Bristol City boss Liam Manning gives frank view after Birmingham draw and clears up Nahki Wells substitution

Liam Manning admitted his frustration as Bristol City were held 0-0 against Birmingham City at St Andrew's on Friday.

Anis Mehmeti and Andi Weimann came the closest for the Robins, who failed to register a shot on target against a stubborn Blues defence.

The result ended the visitor's three-game winning run, but it was far from a disappointing night as they controlled the match from start to finish.

Manning had his say on the result to BBC Radio Bristol: "I think getting a clean sheet and picking up points away from home is never a bad thing, it extends the unbeaten run, but the frustration comes from the fact that we were the only side that were going to win it.

"We had two terrific chances with headers in the first half and got into some decent areas in the second. There was a lot between the boxes and not enough in the box, but it's difficult with how they set up and where they're at. It was tough to create lots of opportunities tonight.

Wayne Rooney's side went into the match in poor form and off the back of a disappointing display against Stoke City last time out.

It was perhaps inevitable that they would approach the game tentatively, which successfully impacted the Robins' ability to create openings.

"Off the back of Watford, everyone expects you to go and score lots of goals again but football doesn’t work like that," Manning added.

"I like the fact that the group at disappointed, they’ve had a taste of winning competitive games now and they are frustrated in there. We have to channel that into being better so that we can turn performances like that into results."

The result sees Manning's side remain in 8th place in the table, three points off the play-off places.

While his side were ineffective up front on the night, they were assured at the back. Rob Dickie and Zak Vyner have formed a strong partnership over recent weeks and never looked in trouble.

"They had two shots from 25 yards which didn’t cause us too many problems, we did a good job of quietening the place down.

"They had a brief spell where the crowd got up but we spoke about stopping their momentum and controlling the game, and we did a good job of it. It was a case of whether we could break them down or not, and unfortunately, we couldn’t."

Nahki Wells was taken off at half-time which was a cause for concern for the Robins faithful, but the manager insisted that the change was pre-planned and not due to injury.

"We had that discussion before the game in terms of what was safe and sensible, and the right amount of time to give him, it was good for Tommy as well," he explained.