INJURY UPDATE

Regis Le Bris has doubled down on his plan to prioritise player fitness and "managing the minutes" over winning games. He's given the latest update on who will be available for tomorrow's game at Ashton Gate.

MANAGE THE MINUTES

“At this stage of the season, we have to be really proud of the team. We have 76 points so far, and I think that shows that the team did very well. It’s a little bit of a strange period because we worked with a small group this season, because of many injuries, so now, to be competitive in the final part of the season, we need fresh bodies and fresh heads. It is important to manage the squad, to rotate the players and to give opportunities to young players because that I think they deserve because they have done well. They need support through this period, but at the same time, for the others we have to manage their bodies to avoid rushing the process of their recovery. That is true of Jobe, Dan (Ballard) and Leo, and many players."

FOCUS ON FITNESS HARMING FORM?

"The consequences are the results, and probably the output, because maybe the last two or three games we played were not as good as expected. But, at the same time, we are still fourth. The play-offs are secured, and it is another stage of the season. I can understand the reaction because the supporters always want to win, and that is fair, I have no problem with that. But at the same time, our main objective now is clearly the two games in the play-offs, and we have to be ready for these fixtures."

BOUNCE BACK

“This season, I think this group has shown that they were able to react quickly after defeats. So, I am not too worried about that. They showed they have many resources as a team and as individual players to react when it is necessary. It is more about avoiding injuries, providing the players with some freshness and managing the situation to be comfortable with previous injured players. There is no point rushing at this stage, when we can take our time for two or three games.”

FAN REACTION

“I can understand the reaction because the fans always want to win and that’s fair, I’ve no problem with that. But at the same time now our main objective is clearly the two games in the play-offs and we have to be ready for these fixtures.”

PATIENCE REQUIRED?

“If it’s possible, yes. If it’s not possible they can be disappointed. I accept that but at the same time it’s important to step back and look around the full season. And to understand that stage [play-offs] which is different I think. We still have the youngest team in the league, we’ve made the fewest substitutions, and we are in a good place. So we have to manage expectations.”

PRE BRISTOL

“We will see. Jobe will be available and probably won’t be a starter. It was important for him to recover properly. Dennis probably Monday on the bench. We will see if we can give him a short period. Leo is available again and Salis, many players will be back and a bit later we will have Ballard in training sessions."

NO RUSH WITH ENZO

“With Enzo [Le Fee] we know Enzo can really help the team, but we didn’t want to rush the process. Maybe he could have started against Swansea and the outcome might have been different but we want to manage the process gradually and it was the right decision.”