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<\/p>\nBristol City forward Emil Riis scored his first Robins hat-trick as Gerhard Struber’s side beat Watford in the FA Cup third round<\/p>\n
Bristol City forward Emil Riis celebrates after scoring against Watford(Image: Photo by Michael Steele\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Emil Riis and Gerhard Struber spoke about the timing of the forward’s attacking runs prior to Bristol City’s win over Watford, the Robins boss has revealed after the Dane’s hat-trick helped the Reds book their place in the FA Cup<\/a> fourth round.<\/p>\n City bounced back from their defeat at the hands of Preston North End last time out in impressive fashion as they beat the Hornets 5-1 at Ashton Gate<\/a>. Three goals from Riis were separated by an Anis Mehmeti strike and a Rob Atkinson<\/a> header on an eventful evening in BS3.<\/p>\n The 27-year-old headed the Robins into the lead after just two minutes when he nodded Neto Borges’ cross<\/a> into the bottom left corner before he then turned provider to set up Mehmeti’s ninth of the campaign later in the first half.<\/p>\n OPINION<\/p>\n READ MORE: Bristol City 5-1 Watford reaction: Riis scores hat-trick as Robins secure place in fourth round<\/a><\/p>\n Atkinson extended the lead to three when he steered Scott Twine’s free-kick home<\/a> shortly after the hour mark, but it was Riis who stole the show in the minutes that followed. First, the forward found the bottom right corner with a low shot, before he chipped over Nathan Baxter following a clever George Earthy pass<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ultimately, the Dane left BS3 with the match ball tucked under his arm, having set a new standard for himself in the process.<\/p>\n “We spoke before we jumped in this game about forward runs,” Struber explained post-match when asked about Riis’ showing. “About the timing when we come from the back, and I would say today, he did it on a really good level.<\/p>\n “Especially when you watch Watford the last few weeks and what form they are in, then I would say we are really happy with how he stresses the last line from them. I am really happy [with] how he did it today.<\/p>\n Bristol City looking to build on last season’s play-off finish under Gerhard Struber and you won’t miss a beat with our free newsletter.<\/p>\n All the latest news, views, interviews, gossip and analysis concerning the Robins, delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n It’s completely free and you can sign up HERE<\/a><\/p>\n “I think that I have a big trust in Emil Riis, but also in Sinclair’s development,” the head coach continued. “Also, in the end, I have the one or other player that can play up front – Anis Mehmeti – so I have in this group of players a big trust.<\/p>\n “Especially with Emil, when he comes more and more with a good consistency on a level like that, then it’s for us also better. Then he shows us how important striker [he] is for us. He is so clear and so cold in front of the goal and used the chances. This gives, in the end, the whole game a push. This pushes every single player, how he interpreted his personal moments today.<\/p>\n “It’s a new standard, what he shows us, and, of course, also a little bit the expectation in this direction also grows.”<\/p>\n Saturday’s FA Cup win is the second time in just three matches that the Robins have been able to score five goals in a single game after they produced a similarly special performance against Portsmouth on New Year’s Day<\/a>.<\/p>\n Join Bristol City Live’s Whatsapp community for all the biggest Bristol City stories sent straight to your phone<\/strong><\/p>\n Bristol City Live<\/a> is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.<\/p>\n Through the app, we\u2019ll send the Bristol City news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis and more straight to your phone.<\/p>\n To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select \u2018Join Community\u2019.<\/a><\/p>\n No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live<\/a> team.<\/p>\n We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.<\/p>\n To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose \u2018Exit group\u2019.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.<\/a><\/p>\n Click here to join our WhatsApp community.<\/a><\/p>\n Between those two commanding victories, however, City were left frustrated by Preston North End as they were beaten 2-0 by the Lilywhites<\/a> last Sunday. Naturally, that result saw supporters, staff, and players alike left feeling more than a little deflated.<\/p>\n While the win over Watford does little to change the Reds’ league position ahead of the next weekend’s trip to Oxford United<\/a>, it has provided a much-needed boost for those in the Robins’ changing room.<\/p>\n “I think it was important that we bounced back, and it’s not only that we jump in the next round in the FA Cup,” the head coach told Bristol Live<\/a>. “It’s also that we jump in, in a good feeling, in a good mood with our performance.<\/p>\n “I think today, the performance and result go hand in hand and gives us, of course, a push for more.”<\/p>\n READ MORE: Jason Knight makes honest admission as Bristol City captain targets cup run after ‘tough’ injury<\/a>READ MORE: ‘Feels like home’ – George Earthy’s first words as Bristol City confirm West Ham loanee’s return<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bristol City forward Emil Riis scored his first Robins hat-trick as Gerhard Struber’s side beat Watford in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":687870,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[381,2686,748,393,97,4884,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-687869","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-bristol","9":"tag-bristol-city-fc","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-england","12":"tag-fa-cup","13":"tag-great-britain","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115873736640744953","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=687869"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687869\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/687870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=687869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=687869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=687869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1_Bristol-City-v-Watford-Emirates-FA-Cup-Third-Round.jpg\")
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