Rob Atkinson was not included in Bristol City’s matchday squad for the Robins’ defeat to Blackburn Rovers at Ashton GateRob Atkinson signed a new Bristol City contract this sumer(Image: Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Bristol City will be without Rob Atkinson until Christmas, Gerhard Struber has confirmed, after the defender was left out of the Robins’ matchday squad for their midweek defeat to Blackburn Rovers.

The 27-year-old was missing from the Reds’ starting line-up for the first time in the Championship this season as City were beaten 1-0 by Rovers at Ashton Gate on Tuesday evening. The Robins slipped to their first back-to-back league losses under Struber, as Yuki Ohashi’s first-half strike proved to be the difference in BS3.

Ohashi made no mistake when he turned Ryoya Morishita’s low cross past Radek Vitek and into the back of the net from close range in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time. While City had chances to pull level after the restart, they were unable to carve out the moment of quality needed to snatch a point.

READ MORE: Gerhard Struber shares Mark Sykes and Neto Borges update after Bristol City’s Blackburn defeatREAD MORE: Bristol City 0-1 Blackburn Rovers recap: Reds slip to second successive defeat at Ashton Gate

The defeat to Rovers followed a miserable 5-1 loss away to Stoke City last weekend, during which Atkinson had been forced off with a hamstring injury. Although at that stage, the details of the defender’s issue were unclear, Struber was able to provide a more definite update on Tuesday evening.

“We had a scan and the situation looks that he is out, I would say, until Christmas,” the head coach told Bristol Live in his post-match press conference. “He will not be available.

“I think this is a time [which] is realistic that he will be back. He has a hamstring injury, and he has to do everything, right now, with the medical department [so] that he comes back soon.”

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Between now and their Boxing Day trip to The Hawthorns, City have eight Championship matches to navigate during Atkinson’s likely absence. Seven of those games come after the November international break, but before they have a chance to rest and recover, the Reds face the prospect of a meeting with Watford later this week.

Struber and his players make the journey to Vicarage Road on Friday evening, where they will face the division’s second-best side at home – according to the table at least. The Hornets have won five of their opening seven matches on their own patch and currently sit 12th in the Championship, five places and three points adrift of the Robins.

The seemingly ever-growing injury list, to which both Mark Sykes and Neto Borges may well be added, means that the quick turnaround isn’t being viewed as a positive in the Reds’ camp. However, it does present an opportunity for City to end this rollercoaster of a block of matches on an upbeat note.

“I would like that we would have a little bit more days between so that we could find a little bit more regeneration,” Struber explained. “But the reality is, we play on Friday; we have to manage that.

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“Everything we have to do right now [is so] that the boys are fresh and ready for a strong Watford.

“I think we have many things in our hand,” the head coach continued. “After moments like that [the defeat to Blackburn], it’s always a disappointment and it’s always a frustration – this is crystal clear.

“But, overall – and this is for me, important – that we invest again on Friday. Also, that we do something with our resilience when, of course, this will not be an easy game in Watford. We have to do everything so that everyone has the chance to come on this roof and do it again on a good level.

“Friday is the next chance, and then the block could look in a really good way.”

OPINION

READ MORE: ‘No time to moan’ – Gerhard Struber insists Bristol City must deal with latest injury challenge