Gary Johnson has issued a heartfelt 'thank you' to all those who stood by him and his under-fire Bristol City players during their hour of need. City's manager admitted the days following last week's abject 6-0 home drubbing by Cardiff had been among the most difficult of his career as the critics rounded on him and angry fans called for his sacking. But club chairman Steve Lansdown gave the man who led City to promotion to the Championship his unequivocal backing, while the Londoner received support in the media and numerous messages of goodwill from fans who believed he should stay. Johnson was especially touched by the hardcore supporters that made the long journey to Middlesbrough at the weekend and waited in the snow for the arrival of the team bus to show their appreciation of both manager and players. And those loyalists were rewarded in the form of a much-improved performance which saw City's players keep a clean sheet and leave the Riverside Stadium with a precious point and their reputations restored. "I'd like to say a big 'thank you' to all those who have stood strong and shown their support in the last few days," declared Johnson. "It was a nice feeling to get off the coach and see those people standing there showing their support for me and the lads. As I always say, we appreciate those who show their appreciation for us and those who made the long trek to the north-east and made themselves heard deserve a lot of credit."
Bristol Evening Post

Bradley Orr is one of those footballers who wears his heart on his sleeve, and he spoke of his complete relief at having put the record straight at the Riverside. Cowed and embarrassed by the 6-0 home defeat suffered at the hands of Cardiff a few days earlier, Orr and his City team-mates arrived in the north-east under immense pressure to put the record straight and restore lost pride. Given the impact another setback might have had on already fragile confidence, a fixture against opponents packed with Premier League firepower and experience represented an acid test. The fact City came through it unscathed spoke volumes for their strength of character. City displayed those qualities of doggedness and determination that are so essential when the chips are down, in the process keeping a notable clean sheet at one of the Championship's more intimidating venues to return with a hard-earned draw which could yet prove a turning point in a season which could still go either way. "This was a massive test for everyone involved and I think we proved a point," said Orr, whose success in nullifying highly-rated winger Adam Johnson proved so crucial. "It was very important for the team, because we knew that all eyes would be on us and that we were under a lot of pressure to react in a positive way. Losing to Cardiff like we did was embarrassing and unacceptable, and the last few days were absolutely horrible. I know there are worse things happening in the world, but when it's your job and you care so much about what you do, the hurt goes really deep."
Bristol Evening Post