Bristol City ease to 2-0 win over Cardiff

Goals from Tommy Conway and Rob Atkinson gave Bristol City the Severnside derby bragging rights with a 2-0 Championship win over Cardiff at Ashton Gate.

The home side took a 41st-minute lead when Nahki Wells crossed from the left and Conway got in front of his marker to net his fourth goal of the season with a glancing header.

Centre-back Atkinson made it 2-0 with a stooping header from Joe Williams’ 64th-minute free-kick from the left and Nigel Pearson’s team held out for a deserved three points on his 59th birthday.

Cardiff had to make a seventh-minute change when Joel Bagan suffered a head injury in a clash with Alex Scott and was replaced by Jack Simpson.

Bristol made the early running, Conway bursting clear on the left only to see his 14th-minute shot from a narrow angle smothered by Cardiff goalkeeper Ryan Allsop.

Han-Noah Massengo had the ball in the visitors’ net five minutes later, but his header from an Andreas Weimann’s cross was ruled out for a foul on Allsop as he jumped.

Suddenly, it was the home defence looking vulnerable as Max Watters ran onto a 38th-minute through-ball from Mahlon Romeo only to shoot over with just Dan Bentley to beat.

Seconds later Cedric Kipre shot wide at the end of a penetrating Cardiff move before the balance shifted again with Conway’s goal.

It was almost 2-0 before the break as Weimann’s volley from the right of Allsop’s goal crashed against the underside of the bar and back into play.

Cardiff thought they had equalised in first-half injury time, but Sheyi Ojo’s close-range finish from a cross by former Bristol winger Callum O’Dowda was disallowed for offside.

Bristol had a good chance to double their lead at the start of the second half when Jay Dasilva shot wide at the far post