Goals from Martin Samuelsen, Bersant Celina, David Brooks and Joe Nuttall, and a brace from Jack Byrne were just reward for a thoroughly dominant display on a chilly October afternoon.
Jason Wilcox named a young starting XI captained by Tom Holland, with starts for Celina and Samuelsen on the wings. Sam Tattum came in at right back and Charlie Albinson took his place between the sticks.
City began to exert their dominance right from the kick off, creating three good chances in quick succession. Thierry Ambrose fired just over the bar after an excellent solo run, while Holland forced a good reflex save from the opposition keeper, and Angelino smacked a shot against the bar from the resulting corner.
City didn’t have to wait much longer for the opening goal – Samuelsen sliding the ball into the corner after Celina left two defenders trailing in his wake.
The advantage was doubled just eight minutes later. Denzeil Boadu won the ball back deep in Bristol City’s half and jinked his way into the box before being felled by the defender. Celina made no mistake from the spot, firing the ball hard into the corner of the net.
Just before the break substitute David Brooks made it three with a delightful, casual chip over the goalkeeper when one on one in the box.
The visitors had been restricted into feeding off scraps by Nathaniel Oseni and Charlie Oliver in the centre of defence and had yet to trouble Albinson by the half time whistle.
Chances were harder to come by for the home side in the early part of the second period, and Wilcox made mass changes on the hour mark. It paid off when Byrne fired into an empty net with his first touch after excellent build up play from Daniel Lema on the left hand side.
Bristol City produced their best chance of the game from a corner which was headed well over the bar, while Bryan had a shot saved at the near post for the Sky Blues.
City were running rampant, with the visitors unable to contain the attacks from wide areas. Byrne added his second and City’s fifth from an impossibly tight angle, while Intima had a shot blocked after a delicious through ball from Byrne.
Joe Nuttall put the gloss on an excellent performance when he added a sixth ten minutes from time, confidently stroking the ball into the net from the middle of the area as he continues his comeback from injury.
Wilcox will be pleased with a morale-boosting performance from the young Sky Blues ahead of the domestic league fixtures resuming after the international break.
