Bristol City moved into the Championship play-off places with a 1-0 victory over depleted Watford.
Dominic Ballard’s first-half header was enough for all three points for the Robins at Ashton Gate, steering a backwards header in from Rio Cardines’ ball into the box.
It was a much-needed win for Michael Skubala’s side after back-to-back defeats leading into this clash on Friday night.
Bristol City now rise to fifth in the table ahead of the rest of the weekend’s action and then the extended upcoming international break.
Watford, meanwhile, who have an injury-ravaged squad under Alessio Dionisi, remain in the bottom half of the table. They have picked up just a point on the road all season.
The key moments from Ashton Gate
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3: BIG CHANCE! Bristol City should be ahead. Lovely work from Ballard to jink in down the left and cross into the middle. Knight arrives unmarked but he heads wide!
8: CHANCE! Now a good opening for Watford. Nabizada slinks inside and sees his shot blocked into the path of Kjerrumgaard. He then prods over from 12 yards.
11: PENALTY SHOUT! Atkinson then goes down in the box and wants a penalty after a challenge from Doumbia, but the referee is not interested. Hard to track in real time, but on replays it was clear that Doumbia got Atkinson before the ball.
31: GOAL! Bristol City have the lead that their dominance has earned! Cardines with another assist! His sixth of the season as he whips in a lovely inswinging cross and Dominic Ballard rises with his back to goal to steer a header into the corner!
80: CHANCE! Tolaj could seal it! A long ball forward from Tanner finds the run of the striker. He gets in between two Watford defenders, but then lashes over.
87: PENALTY SHOUT! Boadu feels he’s having his shirt pulled in the box as he goes down! But the referee is not interested in the Watford man’s protests!
The managers
Bristol City’s Michael Skubala:
“Dom’s got great movement in and around the box and I thought he could get down the sides of the two centre halves. I thought he could link quite well. [Lorent] Tolaj does it well as well, but Dom’s a really good mover without the ball and he creates little moments for himself.
“I think the goal is just a typical Dom Ballard goal that I’ve seen over the last few years.
“I was really pleased. It’s not easy to come back off a couple of results that we lost, but it really showed some resilience to bounce back. A win’s a win and a good clean sheet.
“I thought we showed, especially in the first half, some really good intensity with the ball. We moved it really well, shifted the play and looked really threatening. In the second half, naturally, we were a little bit lower, but we had some fast transition moments to go and get the second.
“We challenged the group with a clean sheet and making sure we defended our box solidly, and I thought the lads were great. The other thing was that I made seven changes, which is showing the squad depth. Not many people make seven changes and some of the lads put in great performances.”
Watford’s Alessio Dionisi:
“For a lot of matches we played with all the same players, the same line-up. Today it was difficult to ask other players.
“It’s not easy because, for example, today on the bench there weren’t midfielders, there weren’t defenders. It was difficult.
“I’m not happy sometimes with the situation in the last 20 metres because we arrived near the box and then played back. It’s not good, but we have a lot of young players.
“Today there were six young players in the line-up. Two 19-year-olds and two 20-year-olds. It’s not easy, but I believe in our future because it’s important.
“I speak every day with my director, with my owner, with the club. The club knows this situation well because at the start I wasn’t happy. It’s difficult to start when we had a few players.
“I know a lot of players arrived at the end of the [window], but now it’s important to recover a lot of players.
“I spoke in the dressing room with my team. Now it’s important to believe, to work together, because I believe in this team, I believe in our job.”
