‘Indicative’ - Nigel Pearson rues unwanted Bristol City trend after Stoke loss

Nigel Pearson described Bristol City’s 2-1 home defeat to Stoke City as a ‘missed opportunity’ as the Robins surrendered the lead in their EFL Championship clash.

Nahki Wells put the hosts ahead after half an hour, but Pearson’s side took their foot off the gas after the opener and allowed Liam Delap to equalise on the stroke of halftime after a defensive mistake from Andy King.

The visitors came out firing in the second period and took the lead through Jacob Brown after another questionable mix-up at the back involving King and Matty James.

When asked whether his side should've taken at least a point from the match, Pearson said: “Whether I feel that way or not, we haven’t. It was poor goals we conceded again.

“They did a really good job as an away team, I think both teams cancelled each other out in the early parts of the game, I think we were on top though for the first half and worked hard to be in the ascendency.

“We got the goal to be ahead and conceded another poor goal. In the second half, we became scrappy and the second goal wasn’t great either. It’s another missed opportunity.”

The Robins registered more than twice as many shots as their opponents on the day, but their defensive frailties and lack of goalscoring form up front cost them again.

Prior to the match, Pearson identified midfield as ‘the most important’ part of the match but didn't put the defeat down to the competitive midfield battle.

The West Country side were largely on top in the first half until the opener but began to sit off after they took the lead.

When questioned whether he was frustrated at his team's change of potency after the opener, he responded: “What you have to look at is what was happening tactically. Because we were matched up three-for-three in midfield, there were occasions we could press all the time and there were times we were flattened off.

“I mean look let’s be honest, If we had dealt with the ball in the way it should have been dealt with, you wouldn’t be asking the question. It was a poor couple of mistakes and we go in level instead of the lead.

“It’s indicative of this season. We’ve continued to lose too many points from winning positions, I think it’s 17 now this season. We’ve dropped 17 points from a winning position and it’s something we need to improve on.”

The Robins face West Bromwich Albion next on Boxing Day and will be seeking a positive result to turn their poor home form around.