BRISTOL CITY have nine games in which to cement a place in the play-offs, writes Graham Ford.

Last Saturday they were pegged back to a 1-1 draw by a classy Fulham side who themselves will think they should have done better. I thought Fulham looked strong and it was probably a point gained rather than two lost.

For all City's recent faltering ,without a win in the last five games, we remain just one point off a play-off places. As a fan, I am disappointed that Nahki Wells apart , our two other January signings, Marcus Henrikson and Filipino Benkovic do not appear up to speed to make an immediate difference. I think the defence is solid enough and the strikers just need more service.

In my view the midfield is where the problems lie . They are far too lightweight and when I see Liam Walsh ripping it up on loan at Coventry, I wonder what we are missing with him.

Kasey Palmer is a hugely creative midfielder who for whatever reason is totally out of favour. We seem frightened to give Eliasson a proper run despite his many assists in largely bit part roles. With Benik Afobe making good progress towards a return, the firepower is there but we need some bullets.

Passing endlessly with no end result is frustrating . In fact as our away form shows we are more dangerous when we don't have the majority of possession and can hit on the counter attack.

My view is that Lee Johnson and his coaching staff totally over think every game. They need to get back to basics, take some risks further up the field , and get the ball in the danger areas more often. Each season in charge Lee has improved our position. That's creditable, but he will do well to keep that record going unless something changes.

On Saturday, we go to Blackburn. They have play-off ambitions and a win would take them above us. We simply have to start winning regularly now. We must go all out for a win that would give the players and the fans the belief we can creep into the top six. We have a decent record against them and in my experience it's not a place with an intimidating atmosphere. The three points are there for the taking.