Challenging week catches up with Struber's weary Robins

Talking points from Bristol City's defeat to QPR at Ashton Gate, by Dan Carter

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As he prepared to answer the first question in his postmatch press conference after Bristol City's defeat to Queens Park Rangers, the usually lively and energetic Gerhard Struber didn't launch into a long assessment of the 90 minutes of football he had just witnessed. Instead, the head coach let out a long, unfamiliar sigh, which almost summed up the afternoon as a whole.

It felt like a similar noise was released by almost every City supporter inside Ashton Gate after the final whistle was blown on Saturday afternoon. Not for the first time this season, let alone this week, it felt as though the Robins had left points that were there for the taking out on the pitch heading into the international break.

It all had started so well. After an end-to-end opening half-an-hour or so, Struber's side took the lead when Emil Riis scored his fourth of the season. The Dane nodded home from a Neto Borges cross after the Brazilian had done well to keep an overhit Mark Sykes effort in play from beyond the back post.

The celebrations on the field were muted, but that single clinical moment was enough to give the Robins the lead at the break. Despite their advantage, though, City never looked truly comfortable in the contest, even if they had limited QPR's scoring chances.

For the opening exchanges at least, the second half followed a similar pattern; that was until Richard Kone smacked an equaliser into the roof of the net from close range minutes after the hour-mark. As they have done so often, though, the home support rallied and got behind the Robins as they pushed to again get their noses ahead.