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The Championship season is drawing to a close, but there’s still so much to fight for at both ends of the table, and Bristol City are firmly in the conversation at the right time.
As we head into the midweek round of fixtures in the second tier, Bristol City find themselves sitting in sixth place after a fruitful weekend in the Championship for the Robins.
Liam Manning’s side prevailed over Watford with a 2-1 win, while both Coventry City and tonight’s opponents, West Brom, fell to defeats.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  BurnleyBurnley | 40 | 23 | 15 | 2 | 55 | 12 | 43 | 84 |
| 2 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 40 | 26 | 7 | 7 | 56 | 30 | 26 | 83 |
| 3 |  LeedsLeeds | 40 | 23 | 13 | 4 | 79 | 28 | 51 | 82 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 40 | 21 | 12 | 7 | 57 | 37 | 20 | 75 |
| 5 |  MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough | 40 | 17 | 9 | 14 | 61 | 49 | 12 | 60 |
| 6 |  Bristol CityBristol City | 40 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 51 | 43 | 8 | 60 |
That combination of results saw a swing in Bristol City’s favour, with Manning’s men jumping into the play-off places, level on points with fifth-placed Middlesbrough.
There’s still a long way to go in the final run-in for the play-off contenders, but if Bristol City can get a result at home to West Brom this week, they’ll be hard to remove from the top six.
What Liam Manning has said about Bristol City’s run of form
After securing another massive three points at Ashton Gate over the weekend, Manning was full of praise for his players, and had a big message for the Bristol City supporters.
He said (via the Bristol Post): “Too right, enjoy it. It’s been a long while since the club were in that position so again, credit to the players and the staff for the work that’s gone into it.
“It’s been an eventful 18 months right? In terms of everything we’ve gone through but the progress is quite clear over the course of the season and that’s my job, keep the lads focused.
“Of course, around that, you want the fans to be excited, you want them to turn up, show the energy they’ve shown today and enjoy it.
“I have to say, I’ve really enjoyed watching so much of our football this season and long may it continue, starting on Tuesday.”
The fans are certainly enjoying themselves, but is it time to expect a little more from the Robins? Bristol City have been the underdogs in this promotion race all season, quietly getting the job done, but now they should be making some noise.
If Bristol City beat West Brom, they’ll become strong favourites for the play-offs
Bristol City have a real opportunity to put up a big signal of intent against West Brom, and it’s yet another home game for the Robins to sink their teeth into, giving them a huge advantage already.
Manning has turned Ashton Gate into a surprising fortress for Bristol City this season, and his side are fifth in terms of points gained (39) and points-per-game (1.95) at home this year.
They’re unbeaten in the last 11 home games, and haven’t lost on home turf since a narrow 1-0 defeat to league leaders Burnley back at the end of November. Suffice to say, West Brom are going to have to produce something special to bring that run to an end on Tuesday night.
| Rank | Team | W | D | L | GD | Pts | Last 5 | PPG |
| 1 | Leeds | 15 | 4 | 1 | +38 | 49 | WWDWD | 2.45 |
| 2 | Sheffield United | 14 | 3 | 3 | +15 | 45 | WLWDW | 2.25 |
| 3 | Sunderland | 12 | 7 | 1 | +17 | 43 | WLWDW | 2.15 |
| 4 | Burnley | 11 | 9 | 0 | +23 | 42 | WWWDW | 2.10 |
| 5 | Bristol City | 11 | 6 | 3 | +14 | 39 | WWDWW | 1.95 |
| 6 | Coventry | 11 | 3 | 6 | +11 | 36 | WWWWL | 1.80 |
If Bristol City do beat West Brom as we expect, they would move six points clear of the Baggies with just five games to go — a gap that would be very, very difficult to close before the season is over.
Of all the Championship play-off contenders this season, it feels like no one has given Bristol City the credit they deserve, and they’ve been able to creep under the radar that way.
Perhaps Manning likes that. The dark horse label can be a very useful tool, but with the business end of the campaign underway, Bristol City should now start to embrace the fear factor they carry and go into games with swagger and confidence.
They’re no longer the underdogs in this promotion race, and if they beat West Brom, they’ll become strong favourites to at least secure a play-off berth, and possibly even go all the way to Wembley.