Not for the first time this season, Bristol City came away from a game against Watford wondering how they’d not managed to secure three points after an incredibly positive display.
It was clear after the final whistle the City players were frustrated, with Nigel Pearson pulling the team over to the away end to appreciate the impressive travelling crowd despite their very obvious disappointment.
It’s quite remarkable to think the last time these two faced off ahead of the World Cup break, it felt as though a good performance was required against then Slaven Bilic’s Hornets for Pearson to keep his job at Ashton Gate.
Now months later and even after a defeat to the same opposition, Pearson’s position feels as strong as ever with a feeling of optimism when looking forward to next season. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, here are the moments missed from Watford.
Pearson’s first return to Vicarage Road
He may have only been in charge at Watford for just over six months (which is oddly one of the club’s longer tenures in recent years), but it’s clear to see there remains plenty of affection from the Hornet’s fanbase for the 59-year-old.
Throughout the warm-ups Pearson stopped by the dugout to take photos with a number of the home fans, while those who sat alongside us in the press room reporting on the home side described him as one of the best managers Watford have had in recent times.
What followed was a slightly unusual yet heart-warming scene as the teams were read out ahead of kick-off with all those inside Vicarage Road being invited to join a moment of applause to welcome their former manager’s return.
The affection certainly isn’t one way either. When asked about the reception he received, Pearson said: “Whenever you leave a football club as a manager, it normally doesn’t feel particularly nice. But I really enjoyed my time at the football club.
“There’s a lot of staff that are still here now that I still keep in contact with. It’s a club that I’ve got a lot of affection for still, even though I was only here for a short amount of time. It’s a good club. It’s great to receive a warm welcome and hopefully that reaffirms I didn’t do too bad a job when I was here.”
Palmer-Houlden makes the journey
Last week against Middlesbrough, Pearson pointed out that he left Kane Wilson out of his matchday squad as he wanted to have a look at some of the younger players at the club, and once again the former Forest Green man wasn’t involved but there were a few extra faces alongside the named matchday 18.
Academy forward Seb Palmer-Houlden was seen getting off the coach alongside the matchday squad and spent the warm-up exchanging passes with defender Callum Wood who also travelled without making the bench.
Outside of his loan spell at crisis club Yeovil Town, Palmer-Houlden has been in excellent form for the under-21s this season, including a hat-trick last week against Ipswich Town, with some fans suggesting he’s deserving of a first-team chance.
Pearson has, throughout his tenure, given his young forwards chances when he feels they’re ready. The 18-year-old may be able to look at the final day debut of Louis Britton in the 2020/21 season to see what might be ahead of him in the final few games of the season.
Alex Scott feeling the love
Most fans have become resigned to the fact that Alex Scott will only be a City player for four more matches, and you best believe that they’re going to enjoy every moment.
During the half-time break, Scott was spraying the ball between Tommy Conway and Kal Naismith while keeping the ball off the floor with the effortless technical skill that has made him such a joy to watch in red and white.
After a misplaced pass from one of his teammates, the 19-year-old wandered towards the away end to collect the ball and received the sort of applause you’d expect after scoring a goal. That noise was repeated every time he was in possession during his exciting cameo from the bench.
In the 34 minutes he was on the pitch, Scott completed 97 per cent of his 31 passes, creating one chance for his team and winning two free kicks, including one that saw Wells strike the bar. The Robins are a much better team when he’s involved.
Wilder full of praise for City
It’s been a busy week for Chris Wilder in the Watford camp, with reports claiming he was set to lose his job before a club statement was released saying that he would remain in charge at least until the end of the campaign, when his contract expires.
Despite City’s positive performance, Watford found their stroke of luck to keep their slim play-off hopes alive and while Wilder believed the Hornet’s performance was positive, he remained impressed by the Robins.
“They’ve got lively players at the top end of the pitch, a lot of energy, a lot of young talent," he said. "I think we all know what Nigel’s teams are going to look like, they give everything, and they’re organised. I’ve got an incredible amount of respect for him, and they’ll go to the end.”
Although it has become clearer over the duration of the season, this City team is becoming more like the sort of side we expect to see from Pearson, and with a few more additions set to arrive in the summer, everyone in BS3 should be mirroring Wilder’s positivity.
King wants to see the Robins win ugly
After a frustrating day on the road, it speaks volumes that it was experienced head Andy King who spoke to club media to assess the Robins’ defeat, and like most, he noted the positives while desiring more from himself and the team.
“I thought we gave a good account of ourselves and played well. But as a group it’s probably what we need to learn to do better, win not just games where we play well but to win ugly," King said.
“We’ve come here and for much of the game we’ve dominated the game. It’s sort of encouraging as the way we’re playing we’re moving in the right direction; we’re playing well. But ultimately, we’re coming away with nothing and that’s the bottom line and that’s something that for the end of this season and going into next year we need to try to work on.”
After Pearson explained his hope that King would be extending his stay in BS3, the fact that the midfielder is already looking ahead to the upcoming campaign would suggest we may be seeing him at Ashton Gate for a while longer yet.
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