Mid-Season Review: Can Bristol City finally secure a playoff place in 2020/21?

Posted on: 21 Jan 2021

There have been positive signs in 2020/21 so far, but Bristol City fans have been here before.

 

Some say there are three certainties in life: death, taxes and Bristol City falling agonisingly short of the Championship playoff places despite looking nailed-on contenders for most of the season.

 

At the halfway point of the 2020/21 campaign, it's largely been business as usual for a City side that some had tipped to make good progress following the departure of manager Lee Johnson last summer, currently sat just outside the top six with eleven wins and ten losses.

 

Four straight victories during a five-game unbeaten streak at the start of the season were cause for early optimism among supporters, but patchy form in recent weeks has left The Robins struggling to gain a foothold towards the top of the table.

 

 

But, of course, City fans have been here before. In each of the 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons the club made good accounts of themselves throughout the respective campaigns, registering statement victories against the league's top sides and looking destined for a shot at promotion.

 

But, in what's become something of a trend, results have faltered at the business end of the league campaign, momentum has dropped and the playoffs have proven to be frustratingly out of reach. 

 

Successive league positions of 11th, 8th and 12th don't reflect the potential City squads have had over the years, yet somehow that top-six finish has continued to elude them.

 

This season, under the guidance of new boss Dean Holden, flashes of quality simply haven't translated into enough extended periods of good form.

 

 

City had an opportunity in December to make progress despite their busy playing schedule, but went on to lose five of their eight festive fixtures, four of which were against bottom-half opposition. 

 

So what now? As we enter the second half of a season set to be played entirely behind closed doors, there's still plenty of time to turn things around at Ashton Gate, but The Robins' forward line needs to start firing.

 

At the time of writing, City have the worst goalscoring record of any top-half Championship team (25 GF), with top scorers Nahki Wells and Famara Diédhiou tied with five apiece.

 

The outcome of the 2020/21 campaign could well rest on the next few weeks, with tough fixtures against Brentford, Watford, Reading, Barnsley, Middlesbrough and Swansea all to come before the end of February.

Bristol City fans have had no shortage of excitement and encouraging performances in recent seasons, but for a club of this size, supposedly on the rise after years of heavy investment, promotion to the Premier League should be a realistic target.

 

It remains to be seen whether or not Dean Holden can squeeze enough out of the current squad to challenge for the top six, but it would be a major statement in the manager's first full season in charge.

 

For more information on Bristol City, or to follow their progress in 2021, head to their website or follow them on Twitter.

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