Bristol City season player ratings: O'Leary exceeds expectations, Dickie proves a delight

It proved a season for the defence as Bristol City finished the Championship campaign with the fourth-stingiest record in the division but were found wanting at the other end of the field, with the league’s 15th-most potent attack. A difference which goes a long way to explaining why they ultimately ended up in the middle of the pack.

Understandably then, in assessing the individuals to have performed over the campaign, the more consistent performances and favourable scores lie at one end of the pitch but that’s not to say there weren’t some notable contributions elsewhere.

For consistency, we've only scored those players who made at least five league appearances this season which precludes Dire Mebude, Jamie Knight-Lebel, Joseph James and Elijah Morrison, who earned time on the pitch in the Championship but below that particular threshold...

Goalkeeper and defence

Max O’Leary - 8.0

There’s a temptation to almost over-score O’Leary, given the concerns going into the season at a lack of depth in the goalkeeper department and his own suitability to be No1, something which continued all the way up to around November-time, as he effectively completely over-delivered in terms of expectations.

He finished the campaign as a credible alternative to Rob Dickie for Player of the Year, having started every minute of every game for the Robins across league and cup and outside of those early-season wobbles against Leeds United and Ipswich Town, and then one late aberration at Coventry in January, his consistency was exceptional for the vast majority, with outstanding displays against West Ham, Sunderland (twice) and Leicester City to name but four.

The Bath-born stopper recorded an impressive 13 Championship clean sheets which wasn’t all his own doing, given the performances of those in front of him, but his save percentage of 75 - second overall in the division - certainly emphasises his integral role in making City so hard to break down.

A calming and composed figure at all times, he never let an occasion or a moment get to him, and while his distribution wasn’t always as crisp as his aerial claims or slickness in possession, Liam Manning’s desire to build from deep made him an influential individual on both sides of the ball.

Rob Dickie - 8.5

If Dickie was to depart tomorrow (which he won’t be, at least we hope not), this transfer would still have to go down as one of City’s finest of the century. It was a classic case of being flexible in the market, open to anything and looking for assets that have been undervalued. The Robins took him from an unhappy final season at QPR and gave him a platform to return to his best form of the previous two campaigns in west London.

A rightful winner of the club’s Player of the Year, further enhanced by him taking the Players’ Player of the Year crown, everyone of a City persuasion just knew how good and reliable he’s been this season as the centrepiece of what’s been a fantastic defensive season.

Dickie’s positional play, whether in a back four or three was outstanding, as was his last ditch defending, using those long limbs to good effect even when he was sometimes outpaced by smaller, quicker and more nimble attackers, and his aerial strength proved vital for City both in an attacking and defensive sense; only Southampton conceded fewer from set-pieces and the 28-year-old was a big reason for that.

If that laid the foundations for him, it was his work on the ball which really added the extra quality. He was just so controlled in possession at all times, available for the pass and willing to feed those higher up the pitch, plus there were some immensely important goals, with winners against Coventry, Sheffield Wednesday (to alleviate some of the post-Pearson toxicity), and Swansea (as it resurfaced for Manning), plus the vital second against Southampton. A gargantuan effort from the big man.

Ross McCrorie - 6.5

There is an argument, based on where he was around September/October and how he finished the season with 19 appearances, that McCrorie’s season was, in effect, a 10/10. It all went so wrong, so quickly for the Scot as a bacterial infection of his pelvis not only threatened the start of his time at City but his entire career itself.

But he fought back ahead of schedule to return to the team in January, the timing in itself crucial as it delivered a bit of a lift at that time of the year, offering more variety to the overall team selection, and although there were a few teething issues, he almost instantly showcased his talents and what a difference-maker he can be on the right-hand side.

McCrorie’s doesn’t always beat his man, but it’s exciting to have an individual so constantly willing to do so, as he slightly broke with what was seemingly becoming the norm for the Robins under Manning. As they looked a little passive in possession, the 26-year-old was also moving forward, instinctively so, whether with his movement or first touch. It changed the dynamic of the team to a certain extent.

Concerns remain around his defensive consistency, as witnessed at West Brom, particularly when stationed as right-back but as a wing-back he has that extra security behind him - usually George Tanner - to play further up the pitch.

Having had to learn on the job, while also playing catch-up in a physical sense, a full pre-season should put him on course to build on these first few months although that may be slightly interrupted should he earn a Scotland call-up for Euro 2024 which, in itself, would be testament to his powers of recovery.

Kal Naismith - 5.0

A tough player to grade because when he was on the pitch, Naismith was good to very good, as it’s easy to forget from early September to early October, he was City’s starting centre-back. His first-half equaliser at Elland Road proved the high point of that spell in the side where he formed a fine understanding with Zak Vyner and Rob Dickie and it was hard to pick a definitive “best two” during the early stages of the autumn.

Unfortunately, though, that seems all a distant memory as hamstring and calf issues meant his 70 minutes at Southampton in Manning’s third game in charge were his last for City in this season. It’s harsh because players don’t mean to get injured and for all the frustration and fan vitriol that followed each “setback” as the season progressed, nobody felt it more keenly than Naismith, but it’s hard to consider his contribution over the season as anything more than below-parm given such availability issues.

That is now underwriting a lot of his time at City, unfortunately, after considerable excitement around his arrival from Luton Town. In the main, when he’s been on the field, his quality has been evident, outside of those slightly chaotic early moments, but as he enters the final year of his contract in BS3, it’s increasingly seeming a case of what could have been.

Cam Pring - 6.5

The Cheltenham-born defender finished last season with an absolute bang, looking like an explosive Premier League-ready full-back who was perhaps the best-kept secret in the Championship. That led to City hastily agreeing improved terms with Pring but his 2023/24 season didn’t witness the anticipated leap in performances. It was just okay, which is perfectly fine but more than a few perhaps hoped for more.

Only Max O’Leary and Jason Knight played in more Championship fixtures than the 26-year-old which is impressive, and only Dickie and Knight exceeded his minutes among outfielders.

Of course, being a crucial and constant part of the Championship’s fourth-best defence is a notable feather in his cap and perhaps what stood out the most from Pring’s season was his reliability. He was always ready, willing and available for the Robins, just without quite producing enough wow moments - to coin a Manning-ism - in the final third to elevate him to anything just over par.

His role in the wins over Hull City and Watford over the Christmas period highlighted what he can do in an attacking sense, with two assists and the opening goal at Vicarage Road, it’s just he never quite built on it over a sustained period of time.

You could consider all this a compliment of Pring because of the bar he raises to raise for himself after so long in the shadows and he is now undoubtedly a proven Championship performer who rarely lets anyone down.

Haydon Roberts - 7.5

He was in danger of becoming City’s forgotten man, and he himself later revealed after a thoroughly forgettable and frustrating first half of the season he sought a loan move away, but I think it’s fair to say we’re all very happy that particular situation was sorted out.

It was a strange introduction to life at City whereby he enjoyed an absolutely outstanding debut against Manning’s Oxford United in the League Cup but just couldn’t break into the side because the aforementioned Pring was just too consistent, earning piecemeal minutes off the bench here and there.

It took until October to break into the starting line-up when he lasted just 38 first-half minutes against Coventry at left wing-back, which was embarrassing for all concerned, and then 20 minutes against Ipswich in which he left the field with an injury which kept him out for two months.

However, once he was given his chance it’s fair to say he’s been one of City’s best players, if not their standout individual over the final two months of the season. Oozing quality and class, he’s a technically-excellent modern-style defender who spots passes into areas that some of the very best playmakers would struggle to make, but also with the requisite awareness and anticipation to cover the right areas going the other way.

His goal at Norwich City signified what a multi-talented individual he is, sweeping the ball into the corner on the run with the air of a seasoned finisher. Having only just turned 22, his ceiling appears higher than anyone perhaps imagined, certainly after those challenging first few months, and next term looks a deeply exciting one to see what sort of player he can become.

George Tanner - 7.5

Egos probably dictate otherwise but I’ve long championed (if only to those who care to listen. Thanks in advance) having an NBA-style “Most Improved Player” award and along with O’Leary, and Joe Williams, you’d have to place Tanner front and centre for lifting that particular prize. Should we be surprised? Perhaps not, because towards the end of 2022/23 he had become City’s Mr Consistent, with a series of understated and underrated performances, quietly going about his business.

But the 24-year-old seemed to take it up another notch, or at least more people started to take notice of the crucial job he does and how few errors he now makes. That being said, it wasn’t a season without a few hiccups which seemed to come in quick succession just as City needed some reliability. His own goal against Norwich was unfortunate but the way he was robbed at Huddersfield as the Robins attacked from a corner, seemed luck was against him.

Credit to Tanner, though, he recovered from those mistakes to be a constant presence in the backline at right-back or on that side of the middle three, a role that increasingly looks his best position because it brings out his best attributes: reading of the game, 1vs1 defending and positional play, and means we don’t have to keep banging on about how he doesn’t attack enough when he’s at full-back.

As repeatedly stated by his head coach, Tanner cast himself as one of the best 1vs1 defenders in the league with fine performances in shutting down or at least restricting wingers of the calibre of Sunderland’s Jack Clarke, Sam Edozie of Southampton and Stephy Mavididi of Leicester.

Zak Vyner - 7.0

File under Cam Pring, in terms of a City defender who rarely let the side down, was largely fit and available, although not quite to the same degree having missed 10 games due to two separate knee problems, but didn’t quite exceed last season’s overall performance.

That said, unlike Pring, the expectation wasn’t quite at the same level considering how much of a leap he made in 2022/23, so it was impressive to see him prove that it wasn’t a fluke.

As noted by Andy King as he left the club, Vyner outlined what a consistent Championship performer he is and although there weren’t the same highlight moments, he was just a reliable presence at the heart of an impressive defence largely alongside Rob Dickie.

You could even make the case that Dickie’s performance were such, he regularly outshone his colleague which meant Vyner didn’t seem as good, while we’ve all increasingly grown used to what he can provide in terms of his athleticism and passing vision, although the latter did seem slightly more tempered as the campaign when on.

He did deliver arguably the two defensive highlights of the season in quick succession with his sensational sliding tackle to deny West Brom’s Brandon Thomas-Asante in September’s 0-0 draw and then a similar goal-saving challenge to stop Plymouth Argyle’s Ryan Hardie just three days later.

But, beyond those two moments, it speaks volumes of Vyner’s progression that his quiet excellence in defence is often overlooked now because that’s just what we’ve come to expect from the 26-year-old.

Midfielders

Taylor Gardner-Hickman - 6.0

Recruited seemingly in the wake of Alex Scott’s sale but, in reality, had McCrorie not been ruled out for so long, Gardner-Hickman may not have arrived at Ashton Gate because initially he lined up as an emergency right-back, with understandable mixed results, but there was evidence his class on the ball and set-piece delivery would add much to the team over time.

As he moved into midfield he hit his stride and looked more comfortable overall and his strike against Middlesbrough was among the best goals of the season as well as being one of the few times City have scored from such a range in recent memory.

But as Gardner-Hickman looked to be building towards becoming a fixture in the side, which he was for a period, making 18 starts in the league, he never quite kicked on from early promise and his strengths outside of the technical qualities never quite came to the surface on a consistent basis.

You always felt like you were wanting a little more, plus the form of Joe Williams as he returned from injury alongside Matty James and then Jason Knight meant he was often playing third or fourth wheel. It’s also tough to be a substitute in central midfield, instantly in the thick of the action up against opponents well into the overall rhythm of a game.

Of course, all this should be caveated by the fact that Gardner-Hickman is almost considered older than his years and his occasional lapses when he drifted out of games can understandably be attributed to the fact he is still only 22 and there is much still to come.

Andy King - 6.0

Honest to the end, King admitted he wished he had played a little better during his time at City and given his decision to retire was partly based on his body not being able to quite do what his brain wanted it to, ultimately the level of his performances for the Robins are responsible for that self-analysis.

However, when he did step into the team on his final campaign not just for this club but football overall, he rarely let anyone down, especially because his starts were so sporadic: seven overall, and only once did he start consecutive fixtures - at home to Coventry and then Ipswich in October.

His cross for Tommy Conway at Rotherham was exceptional as he appeared in a rogue left-sided attacking midfield spot, recording his only assist of 2023/24, while he robbed of a final goal for his boyhood club by Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner, who tipped his brilliant 25-yard drive onto the woodwork for Jason Knight to eventually score from in the FA Cup fourth round replay at th City Ground.

His impact, of course, goes beyond the pitch and it says a lot of the man that even considering his limited game time and seeming influence in an overall Championship capacity, he remained hugely admired and beloved by coaches and teammates alike, because of his work behind the scenes.

Jason Knight - 8.0

This recruitment lot seem to know what they’re doing because if there was one addition this season who embodied the brief to “run all day”, as was the case during Pearson’s tenure, it was Knight. We were all warned about his insatiable desire for work before his arrival from Derby County, and he certainly met those expectations… and then some, with a relentless engine and selflessness off the ball.

Of course, for a large part of the campaign Knight was playing in a position he wasn’t signed for (we assume) as he took on the playmaking mantle post-Scott and initially, particularly when Pearson was in charge, showed evidence he could grow into the role as a different kind of creative presence.

His performances in the wins over Swansea and Plymouth outlined how well he fit into a Pearson-style downhill side, while his tenacity out of possession meant any attacking misgivings were more than made up for.

That all being said, it became clear pretty early on in Manning’s tenure that the way the new head coach wanted to play either didn’t utilise Knight’s best traits in that position or his best traits didn’t quite suit that position. Either way, outside of some bright moments at home to Norwich, at Blackburn and home to Hull, he didn’t look quite as effective in the No10 slot, something which became increasingly apparent as 2023 gave way to 2024.

Knight’s season was therefore revitalised by Scott Twine’s return to fitness as the Irishman moved into a No8 spot - where he had started in Manning’s first ever game at QPR - and the impact was almost instantaneous; the zip and verve he brought on both sides of the ball reverberated throughout the team and gave the whole team a dose of rocket fuel in the way he snapped on loose balls and constantly gave the team a sense of forward momentum.

The 1-1 draw at Norwich City was perhaps his coup de grace in the way he completely snaffled the experience of Kenny McLean and with former Rams colleague Bird in tow for 2024/25, the Robins engine room looks in excellent shape for next season.

Matty James - 7.0

There can’t be many better free transfers in recent City memory and while it’s regrettable that this season was his last in red and white, it was a fitting swansong to his time in midfield that he was just so dependable and, finally, those who had previously been his detractors over an apparent lack of pace or whatever else, realised just how important a figure he was.

Manning didn’t quite continue Pearson’s knack of starting the 32-year-old whenever he was fit, which offered a few hints perhaps of preparing for life without the veteran, but he still started far more games than he didn’t under the head coach.

So calm and methodical in possession, he was eternally available to receive a pass and move the ball on as the perfect continuity player, although his partnership with Joe Williams did, on occasion, slow City down or at least not allow them to play at the desired velocity, something that could have contributed to the decision to release him.

But in celebrating his best, there was the last minute winner at Millwall, the goal against Plymouth and the absolute elation on his face, arms outstretched, and his fine strike at Middlesbrough which was accompanied by a mock walking celebration. He will be missed.

Mark Sykes - 6.0

Throughout the squad, once Manning took over, there was a near-constant fan driven assessment of “well, who’s improved individually?” Naturally things ebbed and flowed but while a case for steps forward at various times could be made for most, Sykes remained the one individual who, after an initial flurry around late November-December when he became probably City’s most consistent attacking player, he suffered something of a downturn in the second half of the campaign.

This undoubtedly was down to the hamstring injury which kept him out of action for around six weeks from the start of January because he just never carried the same impact once he returned and, at times, just didn’t look on it, whether that be with his forays forward or providing assistance at the back.

He did finish with five goals but all of which were scored pre-injury, although his two assists against Ipswich - with a fine cross to Conway - and Leicester did occur after what proved a significant roadblock, but if there’s one player who maybe took the smallest of backwards steps, and we’re really talking the tiniest of scales here, then it was Sykes.

His versatility makes him a constant asset, and he played seven different positions - left and right back, left and right wing-back, attacking midfield centre, left and right - over the course of the campaign, which shouldn’t go unnoticed in terms of his value to the squad and this was also maybe a contributing factor.

Scott Twine - 7.0

Too little, too late or the start of something special? We will find out over the coming weeks and months but it’s impressive on its own that Twine very quickly changed hearts and minds across the fanbase with a string of strong performances, helping display to everyone just what a player he could be for this team.

Should City not be able to seal a permanent deal for the 24-year-old then his time at Ashton Gate will forever be considered a major “what if?” as after an encouraging goalscoring debut against Watford, he wasn’t seen again for eight weeks. Granted, players are often viewed as more important when they’re out injured but in that miserable run from QPR to Ipswich, a playmaker of Twine’s calibre could well have ensured the Robins were on the right side of the small margins that decided those games.

Positionally, as you’d expect given what happened at MK Dons, he helped open up Manning’s 3-4-2-1 and reveal it as a system full of attacking possibilities and variation, plus he had a knack of making others around him better in how ready and available he was to take passes in tight areas, always on the half-turn.

Just like his own influence leaving a taste for next season that may not be satisfied, so too his emerging chemistry with Conway who had a player he could rely on to spot his runs and movement and deliver passes to put him goalscoring positions.

Twine himself probably should have found the net more times than the two he claimed, against Rotherham and Watford, as his ability to drift into space and almost play as a secondary forward was increasingly impressive.

Joe Williams - 7.5

Without getting too hyperbolic about it, we saw a new side to Williams this season. Or, more accurately, several sides. He was still the big ball of energy and passion, playing with fire in his boots but he kept himself on a level that brought greater consistency to his performances and channelled his anger and aggression in the right direction.

He also delivered some show-stopping passes to bring his creative side to the fore, with a fantastic ball over the top for Sykes to score at Swansea, the lofted chip at Watford into Andi Weimann and then the sliced through-ball on the volley into Conway at West Ham. The latter is probably everyone’s favourite given the gravitas of the game but each one was sublime in his own right.

Williams just seemed to take more time, even when he wasn’t, as the relentlessness never dimmed but the overall “emotional control”, as Manning labelled it, helped him bend such concepts.

His 3,077 minutes in league and cup, his most in a campaign since 2019/20, and just 10 minutes shy of that mark, has also hopefully ended the injury talk of previous years but, then again, it’s frustrating that we’ve witnessed all this in what could prove his final season at Ashton Gate unless he agrees to new terms.

Forwards

Sam Bell - 6.5

Could this be considered Bell’s breakout season? He was involved last term but fundamentally as a bench option and largely over the second half. In 2023/24, the 21-year-old was a fixture on matchdays, starting 23 Championship games, the one thing that unfortunately has held him back was that hamstring injury sustained on February 17 against QPR.

We’re verging on the dramatic a tad here but Bell had started that game well, and after an up and down spell with Manning at the helm, looked to be finding his feet under a different head coach in a new system but as he pulled up after 26 minutes to chase onto a loose ball, so ended his season and maybe also City’s… thereafter the Robins were far too passive in attack and had lost the natural width and pace to unlock a rigidly organised outfit like the Rs.

We’re not going as too far to say that Bell’s injury changed the course of their destiny but the result of that game may well have been a little different and then who knows what.

Sorry, we’ll snap out of that fever dream to return to reality in assessing Bell’s season which was, in many ways, true of a young attacker still finding his way in the Championship and making a sporadic but also undeniable impact.

Four of his five goals came under Pearson, as he enjoyed a fine start and like others in the squad looked tailor-made to thrive in such a system but Manning’s alternative brand of build-up and tempo changes probably affected Bell more than anyone, and his best qualities - pace into open spaces - seemed to be slightly stifled until he learned his way into it.

His tears at the City Ground provided one of the abiding images of the season as he had the cojones to step up for City but unfortunately couldn't convert past Turner.

We’ll hold back on the breakout concept for now, but providing he makes a full recovery, next season could be that and probably a little bit more.

Tommy Conway - 7.0

There was collective doom around the start of the season when it was confirmed in August the 21-year-old had suffered a hamstring injury that would keep him out for around three months, such was the excitement around the Taunton tyro and what his goalscoring capabilities would be, coupled with the lack of transfer activity in that area of the field.

It wasn’t quite two months, as Conway returned to action in late September, but he was forced to play catch-up a little in terms of his match fitness, not that his match-winning brace at Rotherham United indicated as such. That was though a bright beacon in a bit of a challenging first few weeks in the team, with Conway, a bit like Bell, then having to change his approach a little when Manning arrived: run less, but run smarter.

The penalty spot proved his sanctuary, with five spot kicks converted from five over the course, boosting his total to the 12 he also found in 2022/23, but what elevated the Scotland Under-21 international beyond the average was unquestionably his FA Cup exploits with that goal at West Ham and the winner in the replay at Ashton Gate, two high moments from a season often bereft of such elation.

Conway hasn’t quite burst into the stratosphere yet, and some may well argue there haven’t been even that many notable improvements from last term, but he does appear a more refined, mature and smarter striker capable of scoring different types of goals and with a greater depth, scope and intelligence to his game. It’s been interesting to see his talents develop, even if it’s seemed at a slightly slower pace than forecast.

Harry Cornick - 5.5

We’re not comparing Cornick’s output to Conway, necessarily, but when considering genuine apex moments of the last nine months, the City forward was also involved in two major ones: it was his long throw that bounced up kindly for Matty James to convert at the Den in injury time and his elegant finish from Ross McCrorie’s cutback to seal the 3-1 win over Southampton.

Cornick deserves eternal credit for the role he provides in the squad in offering depth and relief on the bench, and there’s no questioning his professionalism and commitment to the cause when he emerges to either press and harry the opposition or try and muster something from somewhere with the game in a perilous state. It’s not an easy position for anyone to fulfil but the 29-year-old never complains or sulks, knowing there’s a greater purpose to what he does.

Although he played 39 times in the Championship, just seven were as a starter and those appearances were at an average of 27.6 minutes per game. That’s tough for a forward player especially to make an impact, but it can also be used as a criticism given he was ultimately unable to properly force his way into the XI on a consistent basis.

And there were perhaps too many moments of Cornick emerging and not adding the requisite boost or change in fortunes that unfortunately mark him down against those undoubted standout moments.

Anis Mehmeti - 6.5

It could have been all-but the end for Mehmeti had Pearson remained in a job given he increasingly fell from favour under the former manager, to the point the man who then took over had been lining him up as a loan signing in January for former club Oxford.

Evidently Pearson’s patience had worn thin with the Albanian, particularly frustrated with his decision-making against Norwich in the League Cup in late August and he made three more appearances after that, totalling 92 minutes with the last one, at Cardiff, out of necessity due to the volume of injuries in the squad.

However, a new head coach breathed new life into his City career and while the 23-year-old continues to confound and frustrate, it’s not quite at the same regularity and he has taken definite steps forwards over the second half of the campaign.

His raw inhibited style means he’ll never quite conform to the idea of a proper Championship player, whatever that be, but he remains capable of game-changing moments and goals of considerable quality while he is a constant problem for defences to try and fix.

His goals against Hull, Ipswich and Leicester were all quality efforts and spoke of an individual who can play at a further high level, if both City and he can enhance it over a more sustained period of time.

Manning certainly seemed to bring his better self out more regularly, while also not allowing him to forget his defensive duties as the forward regularly commented how proud he was on various displays with what he did off, rather than on the ball.

Andi Weimann - 5.0

Sadly, his final season in BS3 won’t be remembered particularly fondly but that shouldn’t detract in any way, shape or form from the considerable impact he’s made over the previous five years.

A niggling foot injury from pre-season disrupted his start to the campaign, and by the time he got back fit the attack was well-set and established in a rhythm which meant he couldn’t force his way past being a perennial replacement in the final 20-25 minutes of matches.

Sporadic starts failed to convince and Manning’s arrival also deepened the feeling that he wasn’t offering the same oomph as had been the case previously in red and white.

His run and cross for Conway early in the second half to earn a point at Huddersfield and powerful finish in the closing stages at Watford were welcome flushes of nostalgia but they were few and far between and the decision to loan him to West Brom was part-financial, part-football but wholly understandable.

Nahki Wells - 6.5

The Bermudian is very much in the post-prime stage of his career, he himself knows that but even if his explosiveness isn’t quite there anymore, he still has had a role to play in the City squad and tough to argue he’s not had a solid season.

Eight goals falls short of the 11 he claimed last term but is also representative of the role change in the overall striking hierarchy because whereas they previously came as a pair, the 33-year-old has largely had to play deputy to Conway, 12 years his junior, all season with his starts tending to come when the younger man has needed a rest.

Wells has fulfilled the task admirably and after an initial period out injured over Manning’s first few games, has been ever-present in the matchday squad since mid-December in what has been a slightly thinned out attacking department due to Weimann’s and Dire Mebude lack of impact.

His finish at Coventry, which threatened to be a winner, was trademark Wells in how he came alive on the fringes of the defence, while his decisive goal at Plymouth Argyle delivered one of the more memorable away days for the travelling Robins support. Proof, if it was needed, he can still create magic moments of high quality when it counts.

If only his turn and finish at Ipswich had been guided an inch or two more to the left, or with marginally less spin, City may have claimed arguably their best result of the season.

The prospect of Seb Palmer-Houlden and a new striker entering the room over the summer does raise slight doubts over his future as he enters the final 12 months of his contract but Wells surely possesses enough quality in those shooting boots to keep as a supplementary piece in the squad.

Ephraim Yeboah - 5.5

We apologise in advance because it’s probably a little harsh to be judging him after 10 substitute appearances right at the start of the campaign but, then again, we laid down the rules so we have to abide by them. He is/was a senior player for that time, so has to treated as the same,

Thrust into the limelight a few weeks after signing his professional contract, Yeboah made his debut on August 19 against Birmingham and then became a constant figure on the sidelines towards the ends of matches under Pearson.

There were moments, such as against Stoke and Coventry, where he showed his destructive qualities but also others when he very much resembled a 17-year-old academy talent still finding his feet in the game. The latter was ultimately the conclusion Manning drew, as he was used sparingly after Pearson’s departure before returning to the U18 and U21 set-up, complemented by a stay on loan at Bath City. This is but the beginning of what could be an exciting journey for the teenager.

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