Bristol City verdict as Wolves show Reds the level but FA Cup exit could be blessing in disguise

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Bristol City headed into their FA Cup third-round clash with Wolves as the underdogs and while they didn't book their place in the fourth round, they gave a good account of themselves against Premier League opposition.

The mood in and around Ashton Gate has been one of excitement over the last few weeks. 10 points from a possible 12 available over the festive period was an impressive haul for the Robins and gave supporters hope that they could produce yet another cup upset in BS3.

For 65 minutes or so, City gave their Premier League opponents a genuine run for their money. Unfortunately, Vitor Pereira's side had already secured a two-goal lead by the time the Reds got up to speed and that proved to be unassailable. Scott Twine's brilliant free-kick on the stroke of half-time provided some hope, but Liam Manning's side couldn't find that all-important leveller to force extra time.

There is no shame in losing to a top-flight side in the cup, especially by only one goal and fans have arguably been spoilt in the last few years, particularly last term with the famous win over West Ham United. However, this weekend's defeat felt like a sore one as a place in the fourth round was seemingly there for the taking.

Of course, the Championship has and always will be City's priority and it is now all the Manning's side has to focus on between now and the end of the season.

But before our attention turns back to league action, we have to unpick the most important moments from the Reds' short but sweet(ish) FA Cup campaign. With that being said, here are the talking points from Ashton Gate...

Twine steps up in more ways than one

It is becoming a given at this point that Twine will find the top corner with free kicks from this sort of range. His effort against Wolves on Saturday was almost a carbon copy of his strike against QPR earlier this season and his goal against Rotherham at the end of last term.

To be able to get that ball up and down over a wall of that size from that sort of range while also having the pace on the shot to beat Sam Johnstone is seriously impressive. He won't score a goal like that every week, but we've already seen that he is capable of doing it more regularly than the average player and that can only be a good thing for City.

However, it feels as though the former Burnley man is stepping up in more ways than one at Ashton Gate this season, with Manning revealing in his post-match press conference that the attacking midfielder had addressed his teammates after the full-time whistle.

"I thought Twiney spoke really well in the changing room just now about belief," Manning said. "It was the big bit that we showed second half. We took more care of the ball, showed a bit of belief, and a bit of purpose and took the game to them a little bit rather than being on the back foot.

"There's a lot of positives to take from it and a lot of lessons."

As Manning has been keen to stress in the past, this is a young squad. Although Twine is only 25 himself, he is older than most of the players around him and has experienced an awful lot in his short career so far which he should be able to pass on to those still learning their craft in the Reds' changing room.

If he can step up and act as a motivator both on the pitch and in the changing room, it can only be a good thing for City moving forward, especially as he likely understands Manning better than most having worked with him at both MK Dons and Ashton Gate.

Wolves show City the level

Going into this match, fans would have likely been boosted by Wolves' start to the Premier League this season. Pereira's side currently sit level on points with Ipswich Town who occupy the final spot in the relegation zone and came into Saturday's game off of the back of a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest earlier this week.

Of course, no game against Premier League opposition is easy and form tends to go out of the window in the FA Cup, but the first 20 minutes of the game at Ashton Gate demonstrated just what level you have to be at to even compete in the top flight, let alone succeed in the Premier League.

Wolves' attacking players appeared to be able to spring the Reds' backline at will. Time after time in the opening exchanges, one of Goncalo Guedes or Hwang Hee-Chan somehow ended up behind the City defence after a simple through ball and Manning felt that experience could be an eye-opener for the Robins.

"The first 25-30 minutes was a really good lesson," admitted the Bristol City head coach. "The lads' intent to press, the desire and even the set-up at times was good, but if you're half a yard off you're picked off and you're quickly defending your box.

(Image: Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

"It was a good opener to the level. Probably a bit disappointed with us with the ball, to be honest, I thought we turned it over too cheaply."

After such a good festive period, it could have been easy for the Reds to head to Coventry City next weekend full of confidence that they could stroll to three points without a care in the world. Saturday's defeat should serve as a reminder that teams, both at the top of the Championship and Premier League level, will punish you if you give them the chance to do so.

Get behind Fally

It would be wrong of me to suggest that Fally Mayulu deserves complete praise for his performance against Pereira's side, but his display certainly didn't warrant the reaction that it got from some supporters inside Ashton Gate when he was substituted.

When City's stadium announcer Toby Osborne said the Frenchman's name in the 77th minute, there was a cheer from some fans who were clearly happy to see him withdrawn. Of course, every supporter is entitled to their own opinion, but it is hard to see how that will help Mayulu in any way as he looks to kickstart his career in English football.

So far this season, Bristol City have played 2340 minutes of football in the Championship. Mayulu has only played 391 of those minutes meaning he has only been on the pitch for 16.7% of the league season. It is not going to be easy for a young forward to adapt to a new division and new style of play when he is playing such little competitive football.

Furthermore, it shouldn't be forgotten that Saturday's game was against Premier League opposition. Mayulu was up against a backline that was made up of three full internationals, one of which was signed for an initial £15million just a matter of days ago. It was never going to be an easy task for any striker and that was demonstrated when Nahki Wells came onto the field and similarly struggled to get any change out of the visitor's backline.

(Image: Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Although the ex-Rapid Vienna forward frustrated with too many loose touches and a couple of poor passes, he led the press as well as he has ever done in City colours and showed a few flashes of just how good he can be, namely with a great piece of control and pass to feed Anis Mehmeti in behind the backline in the second half.

Mayulu's goals against Hull City and Millwall showed that there's a player in there when he is confident and playing with swagger. The cheers at Ashton Gate on Saturday are unlikely to bring back that confidence. Although the ultimate responsibility is with Manning to get the best out of him, supporters can do their bit as well and that wasn't the case on Saturday.

Blessing in disguise?

You can call us overly optimistic all that you'd like, but you have to wonder if losing to Wolves inside the initial 90 minutes could well prove to be a blessing in disguise for Manning and the rest of the City team.

Had Ross McCrorie managed to turn home Twine's free-kick, the Robins would have had to play an extra 30 minutes and potentially take part in a penalty shoot-out. Even with replays no longer a part of the competition, that would have put an extra strain on this squad that has already been pushed to its limit over the chaotic festive period which saw the Reds play five games in the space of just two weeks.

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Of course, the majority of fans and people associated with City would have liked to have seen Manning's side book their place in the fourth round and potentially draw a big Premier League side, as was the case last season, but that would have been another additional game to deal with.

Instead, the Reds will now play just 48 matches this season, unless they qualify for the play-offs. That is the lowest amount of games a team in the Championship can play and the Robins have only managed to do that because they have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup at the earliest possible point for a team in the second tier.

On paper, that should be a source of disappointment. However, it does mean that Bristol City have just the Championship to focus on between now and the end of May. If this early cup exit helps the squad's freshness and in turn helps Manning's side finish in the top six, nobody will be complaining about a first, third round exit in three years.

But should City follow this weekend's defeat to Wolves up with a disappointing result against Coventry in a week's time and fall away from the play-off positions in the months to come, fans may begin to view a cup run as a missed opportunity. Ultimately, it's down to the Robins to determine whether this early exit is a blessing or a curse.

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