Bristol Live’s Bristol City player ratings after the Robins missed the chance to climb into the top six as they were beaten by Preston North End
Bristol City defender Zak Vyner during the Robins’ defeat to Preston North End(Image: Photo by Ian Cook – CameraSport via Getty Images)Max O’Leary – 5
Undoubtedly, the Bristol City number one will come in for criticism for his part in Preston North End’s early goal. In my view, he had to leave his line and was left short by Zak Vyner’s pass, but his clearance needed to be better as he put Adam Randell under immediate pressure.
He could do little about the final strike, but he would have been disappointed not to do better for what proved to be the winner from Alfie Devine. From that angle, you’d have expected him to maybe at least get a hand to the effort.
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The Bristol City defender won’t want to see Lewis Dobbin’s opener back. Zak Vyner’s back-pass to Max O’Leary meant that the Robins stopper had to break into No Man’s Land. While the goalkeeper himself wasn’t blameless, Vyner seemed slow to react to his mistake and was therefore unable to help defend the counter, which led to the goal. Although he didn’t do anything quite as obviously poor in the remainder of the game, he wasn’t able to hit the high standard he has so often this season.
Rob Dickie – 5.5
Although Preston’s first goal had little directly to do with Rob Dickie, the Bristol City defender would have perhaps been better served following Lewis Dobbin, rather than attempting to tackle Jordan Thompson. In the remainder of the first half, he stepped into midfield well at times to win the ball, but could have done more for North End’s second as he both lost possession and then was unable to tackle Alfie Devine inside the penalty area.
Rob Atkinson (off for Cam Pring, 54’) – 5
Like the majority of the Bristol City backline, Rob Atkinson won’t be pleased with his role in Preston’s first goal. The defender lost his footing before Jordan Thompson passed through to Lewis Dobbin, and that afforded the forward plenty of room to pick his pass. Outside of that one moment, it didn’t really feel as though the 27-year-old did an awful lot wrong, and I’d imagine the decision to withdraw him so early on in the second half was made as much with his fitness in mind as it was a tactical change.
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Ross McCrorie (off for Yu Hirakawa, 90′) – 6
In a game where many slipped below their recent levels, it didn’t feel as though Ross McCrorie got an awful lot wrong. The Scotsman came as close as anyone in City colours to scoring when he fired wide in the second half, and his cross to Sinclair Armstrong in the opening period would have been more than worthy of an assist. He wasn’t involved in either of Preston’s goals, and hopefully, his withdrawal late on was just the result of cramp and fatigue.
Adam Randell – 5
Should Adam Randell have been stronger in the lead-up to Preston’s opener? Yes, as it did seem as though he lost possession cheaply on the halfway line, but Max O’Leary’s clearance did put him under a fair bit of pressure. While the 24-year-old tried to keep the Robins ticking, like so many others in red and white, he just seemed half a yard off the pace. Maybe that is to be expected given the sheer amount of football he has played both in the last few weeks and over the course of the season as a whole.
Jason Knight – 5.5
I often say you can copy what I write about Adam Randell and paste it in Jason Knight’s section. That would probably be true again after Sunday’s defeat at Preston, but not for the right reasons. Like his midfield partner, the Robins skipper just seemed a yard or two off the pace, and the Lilywhites punished that. Though he didn’t have a direct role in either goal, he was a little bit below his recent level and will benefit from the longer gap between games.
(Image: PA)Neto Borges – 6
In a pretty poor first half for Bristol City, Neto Borges seemed to be one of the players who provided some positivity. No player created more chances than the Brazilian, who often found space down the left flank, but he didn’t look quite as comfortable when pushed into a deeper position following the introduction of Cam Pring late on. Did he play Lewis Dobbin on for the opener? Quite possibly, but he had to track his runner. He’s very much an attacking full-back, and that was clear, at times, against Preston.
Scott Twine (off for Sam Morsy, 54’) – 5
Over the last couple of weeks, Scott Twine has shown flashes of getting back to his best in Bristol City colours, but like so, so many of his teammates, he never quite managed to grab the game by its horns on Sunday afternoon. Too often, he seemed unable to find a player in space when he was afforded space and occasionally gave away possession when he was put under pressure. A bad day at the office, but the same could be said for almost everyone else.
Anis Mehmeti (off for Emil Riis, 54’) – 5
Maybe one of Anis Mehmeti’s quietest games this season? Although Bristol City’s top goalscorer didn’t do an awful lot obviously wrong, he struggled to truly leave his mark on proceedings as he was guilty of spending too long on the ball and spurned a handful of good openings. Was it the right call to take him and Scott Twine off at the same time? Perhaps not, but it was clear Gerhard Struber did need to mix things up.
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Sinclair Armstrong (off for Sam Bell, 78’) – 5.5
As supporters have come to expect, the Bristol City striker caused Preston North End plenty of problems with his pace and willingness to break beyond the backline. For much of the first half, and portions of the second, Sinclair Armstrong was the Robins’ most productive outlet, but he needed to do better with the chances that fell his way, particularly that one in the first half when he was picked out by Ross McCrorie. He was by no means the worst in red and white.
Substitutes:Cam Pring – 6
Replaced Rob Atkinson on the left side of the back three and went under the radar during his cameo. Could have maybe done more in the final third.
Sam Morsy – 6
A promising, if not remarkable, first outing in Bristol City colours. Was composed and will likely have a bigger role to play in the FA Cup.
Emil Riis – 5
The Dane struggled to make a measurable impact from the bench and simply had to do better with the chances he was afforded against his former side.
Sam Bell – 6.5
One of the brighter sparks on an otherwise dull afternoon. Sam Bell added a level of impetus at the top end of the pitch that had been lacking.
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