The 2-0 victory over Blackpool provided the opportunity for three firsts this season.
Andi Weimann's superb strike from distance was the first time Bristol City have scored from outside of the area, Alex Scott finally scored his first league goal of the campaign and youngster Omar Taylor-Clarke became the latest academy prospect to make his league debut.
Nigel Pearson's side had to remain patient to secure victory following a frustrating first half in which the hosts couldn't turn their dominance into goals. It was shaping up to be a carbon copy of both Cardiff and Huddersfield with City struggling to break down their opponents who were happy to sit back and soak up the pressure.
The game needed a moment of magic. Step forward City's captain Weimann who turned on his weaker left foot before arrowing an unstoppable effort into the top corner.
Scott then wrapped up the victory in the final 10 minutes against a side that looked as though they have almost accepted their fate. Apart from Jerry Yates' shocking miss in the first half, Mick McCarthy's side offered very little and were arguably the poorest team to have come to Ashton Gate this season.
Here's the verdict from Ashton Gate as City got back to winning ways...
A small but effective tactical tweak
With Matty James missing out with an ankle injury, it was no surprise for Pearson to opt for Weimann from the start, favouring him in the central No10 role ahead of Anis Mehmeti or youngster Omar Taylor-Clarke.
His role was slightly different in comparison Scott, with City's captain almost playing alongside or ahead of striker Nahki Wells when City were in possession. His strike partner would drop short to pick up the ball from deep, allowing Weimann to exploit that space in behind.
Pearson could take more risks against Blackpool who were sitting back and putting the onus on the home side. In recent weeks, both Wells and Sam Bell have looked isolated while playing in the central striker role and have struggled to make those runs against sides who play with a low block.
Weimann's positioning yesterday allowed him to provide more support for Wells and it proved effective. The Austrian acknowledged those tactics after the game and said: "When we were defending I played more of a 10 but the gaffer said to play as close as you can to Nahki so he's not isolated. We knew that they were going to sit in and we'd get a lot of the ball.
"The last couple of games we didn't get that many into the box or the one who has played as a No9 have looked isolated so it was my job to get as close to him and get off his flick. I think it worked well, to be honest."
There was an outpouring of emotion from Weimann when his strike hit the net. It had been four months since his last goal which came in a draw at Middlesbrough having endured a frustrating period in and out of the side.
Replicating his 22-goal haul last season was also going to be a tough ask but he certainly would have been hoping to have scored more than the five to his name this campaign.
It was a goal worthy of winning any game which also put him on 49 in City colours. With Luton to come on Tuesday and Swansea next weekend before the international break, hopefully, it won't be long before he can reach that half-a-century landmark.
Mehmeti's decision making
You can also see the fear in the defender's eyes when Anis Mehmeti is running at them. He's direct, confident, skillful, and offers City a different dimension to their attack on the left touchline.
It was another positive showing from the former Wycombe man who saw a lot of the ball in the first half, given the space to drive into the box with Jay Dasilva creating space on the overlap. While he oozes class and potential, there is one aspect of his game that needs fine-tuning going forward.
One of those is his decision-making and knowing when to pass the ball. He's a reminder of a school kid in the playground - the one player who is on a different level technically, but would rather go for the wondergoal when passing to a team-mate would have been a better option.
In the first half, he helped spark a counter-attack and drove at Blackpool's defence, beating two players and getting the ball onto his right foot on the edge of the area. He had Weimann and Mark Sykes to his right in space but he tried to go for goal himself with his strike failing to find its way through a body of players.
Sykes was furious and made his feelings towards Mehmeti known. It was a reoccurring theme throughout both halves - the 22-year-old dazzling with moments of brilliance before running into blind alleys or picking out the wrong pass. Once he develops that part of his game, then Mehmeti's goal involvement numbers have the potential to be really impressive.
That selfishness is understandable given he's a new arrival and is keen to impress, especially in front of the home crowd. When it was put to Pearson after the game, he responded: "He's a bit frustrated at the moment that he hasn't opened his account but you have to remember he's a young man.
"He's a really exciting prospect for us but like all young players, he will have spells where they don't happen in the way they want. I thought he did some really good things today, he's always dangerous. He's the type of player that gets the fans excited too.
"Once he scores his first goal, you'll see him become even more assured as a performer."
Age is just a number
Andy King deserves praise for his classy performance in the middle of the park. In the absence of James, the 34-year-old started back-to-back league matches within five days and showed his experience.
He looked tired in the final 20 minutes against Huddersfield, although was handed more of a test against the pace of Josh Koroma through the middle, but there was no questioning his levels of fitness against Mick McCarthy's side.
As City enjoyed plenty of spells of possession, King kept it simple with the ball at his feet with positive, intricate passing to keep play ticking over. Having been deployed as a central defender and as a holding player earlier in the season, it was impressive to see how much ground he covered alongside Alex Scott with the pair working in tandem.
He was comfortable from a defensive aspect, although wasn't particularly put under any intense pressure on the ball, but also progressive with his passing including the ball into Weimann for the opener when Sykes created space on the overlap.
Pearson said of his performance: "I thought Andy King was really good again today. He's played back-to-back games and was really good in both of them and I think that's a testament to his game understanding and ability to negotiate some tough games."
It's unknown if James will be back to face Luton during the week with Pearson suggesting he's not willing to risk him for one game if he's not confident he'll be able to come through unscathed. The Hatters will provide a much tougher test but King's performances in his last two showings have proven he's up to the task.
Home comforts
Given the well-documented difficulties playing on home soil in recent years including that 17-game winless streak at Ashton Gate that ended against Barnsley in October 2021, it's good to see City get their mojo back on home soil.
Yesterday's victory was their sixth consecutive league game unbeaten following wins against Birmingham, Norwich and Hull while drawing with Blackburn and Wigan. The last time City put together an undefeated run similar was back in 2019 when they went eight games without loss between August and November.
It may not be the most monumental of achievements but it shows that Nigel Pearson's side are playing with confidence in front of their own fans and generating momentum that can be carried into next season. There are only four home games left of this season and there's no reason they can extend that record with Reading the next side to make the visit after the international break.
If City are to have ambitions of aiming for the top six next season, then that home form will prove paramount. City currently sit 10th in the Championship with their home record with 29 points from 19 games and that shows an area for improvement looking ahead but they are certainly on the right track.
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