Bristol City face fellow Championship play-off hopefuls West Brom at Ashton Gate on Tuesday eveningScott Twine missed Bristol City’s clash with Watford(Image: EFL)

Liam Manning has admitted it is possible that Scott Twine could be in contention to feature for Bristol City in their clash with West Brom after the attacking midfielder missed the Robins’ win over Watford with a groin injury.

The Reds welcome Tony Mowbray’s side to Ashton Gate on Tuesday evening in what is perhaps, on paper at least, their biggest game of the season so far. Albion currently sit eighth in the Championship, three points adrift of City and the play-off places with just six matches remaining of the season.

A win for the Robins could be enough to see them climb as high as fifth, depending on how Middlesbrough fare against Leeds United, and it would also put a six-point buffer between Manning’s side and the Baggies heading into the final handful of matches.

READ MORE: Tom Cleverley makes honest admission as he offers verdict on Bristol City goal in win vs WatfordREAD MORE: Time to get BS3 rocking as Bristol City secure potentially season-defining win over Watford

Twine was a surprise absentee as City beat Watford 2-1 on Saturday, courtesy of goals from Ross McCrorie and Nahki Wells. Manning confirmed ahead of kick-off that the issue was one he and his coaching staff had been managing for a while and after the full-time whistle he provided some further details.

“Possibly, we’ll have to see,” the head coach replied when asked if Twine could be available to face Albion. “It’s just his groin, groin region, it just flared up a little bit.

“With quite a few of the lads, as you’ll have seen today, there were quite a few out on their feet. When you have a small squad, naturally you’re conscious of it. There’s a possibility for Tuesday, we’ll just have to see how it settles which only time will tell us.”

Bristol City Live on Whatsapp

Join Bristol City Live’s Whatsapp community for all the biggest Bristol City stories sent straight to your phone

Bristol City Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.

Through the app, we’ll send the Bristol City news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis and more straight to your phone.

To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select ‘Join Community’.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live team.

We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.

To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’.

If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Click here to join our WhatsApp community.

Although it was a blow to lose Twine, Saturday’s win over the Hornets saw both Joe Williams and McCrorie return to the starting line-up. The former had been an unused substitute against Burnley the week prior having felt something in the build-up to the Reds’ trip to Turf Moor and the latter hadn’t started a game since suffering a hamstring injury in February’s Severnside derby draw with Cardiff City.

Williams added a balance to the midfield that had been missing against Scott Parker’s Clarets and McCrorie posed a constant threat from the left flank, even managing to score his second goal of the season with a left-footed effort in the first-half. With the score at 2-0, Manning took the decision to withdraw both players after 64 minutes with Marcus McGuane and Haydon Roberts the men to replace them.

While the Robins boss admits both players, like the majority of City’s squad, aren’t quite fully fit given the stage of the season, he confirmed that McCrorie and Williams appeared to have come through their hour of action unscathed.

Sign up for our City newsletter

Bristol City are fighting to secure their place in the play-off places and you won’t miss a beat with our free newsletter.

All the latest news, views, interviews, gossip and analysis concerning the Robins, delivered straight to your inbox.

It’s completely free and you can sign up HERE

“Yeah, looking after them a little bit,” the head coach told Bristol Live when asked if he was aiming to manage players’ minutes with his substitutions. “Naturally, they’re putting their bodies on the line at the minute, they’re carrying bits and pieces.

“We’re at the end of the season, the stage of the season where the priority is to win games, as it is earlier in the year. The risks that you take probably become a little bit higher because we’ve got so much to play for.

“They came through it and they seem okay. I’ll check in. It’s not always today, sometimes it’s tomorrow how they’ll respond. We’ll give them the time and the rest they need and we’ll see.”

READ MORE: Neil Harris makes Josh Stokes claim as Bristol City loanee nears end of Cambridge loan spellREAD MORE: Liam Manning shares simple response to questions around George Earthy’s Bristol City future