Bristol City manager Steve Cotterill was delighted with his players after they earned their first three points of the Sky Bet Championship season.
The Robins made the long trip to the Riverside Stadium to face Middlesbrough, and it was a happy journey home after a 1-0 success, which came courtesy of an early Joe Bryan effort.3 points! Buzzing to be back on the pitch with man like @Bobby293 ❤️
— Joe Bryan (@joe_bryan179) August 22, 2015“This was always going to be a really difficult game for us – particularly in a week where we’ve played on Wednesday and they’ve played on Tuesday," the manager told the club's official website.
“They had an extra 24 hours [preparation time] and not had the journey as well, so we’re delighted with our courage/
“Coming up here on the bus on Thursday, everyone was hanging. Everyone wanted to fall asleep on the bus and then it was important to get a good night’s sleep.
“Then it was important to be as organised as we could be in training without taking too much out of their legs yesterday, but it’s worked out well for us."
Bryan's fine curling effort put the Robins on their way, but they had their chances to add to the scoreline, which will no doubt give Cotterill and his men the belief that they can compete with the top sides in the Championship.
“We’re in with the big boys now and they [Middlesbrough] are a really good team. We’ve had to work our socks off there.”
Read more: Sky Bet Championship Matchday 4 review