Bristol City manager Steve Cotterill was pleased to see his side secure a win against Port Vale, which saw them open up a four-point lead at the Sky Bet League 1 summit.
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Joe Bryan and Matt Smith scored the Robins’ goals in their 3-1 home victory against the Valiants, and that allowed them to move clear of Swindon Town and Milton Keynes Dons, who both tasted midweek defeats.Cotterill believes Vale posed a serious threat as the game came just days afte the Robins' top-of-the-table clash against MK Dons, but he was pleased to see his side come through it unscathed.
He told Bristol City Player: “I always thought this was going to be a tough game tonight on the back of everything that happened at MK Dons with the build-up and the game itself.
“It’s always very difficult when you come off the back of a really big game with the emotions and the energy of the players.
“I thought we started a little bit sloppy, but some of our passing in the second half and the way we got out of some tight areas was really good.
“Whilst we’ve played some fantastic football, there’s always been the hard work and we’ve got to make sure we keep that work ethic because all top teams to work hard.
“We’re pleased with the three points because Port Vale have done well of late and it was always going to be an awkward game for us.”