Support so important - Cotterill

Just like he did after the win at Huddersfield Town earlier this month, the City boss made a special point of applauding the 372 supporters who had made the journey to Burnley on Monday, when the team were beaten 4-0.

As City’s tough run of three consecutive away games continues, more than 2,400 tickets have been snapped up for Saturday’s league visit to Reading and more than 4,200 fans will attend the FA Cup tie at West Brom.

“I’d like to thank the supporters at the end for how they were with me,” Cotterill told bcfc.co.uk.

“Sometimes when you get beaten, it’s difficult to go over to the away supporters; not because of anything they’ve done but because of the embarrassment.

“The support we’re getting is incredible and I can’t thank them enough. It keeps me going.”

He added: “The players benefit from that support as well; the fans can see they’re committed and never give up; this group never does.

"They have all improved massively, but the trouble is that is not reflected in the league table at the moment.

"They have all improved so much over the last 12 months and they have improved in the last six months, even though they have not had the rewards.

"I'll keep working with them to try and make them better and I'm sure they will benefit from these hard times.

“We need our improvement to continue going into the New Year if we want to be in the Championship.”