STEVE Cotterill’s first home game in charge as Bristol City manager ended in defeat as high-flying Rotherham United took all three points on a blustery afternoon in south Bristol.

For me Cotterill got the starting line-up all wrong, particularly in midfield where he started Elliott and Gillett, thus omitting two of our better players this season in my opinion, Pack and Reid. Cotterill let Pack leave Fratton Park in his time as manager at Portsmouth and so unfortunately for the summer recruit I can see his appearances being limited under the new manager.

Reid is a young Bristolian starlet but started on the bench against Rotherham and this week has subsequently been involved in the reserves. I really hope his first team chances do not become as limited as Pack’s may do.

It was a classic game of two halves on Saturday as City began the game in terrible fashion, conceding after just three minutes. The keeper Parish, Flint and Maloney all really should’ve done better to clear the danger.

Then midway through the first half Emmanuel-Thomas didn’t look up before passing on the edge of the Rotherham penalty area and the away side quickly broke. More lacklustre defending resulted in Pringle finding space on the edge of our box and he fired in a lovely shot into the right hand corner of the goal to make it 2-0.

Reid was introduced just after the hour mark and City began to look more lively in the final third. City eventually got the goal their play deserved in the 82nd minute when Reid’s cross from the left evaded everyone and curled into the far corner of the goal to make it 2-1.

Despite looking better in the second half we can have few complaints about the result that leaves us five points adrift of safety and increasingly desperate for a win.

This Saturday’s game against fellow strugglers Notts County is a big one. County have won their last two games to sit a couple of points above us and a defeat would further demoralise the fan base and players alike.