Lee Johnson thought Bristol City put in a strong performance, in the first half especially, with the Robins’ 3-1 win against his former club Barnsley deserved.
Having previously been denied by Barnsley goalkeeper Adam Davies, both sides hit the crossbar too; Bobby Reid continued his impressive goalscoring form from pre-season with the opening goal, following up after Famara Diedhiou was denied.
City’s clubs record signing Diedhiou did get his rewards though as the £5.3m arrival from Angers headed home the second with his strike partner, with the signs this could be an impressive pairing, Reid making it three.
Barnsley denied City an Ashton Gate clean sheet to start, when Ryan Hedges grabbed a consolation, but the Robins had done more than enough.
Johnson didn’t think City could have done much more from an impressive performance, especially in the first half, but the former Barnsley boss acknowledged the part this visitors also played.
‘It was a strong performance – particularly the first 35-40 minutes. It was everything we`d worked on in the summer. The boys showed energy and desire, and we had a number of shots. Adam Davies made a number of fantastic saves in the first half. To be fair to Barnsley, they were plucky and energetic,’ Johnson told the Official Website.
Adding: ‘They had the shot that hit the bar and you never know how that could`ve changed the game, but I did feel that eventually we would break them down just through our players having a bit of quality and power.’
Reid’s brace saw the forward rewarded for his efforts in training and pre-season, which would have been ‘quickly forgotten’ if he doesn’t score goals in the Championship, Johnson’s hopeful plenty more will come.
The forwards scoring will boost their confidence as City look to ensure the 26 goals Tammy Abraham scored last season are replaced. However, Johnson wasn’t disappointed to conceded and knows defensively the Robins have to be on it.
Johnson said: ‘We see Bobby in training and we know he`s a fantastic finisher. Giving him another ten or 15 yards up the pitch gets him in the box a bit earlier and a bit quicker. I`m delighted for him. It`s great to get goals in pre-season, but they`re quickly forgotten if you don`t score in the league. To get the two strikers scoring is great for the team and great for their confidence. Famara was unlucky a couple of times when he couldn`t get his feet sorted out, but what a leap – I think he was above the crossbar when he headed it in!’
Concluding: ‘I thought the better side of their game was how hard the two strikers worked. That`s the thing for me, because it means there will be chances from everywhere in the team. I was disappointed to concede the goal. Obviously we`ve lost Tammy Abraham who scored 26 goals, so we`ve got to make sure we`re better defensively and that everyone is chipping in with goals all around the team.’
