Gerhard Struber and Bristol City drew with Nathan Jones’ Charlton Athletic at Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoonGerhard Struber and Bristol City were held to a draw by Charlton(Image: Photo by Ed Sykes/Getty Images)

Gerhard Struber has explained that he was left with a feeling of “frustration” following Bristol City’s draw with Charlton Athletic, with the Robins boss disappointed to see his side allow the game to become a “ping-pong fight” in the second half.

City were unable to continue their winning start to both the 2025/26 campaign and Struber’s tenure as they were held to a 0-0 stalemate by Nathan Jones’ side, with Anis Mehmeti coming the closest to breaking the deadlock on either side of the half-time break.

The Albanian international saw a low strike from the edge of the area narrowly miss the far post early on, before he then struck the bar from close range in the second period. Charlton had chances of their own, but the closest they came to an opener was when George Tanner nearly turned into his own net from close range midway through the second half, only for Radek Vitek to claw off of the goal line.

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While the Robins did well without the ball to deal with the away side’s pressure throughout, Struber felt his players’ decision-making let them down in the first half before they allowed Charlton to implement their style on the game after the break.

“Today, I would say the expectation to have a difficult opponent in the house went in the exact direction that I know,” the Reds boss explained in his post-match press conference. “We’ve seen many games of theirs and we know they’re super-man oriented, have in the end a drive with the momentum of the promotion, and we can feel the energy from them.

“In the first half, we break them down until the last third, and in the last third, our decision-making was not always great. We did not have always the patience to switch again, and a little bit switches would help us today, not always a shoot or a block or something. In this direction, in the first half, the decision-making that was not always ready, and in the second half, we play too much the game from them.

“It was then only long-balls, second-ball fights, and duels. In this direction, you find no control, and then you have a 50/50 game. This is something, with our quality and our standard against a team with high aggression, we have to find in possession a better staggering, so that we can find better connections. This today, especially in the second half, it was not always on this level to do it.

“Then we step into the world of Charlton football,” Struber continued. “Then it was a ping-pong fight. Sometimes we come in counter-moments, and in the end, we need Radek and the backline to show us how strong they are. One time, the crossbar was between, but I would say it was a very difficult game today, which I expect.

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“But at the same time, we are a little bit disappointed today. We expect a win, and I can feel a little bit of frustration.”

Having kicked off their season with their thrashing of Sheffield United last weekend and booked their place in the second round of the Carabao Cup with a win over MK Dons on Tuesday night, Struber has now had the chance to see his side in action in three separate competitive matches.

All three of those tests have been remarkably different from one another. Although the result of Saturday’s game was frustrating for the head coach, it has allowed him the chance to assess the squad’s areas for improvement ahead of next week’s clash with Derby County.

“The games, especially competition games, show us the real face,” Struber replied when asked what he’d learned about his side. “In this way, we have to improve, we have to build, and the next chance is coming soon.

“Derby is waiting, a Friday night game, what more do you want?”

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