Boss Liam laps up play-offs joy after baby heartbreak

EMOTIONAL Liam Manning hailed his Bristol City players for carrying him through the most difficult six months of his life.

- By ALAN SMITH

Manager Manning lost baby son Theo last October and admitted he would have walked away from the job were it not for his tight-knit squad.

But he fought back tears as the Robins secured a Championship play-off spot for the first time in 17 years.

On a chaotic afternoon where they briefly found themselves two goals down and out of the top six, Ross McCrorie appeared twice in unfamiliar territory to earn a vital point against relegation-threatened Preston.