Bristol City boss Liam Manning tells Robins fans to give misfiring Fally Mayulu time

Bristol City boss Liam Manning has told Robins fans to get off striker Fally Mayulu’s back.

Manning spoke out as he prepared for a trip up the M5 when the City will take on Frank Lampard Coventry on Saturday.

He leapt to the 22-year-old French forward’s defence in the wake of City fans cheering his substitution during the 2-1 FA Cup defeat by Wolves.

It was Mayulu’s fifth start since he headed to Ashton Gate from Austrian side Rapid Vienna last summer.

He scored twice in his opening two Championship fixtures but has not found the back of the net in 14 outings since.

Manning was asked by BBC Radio Bristol about Mayulu’s self-belief and confidence in his pre-match media briefing at the club’s Failand training ground.

“It's Fally and it's the same as all of the lads,” Manning said.

“The confidence element and again I think that's where I come back to it, they're human, right?

“Sometimes the expectation now is so high, and rightly so - they're professionals and we're here to deliver.

“But I also think it's understanding where people are at in their journey.

“We've got a few and the club has had previously and we'll continue to have young players that need support, need opportunity and confidence is a big part of that.”

Manning added: “For me, it's how do you regulate it? How do you keep it yourself in that sweet spot where it's not affected massively?

“Part of that's my job. Part of my job is to keep players in a good spot, same as them and the staff around them.

“We've got a terrific group of people here that you know, try and give the lads everything and ultimately, confidence comes from actions. It's delivering, I think that's the biggest bit.

“There's a lot of work that goes on, a lot of conversations, a lot of time spent with the players to try and make sure they're in the best spot come Saturday.”

Meanwhile, ex-Robins forward Jamie Paterson is currently training with the Sky Blues as the free agent tries to find a new club.

"I know Jamie from coming up against him when I was at Derby, and he was at Bristol City, “ Lampard said.

“He's a Coventry lad, as a lot of people know, and he's local to us. He hasn't got a club at the minute.

"It's a good experience, we're helping him to come and get fit and train. Our squad is a little bit stretched at this current moment so it helps us too.

“We’re helping each other a little bit in the short-term. It's just training for the moment."