Bristol City’s Zak Vyner says his side are ‘raring to go’ ahead of their midweek clash against Millwall that could be vital for their playoff hopes.
City have had a brief 11 day break from action due to FA Cup fixtures, but with three points currently between the Robins and the playoffs Vyner emphasised the side’s focus;
“At this point in the season we’re raring to go, firing on all cylinders and we just want to keep sharpening that.
“It’s strange not having a game at the weekend but they’ve backloaded us for the upcoming weeks.
“We need to be at it and stay on really rather than enjoying the time off before the 4 games in 11 days.”
Whilst some inexperienced players may underestimate a break, the same cannot be said for Vyner who recently passed the 9-year mark since making his debut for City.
Vyner jokingly spoke about his reaction to hitting the mark and how experience impacts the squad;
“Makes me feel very old, especially since I’m now in the top 5-6 oldest players in this team.
“We’ve got lads in the team that are younger than me but they’ve played a lot of football, so there’s no rift in experience.
“Everyone chips in, we have leaders everywhere in the group. Getting into the prime ages, I feel good. I feel confident in where I’m at. I’ve gained a lot of experience and I’m trying to implement that in my game.”
Hard to believe it’s been just over nine years since a teenage Zak Vyner made his #BristolCity debut against MK Dons.
— Dan Carter (@DanCarterJourno) March 2, 2025
The defender may have now made more than 200 City appearances, but he insists he’s “not done.” 🔴⚪️
Read here 👇🏻https://t.co/5ch1ZtPVcf
Reminiscing on his time at the club, Vyner was quick to praise the togetherness of the current squad and his role in supporting up and coming youth stars like Elijah Morrison and Josh Campbell-Slowley;
“Elijah has made his debut, had a little taste and stuff, it’s just about making sure they stay at that level in training everyday.
“Having come through the academy myself, I hope they can come to me to talk about anything, pick my brain if needs be.
“We’ve had good groups for a long time, which is the good thing about this football club, we’ve always had good people, but obviously this year there’s a big togetherness in this team and we just gel which I think translates to the pitch.”
Despite the strong dressing room morale, City have been plagued by defensive injuries with Luke McNally and Ross McCrorie picking up knocks.
Vyner explained how himself and the team are adapting to the challenges, like switching to new formations;
“It’s down to bare bones due to injuries now. I wouldn’t say I have any added responsibility, as we all have a responsibility on the pitch.
“It’s more of a let’s do this for them now, I don’t know where they are with their injuries, but we just want to make sure we are in the best position for when they are back, and make sure we haven’t dropped off.
“This weeks a good week to get stuff out there if there are any grey areas, it changes things a little bit but we’re obviously all experienced enough in that group.
“That back 4/5 with all the injuries and things will be it now, so we’re going to have to get used to it, and we are, we’ve trained a lot this season so it’s second nature now.”
The month ahead! 🗓️ pic.twitter.com/j0QsYpLFgI
— Bristol City FC (@BristolCity) March 1, 2025
With City having won only three of their 17 away games so far this season, Vyner and his side are focused on improving their form on the road.
Vyner focused on his side’s approach to holding onto a narrow lead when highlighting problems they have faced;
“We’ve spoke about it, we’ve had meetings and we’ve gone through it in games like Sunderland where late on in a game we saw it happen. As opposed to Middlesborough away where we’ve held on, managed the game and defended with our lives and it’s worked late on.
“But it’s staying switched on in the moment and realising how a game is going, and managing that by a foul or keeping it up the other side of the pitch to control the game.
“Very quickly away from home, like we do to teams at Ashton Gate, where you’re 1-0 up and trying to hold onto that lead, but it’s about not sitting back and being complacent.”
📈 @SheffieldUnited close the gap at the top!#EFL | #SkyBetChampionship pic.twitter.com/ljffSn8CyB
— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) March 1, 2025
