“Brilliant Rob Atkinson!” was the shout from the Bristol City dugout at the High Performance Centre as the Robins defender rose well to head clear in the second half for the under-21s during their 4-1 win over Sheffield United in the Premier League Cup.
The 24-year-old hasn’t featured for the first team since the 3-1 League Cup defeat to Lincoln City on November 8 as he returned from an illness that saw him withdraw from the squad at the 11th hour against Swansea City.
After Saturday’s game, Nigel Pearson explained that the defender has fallen down the pecking order and he believed Andy King to be a more reliable defender, saying Atkinson would have to work hard and be more enthusiastic to return to the squad.
The first opportunity Atkinson has had to show his improvement was a game for the Young Robins at a rather wet and windy Failand, here’s how he fared against the Blades.
Vocal in his own way
It’s easy to expect every defender to bellow and direct in the manner of Kal Naismith, with the former Luton man’s Glaswegian tones echoing around the HPC throughout pre-season, but Atkinson isn’t that sort of character.
Yet, as the most senior member of the City backline, did lead in his own way, often a quiet word with a teammate (that can be heard at the training ground compared to the noisier Ashton Gate) or encouragement.
“Yes, Dunc in! Yes, Dylan step in!” he shouted as the ball bobbled around the middle of the pitch and as Han-Noah Massengo was furious over what he thought was a foul on him, his big centre-half came to put an arm round him in support.
Maybe it is a case that Pearson feels he needs one commander in his backline, and while Naismith has been injured King has filled that role, but now the Scot is back not every member of the backline will have to be a commander.
An attacking threat
It’s not exactly surprising that the 24-year-old, who has played his way through the divisions from non-league, towered over an opposition side consisting of under 21 players, but he was a constant threat in possession.
At every set piece where the ball was floated into the area Atkinson got ahead of his marker, but he couldn’t quite manage to genuinely trouble the keeper with his headed efforts. One flick-on was superb only for nobody to run off of the defender, leaving the ball to trickle out for a throw in.
On the ball he did what the City fans have come to expect, picking out mostly forward passes with touch accurate precision and those present in Failand got to witness a couple of his driving direct runs inside the left channel.
His ability to carry the ball out should be considered even more impressive when you remember that it was Sam Pearson playing out of position in the wing-back role in front of Atkinson. Despite carrying an attacking threat, he never left the former Yeovil Town loanee at sea defensively.
Pearson has spoken repeatedly this season about wanting his team to score goals from all over the pitch, not just the forwards and with Atkinson managing three already this campaign (more than any other member of City squad bar the forwards) it’s yet another string to his bow.
Like a wall at the back
You don’t get the nickname of “Big Rob” without being a genuine defensive unit and Atkinson is certainly built like a throwback wall of a defender.
It may be the expectation of a senior professional to be able to handle an opposing youth forward, but Daniel Jebbison of the Blades is a big physical presence himself and has featured three times for the first team in the Championship this campaign.
Anytime the forward headed down Atkinson’s flank he marshalled him well and forced him to spend more time running at Idehen and George Tanner instead. He also rose well to stop a couple of attempted long balls over the top that would have troubled anyone of a smaller frame.
The only slight frustration from the former Oxford man’s game was that on a couple of occasions he was beaten by a surge of pace leaving his feet in a tangle. Even in these difficult moments, Atkinson worked hard to get back in to position and not allow his mistake to create a genuine chance.
Can he only play on the left?
It’s interesting that Idehen was the man preferred to occupy the role in the middle of the back three on Monday afternoon while Atkinson, despite being the senior member, played in his more traditional left-sided role.
If that’s the only place the coaching team at City believe the defender can play in the backline it may well work against Atkinson’s fight to return to the first team as competition is heating up.
Naismith played his best football for Luton on the left of a back three and has found himself there for the last two games in the Championship, while Cam Pring if deployed in the back three will only ever be on the left-hand side due to his one footedness.
Pring’s form has been too good of recent weeks to warrant omitting from the side and Naismith will play every minute he’s physically able to as the heart of Pearson’s team. This then leaves Atkinson in a difficult position of fighting against two of the current stalwarts for minutes in the first team.
Monday’s game would have been the perfect opportunity to test Atkinson’s ability in the middle of a backline if it were in the thoughts of the coaching team for Boxing Day’s visit of West Brom. However, it has to be expected should he return to the starting XI Naismith will have to move to the middle of the back-line and Atkinson will instead be deployed on the left.
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