Liam Manning’s dismal streak ends as rarely-seen Bristol City man breaks away day hoodoo

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Bristol City are in excellent form, with only the top five sides in the Championship taking more points than Liam Manning’s side since the turn of the year.

A 2-0 win over Millwall at The Den on Tuesday night was their first away win since November, though. Their home form has been keeping them within touching distance of the play-offs all season.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
4	SunderlandSunderland	35	18	11	6	52	32	20	65
5	CoventryCoventry	35	15	8	12	49	44	5	53
6	West BromWest Brom	35	12	16	7	45	32	13	52
7	Bristol CityBristol City	35	13	13	9	45	38	7	52
8	BlackburnBlackburn	35	15	7	13	40	35	5	52
9	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	35	14	8	13	55	46	9	50
10	WatfordWatford	35	14	7	14	45	48	-3	49

They still face stern competition to make it into the top six and take one of the final two places, with as many as 11 teams still believing they have a chance of timing a run at the play-off positions in the Championship.

Bristol City’s 2-0 victory came courtesy of two unlikely sources in many ways, when Zak Vyner notched the first before forgotten man Harry Cornick added extra gloss to the scoreline.

• READ MORE: Who will win the Championship Golden Boot race?

Harry Cornick becomes Bristol City hero against Millwall

The 29-year-old has been an unused substitute for much of the season so far, with just three appearances to his name. One came during an EFL Cup defeat to Bristol City in August, while his last two outings came from the bench in fleeting minutes.

The first of which was four weeks ago in a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Swansea City, but Manning turned to the forward against Millwall and he sealed the points late on for his first goal in over a year.

As outlined below, it was a pivotal moment in the game, in Bristol City’s season so far, but also in Cornick’s career as a Robin.

Manning’s side are well-placed for a play-off berth, which is something they have seldom achieved since their return to the second tier. Bristol City are perhaps dark horses in the play-off race, and could sneak in there without hardly making a fuss all season.

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Liam Manning should rely on Harry Cornick’s experience more

Cornick has played in eight Championship campaigns in his career, including regular play-off pushes with Luton Town as well.

He may not be as impressive as some of their other forwards, but Cornick has match-winning quality and vast experience, which is something for Manning to keep in mind for their upcoming fixtures.

The versatile forward can operate as either a striker or winger, with the speed and directness needed to change a game or indeed to seal one, as he did on Tuesday evening.