Football Atkinson set to return for City against Blades in season opener

ERHARD Struber has admitted that he has been left both “impressed” and “surprised” by Rob Atkinson over the course of preseason, with the defender in line to make his first competitive Bristol City appearance in more than two years this weekend.

- Daniel CARTER

City kick off their 2025/26 Championship campaign with a trip to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Saturday evening. With Rob Dickie suspended and Luke McNally still sidelined through injury, Atkinson is expected to get the nod on the left side of defence.

The 27-year-old has been a regular fixture in head coach Struber’s backline over the course of preseason, having impressed while on loan at Portsmouth in the second half of last term. In his time at Fratton Park, Atkinson played 15 times in all competitions, his first competitive minutes since an ACL injury in February 2023, scoring twice and assisting once to help Pompey dodge the drop.

Upon the conclusion of his loan spell, the Robins quickly rewarded the centre-back with a new two-year contract extension to tie him down until the summer of 2028.

While the impressive performances of Dickie, McNally, and Zak Vyner made it incredibly difficult for the former Oxford United man to force his way into the first-team fold last term, Struber is under no illusions about just how important a role Atkinson will have to play over the coming months.

“I’m very impressed,” the head coach told Bristol Live when asked about his first impressions of the defender. “Very impressed by him and a little bit surprised. He’s, of course, a monster in the aerial duels.