An away victory, a clean sheet and a sunny day in Blackburn... something's got to give.
For the 480 souls who made the lengthy trip up north, they were duly rewarded for their fine efforts when Andi Weimann popped up at the death to seal a dramatic 1-0 victory. Awaydays don't get much sweeter than that.
Talk about a smash and grab, City were under the cosh and when Dan Bentley made that penalty save with seven minutes left to play, there was a feeling something special was around the corner.
Whether Joe Williams meant that sliced assist or not, who cares? Weimann snuck around the back to keep his composure and volley home in the winner in front of the supporters sitting up in the gods.
For those who had lost count, or simply had given up counting, it was a first away victory since October 2 and a first clean sheet this year which even allowed manager Nigel Pearson to share a wry smile in the post-match press conference.
Here's the verdict as City pick up a much-needed victory to get their form back on track.
Overcoming mental obstacle
We've waited so long for a clean sheet and away victory that it seems the only logical place to start.
There's not much that annoys Pearson more than when his side plays well away from home but head back to Bristol without a point or three for their troubles due to an individual error.
City didn't particularly play well yesterday but what they did show was a grit, determination and a real scrappy attitude to ensure a huge three points - something Pearson was more than happy to note at the full-time whistle.
The Robins headed into the game on the back of three consecutive defeats, a team looking slightly devoid of confidence and a manager under an increasing amount of pressure. No real surprise considering it was 11 away games without a win and 15 without a blank.
On Monday, he dragged the players in from their days off - injured ones included - to speak a number of home truths as City headed into back-to-back away fixtures with the grim prospect of losing five on the bounce.
Whatever was said behind closed doors, where players were given a chance to share their thoughts and opinions, certainly appeared to have the desired effect.
There's no denying City rode their luck at times, encapsulated by the penalty save, but it was about time the club deserved a slice of good fortune and they'll take that all day long.
Keeping the ball out of the net, as assistant Curtis Fleming would say, takes "sheer-blooded mindedness." There was that and more against Rovers as City overcame a mental hurdle by ensuring a clean sheet.
The same can be said for the away victory, relieving so much niggling pressure on the shoulders of the players and manager and they'll feel they can head to Barnsley on Tuesday with a monkey off their backs.
Thank heavens, we can finally stop the count.
That one's for Cundy
Three years he has had to wait to make his first start for Bristol City - and it arrives with a clean sheet to boot.
After last weekend when he was left out of the squad following Rob Atkinson's return, it would have been fair to assume that his opportunity to impress from the start would never arrive.
Tomas Kalas was forced to miss out with injury and with Pearson opting for a back three, it was time for Cundy's moment in the sunshine.
He has endured an injury nightmare, missing the first half of the campaign with a serious knee issue that kept him sidelined until he was finally able to make his debut in an eight-minute cameo against Preston on January 29.
Back in December, Pearson labelled his injury and recovery an "arduous recovery" pointing out the mental toll it also takes as well as a physical one by adding "in keeping some belief and having the patience to go through it."
At the full-time whistle City's physio Andrew Proctor was keen to pay homage to the defender revealing he has been through the dark moments to see the light and come out on the other side.
He said in a tweet on social media: "Buzzing for this guy, some tough dark times getting over the injury but we got there."
It obviously meant a huge amount for Cundy, his beaming smile at the full-time whistle paints a picture that the victory was more than just three points.
His performance was solid up against the dangerous Khadra, and while unspectacular, he didn't do much wrong, ensuring he did all the simple things correctly.
Cundy adds extra aerial security at the back, winning his fair share of headers on his side and certainly doesn't shirk out of a tackle.
He was running through treacle at the end, which is completely understandable considering the lack of football he has played and when asked on his performance at the end, Pearson's short but sweet answer probably carries more weight to it than meets the eye.
He said: "He enjoys defending so he's my type of player."
Pearson deserves credit
He's come under some flak recently, and rightly so, so it's only fair he gets the credit when it's due.
Last weekend's defeat at home to Birmingham was far from his finest hour, particularly with the inclusion of Sam Bell at right wing-back. It backfired horribly but it wasn't the only poor decision he made on that day.
Anyway, that game is in the history books but Pearson suggested changes would be made and a tactical tweak came to fruition.
When the team line-up was announced it was widely expected that Alex Scott would play at right wing-back with the usual set-up of Weimann playing behind Antoine Semenyo and Chris Martin in the attack.
Kudos to the few on social media who called it before kick-off, but it was Weimann at wing-back with Scott playing in a flat midfield three alongside Matty James and Joe Williams.
There were a few raised eyebrows at 2pm when Han-Noah Massengo was left on the bench for the second time in two games, especially considering James' performance last weekend.
But Pearson kept the faith in personnel and was duly rewarded. James enjoyed a good game, Williams was terrific but Scott failed to perform at the level we have been so accustomed to witnessing.
It was the decision to opt with the flat midfield three that deserves the credit. It stopped Blackburn playing through the middle of the pitch, and allowed the trio to move across the field in tandem when the diagonals aimed for the front men.
Countless times in the first half, they were overhit or they were caught offside and the crowd were getting increasingly restless with their inability to switch it up.
Even Pearson said after the game: "Yeah, we knew what they were going to do, that is that they try to work it and hit diagonals, Khadra on the left-hand side cutting in on his right is a danger and Gallagher makes great runs and he’s a big unit as well."
It was something that they weren't able to do last weekend, with Pearson criticising his side for not protecting Bell in that wing-back role. Yesterday was a lot more like it.
We need to talk about Massengo
It's not particularly ideal to write about criticism following a victory, but yesterday possibly showed why Massengo has started the last two games on the bench.
Let's go back to the Coventry defeat, when his late error was punished by their winner at a time when there was very little in the game.
He was then taken off in the 64th minute in the defeat at Nottingham Forest with an underwhelming showing and failed to make it off the bench against Birmingham (although that may have had something to do with Timm Klose's injury at half-time.)
Today, he came on for Scott on the hour mark and almost immediately gifted Blackburn a glorious opportunity when he inexplicably passed it straight to the opposition when trying to hit a cross-field pass.
They broke forward through Khadra whose tame strike was well saved by Bentley - but Pearson was absolutely seething on the touchline for his sloppiness.
If he wasn't breathing out a sigh of relief at that moment, he certainly was with seven minutes left on the clock. Massengo was adjudged to have pulled his man down in the box when the delivery came in and the referee showed no hesitation pointing to the spot.
Luckily for him, Bentley would not be beaten but if that had gone in we would be talking about a completely different game.
It was only at Preston right at the end of January that opposition supporters were praising his performance as one of the best they had seen at Deepdale.
Whether he is devoid of confidence following City's bad run of form or there are other external factors playing into matters, he has struggled in recent weeks.
After the Blues game, Pearson mentioned he is only interested in picking players who he knows will be there in the long-term.
It's easy to overread in a situation like this one, but with his contract expiring in 2023 meaning City will be forced to sell this summer, it does pose the question as to whether that is having an impact on both his performances and his starting role in the side.
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