The Sky Blues fell to defeat against Bristol City at Ashton Gate.
Rob Dickie scored the only goal of the game, late on in the first half, as City left Bristol empty handed.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto was moved to a more attacking role at Ashton Gate and he had the games first shot on target, running onto a cleared ball on the edge of the area and forcing Max O’Leary into a smart stop, as he tipped the ball over the bar.
Ben Sheaf made his return to action and what a return it could have been. With six minutes on the clock, the midfielder picked up the ball 35 yards out and unleashed a ferocious strike which hit the top of the crossbar.
City were raining in with shots from distance, this time it was Sakamoto again who caught the ball on the volley, but he couldn’t steer his shot on target.
The pressure was being applied and both strikers got involved in the act, firstly Ellis Simms latched onto Sakamoto’s pass back, but his shot went narrowly wide.
The bar was hit again moments later, this time Simms laid the ball off to Matty Godden and he smashed the ball towards goal, clipping the top of the woodwork.
Another attack down the right-hand-side and it was Milan van Ewijk who slid the ball into the path of Simms, he set the ball off for Godden, but he fired wide.
The hosts first shot on goal came in the 34th minute and it came through their captain Andreas Weimann, but his effort was kept out by Ben Wilson in the City goal.
Despite City’s first half dominance, they fell behind in first half injury time after Taylor Gardner-Hickman’s free-kick was met by the head of Rob Dickie, who headed the ball past Ben Wilson.
HALF-TIME: Bristol City 1-0 Sky Blues
A quiet start to the second half saw both sides battling for possession, as the Sky Blues looked to carve out an opening to get back into the game.
At the other end, a shot from distance by Jason Knight was held onto comfortably by Wilson in the City goal.
The Sky Blues were pushing forward, throwing everything at the Robins back-line, with balls coming into the box from all angles, as they looked for one to drop for a Sky Blue shirt.
Haji Wright came on for Ellis Simms midway through the second half and he had a sight at goal, but he could only find the side netting from just inside of the area.
FULL-TIME: Bristol City 1-0 Sky Blues
Attendance: 22,718 (2,973)
Yellows: Andreas Weimann, Yasin Ayari, Jay Dasilva
Reds:
Goals: Rob Dickie
Sky Blues XI: Ben Wilson (GK); Bobby Thomas, Kyle McFadzean (C)(89' Latibeaudiere), Luis Binks; Milan van Ewijk, Ben Sheaf, Josh Eccles, Jay Dasilva; Tatsuhiro Sakamoto (74’ Ayari), Matty Godden, Ellis Simms (74’ Wright).
Subs: Brad Collins (GK), Dermi Lusala, Liam Kitching, Jake Bidwell, Kai Andrews, Joel Latibeaudiere, Yasin Ayari, Justin Obikwu, Haji Wright.
Bristol City XI: Max O'Leary (GK), Cam Pring, Matty James, Andy King, Andreas Weimann (C), Tommy Conway (66’ Cornick), Rob Dickie, Mark Sykes, Sam Bell, Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Haydon Roberts (39’ Knight)
Subs: Stefan Bajic (GK), Harry Cornick, Anis Mehmeti, Jason Knight, Jamie Knight-Lebel, Ephraim Yeboah, Raekwon Nelson, Joseph James, Duncan Idehen.