elliott (2 goals) chipping in also. Former Birmingham and Leeds midfielder Neil Kilkenny has also provided 3 assists to date.

It’s a similar story for visitors Millwall as they’ve won just twice in their last six and just once away from home in their last eleven matches. Throw in the fact that they’ve failed to score in seven of those eleven away matches and you can see why their away record is a poor one;  1-3-7  7/17, and aside from Coventry City (6 goals), are the lowest goalscorers on the road in the Championship.

In fact, The Lions haven’t scored a goal away since the end of October when they beat Leicester City 3-0, so that’s four straight away matches without scoring and have suffered losses at Blackpool, Leeds United and Hull City as a result.

Striker and leading scorer Darius Henderson (9 goals, 3 assists) missed the last match against Crystal Palace but is expected to be fit in time for the visit to Bristol. Midfielder Liam Trotter (5 goals, 4 assists), Jay Simpson (4 goals, 2 assists) and Dany N’Guessan (1 goal, 1 assist) are the main other contributors.

This will be a tight one and I’m not expecting many goals, but recent wins home and away over the Championship leaders will do their confidence the world of good so I’ll back Bristol City with the round ball for insurance in case it’s a draw – City to win 1-0.

Main Pick:  Bristol City AH0 @ 1.63 Pinnacle – add it to your multi

Value Pick:  Bristol City straight win @ 2.27 Pinnacle

Final Score: 1:0

BLACKPOOL v BRISTOL CITY (Championship)

Saturday 1^st October 2011 – Kickoff:  1500hrs

Blackpool take on a Bristol City side who are very short on confidence when they meet at Bloomfield Road on Saturday, with the Seasiders keen to build on their good start at home in this campaign.

Ian Holloway’s side have lost just once on home soil so far which was a 0-1 loss to joint leaders Derby County, but have managed wins over Peterborough United and Ipswich Town, along with holding Cardiff City to a 1-1 draw in their last home match.

Blackpool grabbed a late equaliser midweek to share the spoils with Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena, and will be mightily relieved to have saved a point there with Keith Southern popping up in injury time to save them.

At home though, Blackpool are a more steady proposition with a record of  2-1-1  5/3, with veteran striker Kevin Phillips (5 goals) once again proving his goal-machine tag and perhaps more pleasing for Holloway, played the whole 90 minutes at Coventry. He’s backed up by Gary Taylor-Fletcher (3 goals, 1 assist), while Billy Clarke and Stephen Crainey have provided 2 assists apiece.

Travelling Bristol City currently lie second from bottom in the Championship, propped up by Doncaster Rovers, the Robins having won just once so far this season and currently enduring a six match run without a win.

Bristol City’s away record reads  1-1-2  5/7, with their one victory being a surprising 2-1 win at Leicester City back in mid August. Since then, Keith Millen’s men have gained just three points out of a possible 18, and have kept a clean sheet in just two of their last twelve away matches which tells it’s own story I fear.

However, leading the line up front is striker Nicky Maynard (3 goals) and is always a threat to any defence. Alongside him is Brett Pitman (2 goals, 1 assist), and midfielder Albert Adomah (2 goals, 1 assist) along with former Ipswich Town and Sunderland forward Jonathan Stead who was benched against Reading in Bristol’s 2-3 defeat at home to Reading in midweek.

Given Bristol City’s poor away record and current lack of cohesion, I have to go with Ian Holloway’s Blackpool side here at home for a comfortable win – Blackpool to win 3-1.

Main Pick:  Blackpool @ 1.81 Pinnacle looks great value

Value Pick:  Kevin Phillips to score anytime @ 2.20 bet365

Scoreline Pick:  Blackpool 3-1 @ 13.00 bet365

LEEDS v BRISTOL CITY

Saturday 17^th September 2011 – Kickoff: 15:00hrs

Leeds United take on Bristol City at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon as the Yorkshire side look to gain back-to-back wins for the first time this season after their tense 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace last weekend.

When you look at their home record they’ve lost just one in their last nineteen which was a 0-1 reverse to Middlesbrough a few weeks ago. They currently sit mid-table and a win here today could take them to the edges of the play-off positions. However, Simon Grayson’s men are perhaps a bit fragile in these early weeks of this new season so approach a home win for Leeds with caution.

There are no doubts about their attacking prowess, and even with the likes of Jermaine Beckford and more recently, striker Max Gradel (to St Etienne) departing, experienced striker Mikael Forssell has joined the Elland road ranks, while Luciano Becchio should also figure at some stage. Former Wolves forward Andrew Keogh is also useful and his motivation will be to cement his place in the starting line-up.

Leading scorer is Ross McCormack (5 goals, 2 assists), and the ever-consistent Robert Snodgrass (1 goal, 3 assists) will always provide that killer ball, so Leeds continue to be in safe hands up front I feel. Their home record stands at  2-0-1  7/4.

Their Achilles heel seems to be at the back though, and will often concede soft goals from almost out of nothing. They have won their last two head-to-heads (2-0 away and 3-1 at home), but I am still not confident of a straight win.

Visitors Bristol City upset the early formbook when they beat Leicester City 2-1 last month, and do possess that knack of upsetting seemingly straight-forward home wins from time to time. Their other two matches on the road so far ended in a 1-3 loss at Cardiff City and a 1-1 draw at Doncaster Rovers.

Therefore, their away record stands at  1-1-1  4/5, and manager Keith Millen will be keen for his team to improve their away record from last season which finished up at  7-5-11 32/36 which placed them in an ordinary mid-table position.

Reliable forward Nicky Maynard (3 goals) who seems to have been around for a long time but is still only 24, will always possess a threat to opposition defences. Midfielders Albert Adomah, Neil Kilkenny, Marvin Elliott and Jamal Campbell-Ryce can all create chances, while strikers Brett Pitman and Jon Stead are lining up for starts following their 0-1 loss at home to Brighton last Saturday.

To summarise, I’m not 100% confident that Leeds will win this one, but I am more confident in taking the Over 2.5 goals option as Leeds are more than capable of scoring 2 goals while also confident that they’ll concede as well – hence a possible scoreline of 2-1 to Leeds United.

Pick:  Over 2.5 @ 1.75 Betfair

Reading V Bristol City

Sunday, 26th December (Boxing Day) – 15:00 (GMT)

 
Two sides who started the campaign dreaming of a possible return to the top-flight clash at the Madejski stadium on Boxing Day with only one still aspiring to clinch promotion at the end of the season.

Reading were the team who finished the previous term by far the strongest of all the teams in the division, producing the sort of form which had they reproduced earlier in the campaign would have almost certainly seen them finish at least in the play-off’s – What was their objective at the start of the season then and remains that way this season, too.

After 21 rounds of Championship matches, Reading find themselves in a prominent position even though they haven’t been anywhere near consistent as they would of liked, that despite the fact they haven’t tasted defeat in any of their previous six league matches. Impressive? Not really. Only one of those was a win, although encouraging for punters was that it was their latest, and an eye-catching one at that. Derby Country have been one of the surprise packages this season, so for Reading to beat them 2-1, at Derby, was some achievement. That positive outcome ended a sequence of five successive draws, although every single one of those was against a team chasing promotion, all situated inside the top-six in the division.

So why is Reading’s recent run so disappointing? With the Championship as competitive as it is, inability to convert stalemates into victories could prove the difference between promotion and another spell in England’s second tier. It would appear manager Brian McDermott has whispered similar sentiments into his players’ ears ahead of a hectic yet pivotal part of the campaign, and it could be worth backing that McDermott’s words are still ringing true in the dressing room.

Under the assumption that the players have now bucked up their ideas and will be giving it their absolute all to avoid dropping a single point over a crucial period of the season, Reading look a decent shout even though their odds aren’t all that. Before their hard-fought win away from home over Derby Country last time out, The Royals had won just six times in the league, split in segments of three sets of back-to-back wins. So, on each occasion Reading have produced a win from out of nowhere, they’ve maintained a trend of at least backing it up with another quick-fire success. A lovely little omen.

Furthermore, their opponent’s, Bristol City, while they appear to be enjoying a renaissance following a torrid start to the season, have been struck down with an illness bug meaning some players will be missing, others a little groggy and under the weather while most of the team haven’t even been able to train together in the week leading up to Sunday’s encounter. Add in back-to-back away defeats for The Robins against Leeds (3-1) and Hull (2-0) and we feel we’ve uncovered a possible hidden gem in Reading, a team at a ugly price who should leave us dazzled.

Matt’s Selection:

Reading to WIN – 1.75 totesport