Bristol City suffer defensive headache for Middlesbrough clash after key man’s red card

Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson has a decision to make in defence ahead of the weekend following George Tanner’s sending off against Sheffield United last night. The full-back saw red after a nasty challenge on Manchester City loan man James McAtee.

He will now be suspended and leaves his team a man light in their defensive department ahead of their upcoming games. Next up is an away trip to Middlesbrough and the Robins go into that one on the back of their 1-0 loss to the Blades.

What now for Bristol City?

The experienced Timm Klose was left on the bench against Paul Heckingbottom’s side and seems the most likely to step in for Tanner now. His return to the starting XI could see Zak Vyner move from the centre of defence to the right to cover.

Injuries have hit this area for Bristol City over recent times and Tomas Kalas and Kal Naismith remain sidelined so there is a lack of centre-back options at this moment in time. In addition, Rob Atkinson has been absent for the past two clashes with illness.

Tanner, 22, picked up his first red card in his senior career yesterday. The former Manchester United man made the move to Ashton Gate in August 2021 and has since made 18 appearances in all competitions for the Championship outfit since then, chipping in with a single goal.

Prior to his move down south, he was a key player for Carlisle United in League Two. He spent just over a year in Cumbria and played 48 matches altogether to boost his development.