Saturday 17 March 2018 18:25, UK
Milan Djuric's header put Bristol City's play-off bid back on track as it secured a 1-0 Championship victory over Ipswich at Ashton Gate.
Introduced as a substitute for the ineffective Famara Diedhiou, the Bosnian striker missed one chance before he stooped in the 64th minute to nod home Lloyd Kelly's cross from the left.
He benefited from poor marking by an Ipswich side who had defended well to that point. But the visitors created precious little going forward and could have few complaints at the end of a game played in arctic conditions.
For City, it was a welcome return to winning form at a time when their challenge for the top six appeared to be faltering. Lee Johnson's team were not at their best, but edged a contest of few thrills.
Ipswich set up with five across the back protected by a tight midfield three, and Mick McCarthy's tactics looked spot-on in spoiling City's quick passing game in a forgettable first half.
The weather was hardly conducive to good football, with a swirling wind and driving sleet and snow creating problems for both teams.
City top scorer Bobby Reid tested Bartosz Bialkowski with a low drive from 25 yards in the fourth minute. But it was one of few attempts at goal to warm a shivering crowd as the sides cancelled each other out for most of the first 45 minutes.
Ipswich managed to force a save from Frank Fielding just before the interval. Jordan Spence delivered a cross from the right to the far post and Callum Connolly's downward header was comfortably held by the goalkeeper, diving to his left.
A temperature, which was low at kick-off time, dropped markedly and the game was farcical for a while as a blizzard set in.
It had cleared by half-time, which came as a blessed relief to players and spectators alike as they sought sources of warmth.
City started the second period brightly, but still struggled to break down the well-organised visiting defence. Young left-back Kelly drew a cheer for a rare strike at goal when his low 56th-minute drive was saved by Bialkowski.
At the other end, Hordur Magnusson blocked a Connolly shot before City created the first clear scoring opportunity on the hour.
Bialkowski could only parry Marlon Pack's stinging drive from distance and Djuric contrived to lift the rebound over the bar.
The striker soon made amends and, while Ipswich worked hard and threw men forward in the closing stages, City held out with few alarms for a vital three points.
Lee Johnson: "Milan deserved that after the season he has had and he could be a big player for us over the remaining games. He has had a lot of fitness problems since joining us, but is one of a number of players we have come back from long lay-offs at a key time in the season.
"That gives me confidence for the weeks ahead. It was a massive win for us today in terms of maintaining belief among our fans. Ipswich are a side who do remarkably well considering their resources and have an excellent manager. It was never going to be easy. The weather didn't help. It was so cold that at one point my jaw locked when I tried to shout some instructions."
Mick McCarthy: "My only complaint is that we conceded a goal. I can't fault the players in any other respect and I felt both teams handled the conditions well. I felt we should have taken something from the game. We didn't have as much of the ball as them, but we had as many opportunities.
"We could have defended better for the goal, but overall I thought we played well. You could see when they scored how delighted they were because they didn't think it was going to happen. One moment has cost us. Clearly things are not going for us in front of goal at the moment, but hopefully that will change soon. My teams are usually well-organised and I felt that was the case today. We made it difficult for Bristol to play through us."
