Gerhard Struber’s Bristol City made the “perfect start” to 2026 as they thrashed Portsmouth 5-0 at Ashton Gate on New Year’s DayBristol City boss Gerhard Struber after the Robins’ win over Portsmouth at Ashton Gate(Image: Photo by Simon Galloway/Getty Images)

Gerhard Struber has challenged his Bristol City side to consistently hit the level they showcased in their win over Portsmouth, after the Reds started 2026 in the “perfect” fashion with a commanding three points at Ashton Gate.

The Robins kicked off the new year superbly as they thrashed Pompey 5-0 in BS3 on Thursday afternoon. First-half goals from Adam Randell and Anis Mehmeti were followed by a Scott Twine strike and a Sinclair Armstrong brace after the break.

Having opened his account in red and white against Millwall on Monday, Randell rifled Struber’s side into the lead with a right-footed finish from outside the box after just 10 minutes. Midway through the first period, Mehmeti then benefited from a loose pass and fired his eighth of the season into the bottom left corner.

READ MORE: Five-star Bristol City start 2026 in electric fashion with New Year’s Day Portsmouth thrashingREAD MORE: Bristol City 5-0 Portsmouth reaction: Randell, Mehmeti, Twine and Armstrong all score for Robins

Twine’s cultured volley just minutes into the second half was shortly followed by Armstrong’s second of the campaign after some good work from substitute Sam Bell. Then, deep in stoppage time, the 22-year-old doubled his tally for the day with a powerful right-footed strike from the edge of the area.

In truth, it was comfortable for Struber’s boys, much to the joy of the Austrian, who was left delighted by his side’s start to 2026.

“How we bounce back from the disappointment of Millwall, I would say a perfect start in this new year,” the head coach explained. “Performance-wise, this was from the first second, I would say a very controlled game.

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“I think we give them absolutely no hope; in no second do we give them something that they could jump back. We had really good box defending, we had – in the end – super synchronised pressing moments, we won the ball also, in some moments really high. A dynamic follow action, we score goals, we were really efficient with how we scored today.

“We used many, many chances in a really good way. I think we could score a little bit higher, of course, also with the chances that we created, but I would say we had control; we give them nothing. That was the plan, and the boys executed this in a really good way today.”

Bristol City’s Scott Twine in action against Portsmouth at Ashton Gate(Image: Getty Images)

The three points gained against John Mousinho’s side aren’t enough for the Robins to climb above eighth in the Championship, but the gap to the top six – which previously stood at two points on Wednesday – has now been cut to a single point.

Given the congested nature of the second-tier calendar over the festive period, the Reds will have another opportunity to jump into the play-off places when they welcome sixth-placed Preston North End to Ashton Gate on Sunday afternoon.

Although the quick turnaround limits City’s ability to rest and recharge, Struber is hopeful that the same group of players who played Pompey off the park will be able to match that standard once again against Paul Heckingbottom’s Lilywhites.

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“I think this is, of course, important that we have the chance for rotation,” Struber told Bristol Live. “The results help us a little bit to rotate exactly in this plan that we have.

“This was really good to see, and we have no injuries from this game, and we are really happy that we can jump into the next with these players.

“We need, of course, and this is – I would say – the next step: to be consistently on this level and show in every gameday how strong we are and how resilient we are.”

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