Two players in Gerhard Struber’s Bristol City squad have been shown four yellow cards with the suspension threshold closing inBristol City defender Ross McCrorie has been booked three times this season(Image: Photo by Ed Sykes/Getty Images)

With Millwall set to visit Ashton Gate this weekend, Bristol City boss Gerhard Struber and his coaching staff will be eager to avoid losing any players to suspension for reaching five bookings over the course of the campaign so far.

Up until this point of the term, Rob Dickie remains the only City player to have missed a match through suspension during Struber’s tenure in BS3. The Robins’ vice-captain sat out the season-opening win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, as he served the final game of his ban after being shown a straight red card in the first leg of last year’s play-off semi-final against the Blades.

In all competitions this campaign, the Reds are yet to see a player sent off, and ahead of Alex Neil’s side’s trip to the West Country, no one has quite yet managed to hit the five yellow cards needed to be hit with a one-match suspension.

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In all three tiers of the EFL, players who pick up five bookings before or during the 19th matchday of the league campaign will be handed a single-game ban. For some in Struber’s ranks, that tally isn’t too far away.

City’s meeting with Millwall on Saturday afternoon will be the Robins’ 19th game of the Championship campaign. Therefore, any yellow cards picked up during the clash with the Lions will count towards the five required for a player to hit the current threshold, meaning two Robins remain at risk.

Zak Vyner and Anis Mehmeti are the two players walking a disciplinary tightrope heading into this weekend’s game. Both Reds regulars have received four bookings in the league so far this term, with Vyner being shown a yellow card against Oxford United, Ipswich Town, QPR and Norwich, whilst Mehmeti was punished against Ipswich, QPR, Birmingham City and Watford.

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If either player is to be penalised against Millwall, they will be suspended for the visit of Leicester City. Marti Cifuentes’ Foxes make the trip to Ashton Gate on Wednesday, December 10, for what will be the Robins’ final midweek game before the festive period.

Behind the above duo, Ross McCrorie is the next player closest to the five booking threshold, having picked up three yellow cards in 18 Championship appearances this term.

Had the Scotland international entered the book against Portsmouth, something the Fratton Park faithful were quick to appeal for on a couple of occasions, he would have been at risk, but after dodging such a punishment, he is in the clear heading into Saturday’s game.

After the 27-year-old, all of Adam Randell, Jason Knight, Rob Dickie, Scott Twine and Yu Hirakawa have picked up two yellow cards this season, whilst Emil Riis, Mark Sykes, Radek Vitek, Rob Atkinson and Sinclair Armstrong have only had their names taken once.

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Following Millwall’s outing in the West Country, the threshold to warrant a suspension will be reset to 10 bookings picked up within 37 matches. The Robins’ 37th league game is currently scheduled to be away to Leicester on March 10, and should any member of Struber’s side have been shown 10 yellow cards by that point, they will be hit with a two-game ban.

Hopefully, this will be a moot point, but should a player manage to enter the referee’s book on 15 separate occasions before the end of the regular Championship season, they would need to serve a three-match suspension.

Given their importance to the Reds so far this term, Struber will likely be desperate not to be without either Mehmeti or Vyner in the run-up to Christmas, even if only for one game. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see both players take an extra bit of care against Millwall on Saturday afternoon.

Bristol City players’ league bookings so far this season

  • Zak Vyner, Anis Mehmeti – Four
  • Ross McCrorie – Three
  • Adam Randell, Jason Knight, Rob Dickie, Scott Twine, Yu Hirakawa – Two
  • Emil Riis, Mark Sykes, Radek Vitek, Rob Atkinson, Sinclair Armstrong – One

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