Bristol City boss Steve Cotterill spoke to his club's official website after his side's 2-1 League One win over Carlisle at Ashton Gate, Cotterill saying the Robins coulldn't get any tempo going in the first 45 minutes:
“It was a difficult game for the boys today, they took an age to get the game going, the tempo of the game was at Carlisle’s pace, exactly how they wanted it. I thought they took an age with the goal-kicks, an age with the throw-ins, and we couldn’t get any tempo. We couldn’t get into the game and then you always know what is going to happen, one set-piece they have and it ends up undoing you. He [Simon Moore] nearly gets a great hand to it, a little bit disappointed it has gone through the wall although it was a great strike to be fair.
“But, they ended up going in 1-0 up and didn’t deserve to be 1-0 up really. Then of course what happens is it puts us on edge but we tried to play football the right way which is very, very difficult in the situation we find ourselves in. Having said that, when we come through this period we will be a lot better, when we get our noses in front and when we are not at the bottom of the table.
“So, we can’t change our principles and we have just got to be, me more than anybody, be patient with them. Because, one thing is for sure, you have got to have great courage to carry on playing at the back. I thought what we did a little bit too much today was we didn’t quite hit that long pass that was on for us to hit.
“We didn’t quite hit that enough from centre-back today and when you roll the ball square on a bit of a wet pitch and on a real blowy day then it can affect you a little bit. We perhaps didn’t have that courage to hit that long pass that was on today. So, we are slightly disappointed with that, however I thought they showed great courage, we upped the tempo , we had a pass if it was the right pass, we made a couple of substitutions and it happened to work.
“Letting them control the tempo can sometimes happen with the speed and selection of pass. It is funny because when they went out of the dressing room today, we have just had two good days training, they were good in the warm-up, so we were going into the game thinking we want to come out of the traps really quick and start well. But, the opposition have got to join in with that and at the end of the day they came here today to not get beat and nearly won the game. Thankfully they didn’t because there was only one team deserved to win the game today and that was us."
“I changed the formation in the second-half, I felt as though even though there was enough football we weren’t getting to enough seconds balls that were bobbling around. Because, it was windy, whenever the ball goes forward there were a lot of second balls in midfield and a few little headers where their headers were going back into their strikers as opposed to our headers going back into our strikers, just in little skirmishes.
“So, I just felt we had Marvin Elliott’s strength and power and we also said it might be a game where we have to get back into it through set-plays. Luckily enough that worked, obviously Wes Burns gives us that little bit of edge and pace down one side and we decided to go that way. With about 25 minutes to go we brought Tyrone Barnett on and after the night it has probably taken him nearly a week to get over the 90 minutes at Brentford the other night.
“So, he looked more tired today going on as a substitute than he did playing 90 minutes the other night. But, it will all be good fitness for him and I just thought that when he went on as well their defenders took a little bit of a backward step. He won a few headers, he got us the corner, so all of a sudden we ended up playing on our front foot. Then it brings the best out of us, I took a gamble because I put Jay Emmanuel-Thomas back into that point of the midfield when I took Bobby Reid off, but it worked on the day thankfully.
“Once the crowd came up with the equaliser the players came with them. It was one of those days when your supporters turn up and they expect you to win the game, that is fine, they expect you to win every week. I said to the players at half-time that however many thousand people are here today, ten or eleven or whatever it was, they have come here, they have put their red and white scarves on and paid for their ticket and they are actually coming here to cheer you on.
“That is actually what they want to do, so don’t be fearful of them. I am from the West Country and I know what West Country folk are like and I said to not be fearful of them. But, what you will do if you go about your jobs and give them everything then you will get them off their seat and there will be no fans like it. I thought they were great in the second-half and it is a big stride for us and them to get out of the bottom four, but what we have got to do now is make sure we stay out of it, that is the key.”