Liam Manning insisted there was no fluke about centre-back Rob Dickie’s sensational 30-yard strike that set Bristol City on course to massively boost their bid for a Championship play-off place as they beat Sunderland 2-1.
Sunderland had to play with 10 men from the seventh minute when defender Trai Hume was red-carded for clipping Nahki Wells from behind as he broke clear, but still took a 31st-minute lead through a wonder goal from Eliezer Mayenda, who capped a lung-bursting run from deep his own half with a clinical left-footed finish.
Centre-back Dickie equalised with a sweet right-footed shot any striker would have taken pride in on 55 minutes and wing-back Ross McCrorie sent home fans into ecstasy by drilling home a left-footed winner from a narrow angle with 14 minutes left.
Sunderland defended heroically, but they now look like being joined in the play-offs by Manning’s men, who are finishing the season in impressive form.
The head coach said: “We play a finishing competition at the end of each Friday training session and Rob Dickie often gets through to the final stages of it.
“So it didn’t surprise me that the big man was able to produce a goal of that quality. He is a very good player technically and well capable of moments like that. I just wish he would score more from set-pieces.
“Ross McCrorie also produced a great finish and it sums up the togetherness in the camp that different players keep stepping up to make crucial contributions.
“It was a day when we had to stay patient without becoming passive and that’s just what happened. The red card seemed the right decision from where I stood, but it was never going to be easy overcoming a team with so many good players.
“We could have been stronger in some our challenges in the first half, allowing Mayenda to cause havoc at times. But we coped with him much better after the break.
“Now we have to rest and recover in time for two tough away games. I am so proud of the progress made this season and the culture we have been able to develop at the club.”
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris felt the red card was questionable, but can see plenty to be positive about ahead of the end-of-season play-offs.
He said: “We felt the sending off was a bit harsh, but I don’t know whether we will appeal. It certainly changed the dynamic of the game to play 85 minutes with 10 men after we had started well.
“We scored a fantastic goal and from then on we defended well. But in that situation when you have to defend so many crosses it only takes one mistake or one good shot from the opposition to raise their energy levels and make things more difficult.
“Eliezer Mayenda has shown before that he can score that type of goal. He has improved a lot as a player over the season and is very important to us as he can keep the ball under pressure as well as dribble with it.
“This game could prove a very positive experience for us. We could face the same challenge in the play-offs and even with 10 men we have only been beaten 2-1. If that happened in the play-offs we would still have a home match to come.
“I believe we can take heart from the performance and I feel really confident about what lies ahead of us.”
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