Liam Manning needed to control emotions during thrilling Bristol City win

Posted Sunday, August 18, 2024 by PA

Bristol City boss Liam Manning admitted to having trouble keeping a clear head during a crazy game that saw his side edge Millwall 4-3.

City went 2-0 up inside 12 minutes, with striker Sinclair Armstrong crossing from the right for Anis Mehmeti to net the first and then rising to head the second himself from Max Bird’s centre.

But Millwall roared back after the break, Romain Esse firing past Max O’Leary after a solo run in the 51st minute and Tom Bradshaw netting a penalty three minutes later after George Tanner had handled a Duncan Watmore header.

Watmore then put the Lions ahead with a superb 64th-minute effort, only for two City substitutes to win the game, Fally Mayulu shooting low past Lukas Jensen with 12 minutes left and Scott Twine converting a close-range volley after 88 minutes the day after completing a permanent move from Burnley.

Manning said: “I go through the same emotions as the fans in a game like that, the highs one minute and frustration the next.

“The challenge for me is to stay in the present, which isn’t always easy. If you allow your emotions to take over and get carried away you are not able to make the changes you need in terms of tactics and substitutions.

“Fortunately, I have a good group of staff around me who keep me focused and that helped today.

“We made a terrific start, with Sinclair Armstrong showing what he is all about and the inswinging cross for his goal was a moment of real quality.

“We knew Millwall would come out for the second half and be even more aggressive and we didn’t do well enough to combat that.

“The penalty was given for handball, even though it hit our player in the chest. But having gone behind our players showed a real togetherness and the fans stuck behind us.

“We have worked hard this summer to increase our attacking quality and have some exciting players. To be able to introduce someone of Scott Twine’s ability from the bench is great.”

Millwall manager Neil Harris knows he needs to add depth to his squad.

He said: “There were some choice words at half-time, but for 75 minutes, apart from conceding two sloppy goals, I thought we were pretty comfortable.

“I can’t praise the players enough for the way they fought back from two goals down, but Bristol City were able to introduce quality players from the bench and in the end that makes the difference.

“We have scored five goals in two league games without having anything to show for it. The fans can see the intent is there, but we have to get the balance right between attack and defence.

“I hope to bring some new players to the club before the transfer window closes. It was evident today that we are short on numbers and need to do something about it.

“There were plenty of positives. We scored three good goals. Romain Esse, at 19-years-old, has been a real spark for us, Duncan Watmore’s strike was brilliant and Tom Bradshaw is off the mark.

“But I had to name two goalkeepers on my bench for the first time and Bristol City’s was a lot stronger.”