Bristol City now have clear summer priority as promotion dream comes to end with play-off defeat

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Football is a results business where the majority of people involved are focused on outcomes. Whether it be wins, losses, promotions or relegations, what happens come the full-time whistle or the end of the season is what everything boils down to in this game.

But if you can take a step back from that, it is about an awful lot more. While Bristol City's play-off campaign was curtailed before it even really got going at the hands of Sheffield United, with a 3-0 defeat at Bramall Lane seeing the Blades win the tie 6-0 on aggregate, Liam Manning's side have carved out memories that will live long in the mind of those of a red and white persuasion in the South West.

Whether it be those final day scenes at Preston North End, the Good Friday win over Sunderland or Haydon Roberts' late winner against West Brom under the lights at Ashton Gate, very few City supporters are going to forget the events of the last nine months or so in a hurry, even if they may be keen to put the events of Monday night's loss at Bramall Lane to the back of their mind.

The Reds always had a mountain to climb after the first leg loss, but for 20 minutes or so, they faced that challenge head-on. Scott Twine and Jason Knight both tried their luck with early efforts, and for a moment, the away fans inside Bramall Lane may have believed the impossible was possible. That was until Kieffer Moore rose highest to head home on the stroke of half-time and City supporters, both at the ground and at home, were brought back down to Earth.

While Manning's side again rallied at the start of the second half, the damage was done. United freshened things up, and courtesy of a wicked deflection, Gustavo Hamer made the lead two on the night. Still, the Reds battled, only for a swift Blades' counter attack to end with Callum O'Hare driving into the back of the net to kickstart the Wembley chants among the home support.

In truth, this was not how the Robins' first play-off appearance in 17 years was meant to go. Manning, the players and the fans will have no doubt made their way home from the Steel City with more than a little feeling of disappointment. However, that will have almost certainly been outweighed by a sense of pride having got this far. The head coach has always urged those in and around BS3 to enjoy the journey, and boy, has this season been an incredible rollercoaster ride.

I'm sure for many of you, next season can't come soon enough. Of course, we will turn to that in good time, but for now, here are the stand-out talking points from City's 3-0 defeat to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane...

Physically underpowered

Monday night's game was about so much more than the result, but it is only right that we at least start by discussing the events that unfolded on the pitch over the course of the 90 minutes before turning our attention elsewhere.

In all honesty, Bristol City looked like a side that had been stripped back by injuries and suspension, running on empty, having navigated what has often been labelled a marathon of a season with a relatively small playing group. Not only did the Robins look shattered come the full-time whistle, they allowed Sheffield United to get the better of them physically on several occasions.

There was no better example of that than the Blades' opening goal. Chris Wilder's side pinned Max O'Leary to his goalline as Harrison Burrows swung a corner onto the head of Kieffer Moore, who had lost Zak Vyner before nodding into the back of the net. While the Welshman has made a career out of scoring those sorts of goals, it is also the sort of strike the Reds have conceded on a couple of occasions this term.

The Blades found the net from a corner in the first leg, Emil Riis' opener in the final-day draw with Preston North End was almost a carbon copy of Moore's header, and Carlton Morris' strike in the Easter Monday defeat to Luton Town came in a similar fashion. Of course, I am confident in saying City would be much better equipped to deal with such physical threats if they had both Luke McNally and Rob Dickie fit and available but in their current state, they are clearly vulnerable in that way.

None of Zak Vyner, Cam Pring, George Tanner or Haydon Roberts are the most imposing of defenders, and unlike the days of Famara Diedhiou, the Robins don't have a six-foot-plus forward to call upon to help out when defending set-pieces. This is a weakness that Wilder picked up on in the build-up to the play-offs, hence the fact Moore has got the nod ahead of Callum O'Hare despite starting just 18 games in the regular Championship season.

I won't delve into the decisions made in the January transfer window again as I don't want to risk boring you all, but with hindsight, you wonder if that is a risk Wilder would have taken had Rob Atkinson been the man to step into the backline, in the absence of McNally?

In truth, such a weakness matters very little now with no competitive football to be played for the best part of three months, but the Reds could certainly benefit from adding a greater sense of physicality to their ranks over the summer to buck this trend of shipping goals from set-pieces.

Lack of quality in the final third

It would be wrong of me to suggest that it was Bristol City's attacking exploits that cost them over the course of this two-legged play-off tie. Very few teams in the Championship would have managed to book their place in the Wembley final had they shipped six goals in 180 minutes of semi-final action.

However, these last two matches have almost been a reminder of what most journalists and supporters have known since the early weeks of the campaign. Liam Manning has some very good footballers at his disposal, with most in the squad capable of finding the back of the net from their respective positions, but they simply do not have enough goals to make the step to the Premier League.

The opening 15 minutes at Bramall Lane were a demonstration of that. City flew out of the traps to push the Blades onto the back foot immediately, with Scott Twine, Jason Knight, and Nahki Wells all calling Michael Cooper into action. In that brief period alone, the Reds asked more questions of the Sheffield United stopper than they did in the entirety of the first leg, but what did they have to show for it? Nothing, as a lack of "quality" and "conviction", according to Manning, meant they failed to take any of the early chances that went their way.

Of course, there would have still been a mountain to climb had one of those opportunities seen the ball nestle in the back of the net, but the Robins needed to score in that period to have any hope of carving out their own moment of play-off history. In a season which has undoubtedly been a success, the issue of delivering consistent quality in the final third has been one that has cropped up on a few too many occasions.

If you take away the heavy defeats to the likes of Leeds United, West Brom and Derby, it feels like the majority of City's frustrating results this term have been a result of their inability to impact the game in the opposition's box, rather than defensive errors at the other end.

(Image: Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Their 59 goals scored in the regular season is the second-lowest tally of any team in the top six of the Championship and behind Anis Mehmeti, who ended the campaign with 12 goals, and Nahki Wells, who finished with 10, the Reds' next highest scorer is Ross McCrorie with five. Four of his goals have come since the March international break.

When everyone is fit and available, City's defence is almost promotion-ready. At the other end of the pitch, there is still a bit more work to be done.

How many goodbyes?

Had you been parachuted into Bramall Lane on the full-time whistle on Monday evening and somehow missed the score that was brandished across the stadium's scoreboard, I'm not sure you'd have known that one side had moved within 90 minutes of the Premier League and the other had just suffered what is a record play-off defeat over the course of the two legs.

Led by skipper Jason Knight, the Bristol City squad made their way over to the away fans packed into the bottom tier of the Bramall Lane End and stood applauding those who made the trip to the Steel City who hadn't stopped singing throughout. For a moment between the Blades' celebrations, all that could be heard from our vantage point in the press box was the travelling support's chant of 'Liam Manning's Cider Army.'

That alone is a marker of just what sort of impact this group of players has had on the fanbase this season, and for a few in Manning's ranks, that could well have been their last moment with the Cider Army.

(Image: EFL)

George Earthy was the obvious example. The West Ham United loanee was practically last to leave the playing field as he soaked in the reception of a set of supporters he has won over over the last five months or so. As he turned away, the attacking midfielder was on the receiving end of a big hug from Jason Knight. Although Manning has made it clear he would be keen to work with the 20-year-old again, to this journalist's eye at least, that felt like a goodbye.

Nahki Wells is another who, at the time of writing, doesn't have a contract at Ashton Gate beyond the end of this season. In comparison to Earthy, the Bermudian's emotions were muted as he applauded those who made the long journey to Bramall Lane, with no hint of his intentions regarding his long-term future. The forward, Manning and Brian Tinnion have all made it clear they would be keen to keep him in the West Country for a little while longer, but until a deal is signed and the announcement is made, he is set to depart BS3.

Of course, the retained list, which will likely land in the hands of supporters via social media in the coming days, should provide a greater idea of just where the 34-year-old stands heading into the off-season. Though I wish we could provide a concrete update of just what the coming weeks hold for Wells, it appears that genuinely no decision has been made at this stage.

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Finally, there was Stefan Bajic, who looks set to bow out this summer after three years in the West Country. In that time, the Frenchman has made just two competitive appearances for the Reds, both of which came in the Carabao Cup. Though he also joined the squad in their moment with the fans at full-time, he was by no means front and centre, perhaps personifying his time as a City player perfectly.

Summer priority now clear

With the season now in the rear view mirror, it is only right that focus will, of course, now turn to the summer transfer window, right?

I'm sure that as many of you made your way home from Bramall Lane on Monday evening, you will have begun discussions with fellow Bristol City supporters around exactly where the Robins need to strengthen over the coming months. If social media is a fair reflection of the wider fanbase, it seems for most, the priority is a new goalkeeper, or two, and a new number nine... or two. Simple right?

Of course, if the Reds want to kick on from what has been their best league season in 17 years next term, they need to recruit and recruit well to be able to go a step further in 12 months' time. However, keeping as much of this current group of players as possible together over the summer transfer window has to be a priority for the powers at be at Ashton Gate.

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Yes, that is easier said than done in the Championship. Given the nature of finances in the second tier, it will be tough for City to turn down a Premier League offer, should it arise, for somebody like Jason Knight or Max Bird, but to truly reap the rewards of the last nine months, the nucleus of the 2024/25 team needs to be kept together.

Liam Manning's first message to the players in the Robins' changing room at full-time on Monday evening surrounded the idea that the events of the last week or so should stand City in good stead for the future.

"Tonight, we've had a taste of a level of opposition and player that are better than us, so let's take that, let's learn from it and become better," the head coach told Bristol Live.

"If you want to get where you want to get, you have to obsess on improving, on getting better and taking tough lessons. The last two games have been completely new experiences for a large majority of the group, and you have to use that as a lesson to become better."

As I've mentioned above, neither I writing this nor you reading this are naive enough to assume City can slap a 'not for sale' sign across their entire first team squad. However, it would be a great shame if the Robins aren't the side to benefit from the growth of the majority of players in their ranks this term.

Hopefully, with as many as eight first team regulars out of contract next season, it won't be too long before we see the likes of Zak Vyner, Mark Sykes and Cam Pring tied down to new deals in BS3.

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