Gerhard Struber and Bristol City headed into the November international break with a workmanlike draw against Watford at Vicarage RoadBristol City boss Gerhard Struber during the Robins’ draw with Watford(Image: Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Gerhard Struber has explained that he told his Bristol City team “it’s not always about winning” following their draw with Watford, with the Robins boss quick to laud the character and mentality of his players at Vicarage Road.

The Reds came from behind to draw 1-1 with the Hornets in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Friday evening, with a moment of Scott Twine magic and some inspired work from Radek Vitek between the posts enough to curtail City’s recent losing run.

Javi Gracia’s side took the lead after just six minutes in Hertfordshire, with Marc Bola’s first goal in Watford colours sparking the contest into action. The 27-year-old was released behind the Robins’ defence by a smart, chipped Imran Louza pass, before slotting past Vitek with his left foot.

READ MORE: Watford 1-1 Bristol City live: Twine curls Struber’s Robins level after Bola opener for Hornets

OPINION

Having found themselves on the back foot early on, Struber’s side rallied. In the end, Twine’s sixth goal of the season, a brilliant right-footed free-kick on 29 minutes, proved to be enough for the points to be shared. While City had chances to win in the second half, their head coach was more than happy with the outcome.

“I would say, [it is] a really big point today,” Struber told Bristol Live post-match. “We know that Watford are, at the moment, in a really good momentum, and it is not so easy to pick up the points here.

“With our situation, with all the players that are not available at the moment, I would say the boys create an outstanding dynamic together. I think this was the key in the end to pick up points, and how we deal with the lead from them, the boys, the belief to bounce back was on a really good level.

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“Of course, we need also the one or other time Radek again,” the head coach added. “The backline was crazy good with Zak Vyner, Rob Dickie, and Georgey. They were again, not with the freshest legs on the planet, but they create, in the end, a really good performance and left everything on the field.

“I am super happy with the process: technical and tactical-wise today.”

The Robins made the trip to Vicarage Road having slipped to back-to-back losses at the hands of Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers. In both matches, Struber’s side slipped well below their recent standards and looked flat in defeat to leave supporters pessimistic of their chances against the Hornets.

When Watford took the lead early in the first half, fans would have been forgiven for fearing the worst. While the opener was followed by a brief period of Hornets’ dominance, the Reds were ultimately very good value for their point, despite their reduced numbers.

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Had Sinclair Armstrong managed to squeeze past Egil Selvik in the second half, they could have climbed back into the play-off places.

Although three points would have been more than welcome, Struber was keen to insist that his players’ display was much more about what they demonstrated on the field, rather than the end result.

“I told this to the boys today: it’s not always winning,” the Robins boss explained. “It’s always [about] performance and how we handle and deal with difficult moments with the performance and with the attitude.

“I would say today, the boys show us a really big mentality and a really big character [with] how they bounce back after two losses where we didn’t play on a really good level.”

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