Daniel Wales and Charles Hague-Jones discuss Bristol City qualifying for the Championship play-offs.
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00:00Now, Bristol City have clinched the place in the Championship playoffs for the first time in 17 years,
00:07following a tense final day at Ashton Gate.
00:09A 2-2 draw against Preston was enough to secure sixth place, with results elsewhere falling in their favour.
00:17Things looked bleak early on as City went 2-0 down, but a spirited fight back saw Ross McQuarrie score twice to level the match.
00:24With Blackburn Rovers failing to win at Sheffield United, the single point was enough to see the Robins over the line.
00:31The final whistle sparked euphoric celebrations, fans stormed the pitch, red smoke filled the air and players embraced in relief and joy.
00:39McQuarrie described the full-time scenes as amazing, recalling how supporters grabbed him in celebration during the chaos.
00:47This achievement caps a dramatic campaign under Liam Manning, who took charge back in November.
00:53Despite ups and downs, City have shown resilience when it mattered most, and now they'll face Sheffield United in the play-off semi-finals with the first leg at Ashton Gate.
01:03It's only the second time in Bristol City's history that they've reached the playoffs at this level, and hopes are high that they can go one step further.
01:12So Dan, with Wembley and a place in the Premier League on the horizon, are City fans daring to dream?
01:18Well, Charles, I think they just might be.
01:22What a rollercoaster of a season for Bristol City, and a rollercoaster of a final day.
01:272-0 down they were to Preston North End in the second half.
01:31This is, of course, a Preston side who were fighting for their lives on the final day,
01:36and were not secured in the championship for another season at the start of play.
01:41They, though, were secured by the end of the game, but Bristol City, of course, well, they nearly dropped out of the playoffs,
01:48despite being in poor position to secure them at the start of the game.
01:532-0 down they were, but they fought back into the game.
01:562-1 and then 2-2.
01:58Although a point may not have been enough, depending on how Blackburn Rovers did against Sheffield United.
02:03And Rovers themselves were ahead at Bramall Lane at one stage, before the Blades levelled things up.
02:09Therefore, a point was good enough for Bristol City to get themselves into the playoffs.
02:15They didn't finish 5th, but instead finishing in 6th place.
02:18And they will now face Sheffield United in the playoffs over two legs,
02:22with the first of which being at Ashton Gate on Thursday evening,
02:27and then the second being at Bramall Lane the following Monday before the final to come.
02:31Of course, no one is saying it's going to be easy for Bristol City in the playoffs.
02:36Sheffield United finishing in 3rd place, being their opponents,
02:39will be no pushovers whatsoever just to get to Wembley.
02:43Sheffield United finishing not too far from the likes of Leeds and Burnley,
02:47although they did fall away a little bit towards the end.
02:50So, it will not be easy for Bristol City, but under Liam Manning, they are full of belief at the moment.
02:56The fact that they came back from the heavy defeat away at Leeds United in their penultimate match,
03:01and then being 2-0 down to press North End on the final day just shows the character and the will
03:07they have to fight back and get themselves back into matches and out of tricky situations.
03:14It's a valuable trait to have, especially at this stage of a championship season,
03:18when, of course, in the playoffs, everything rides on the games in which they will play.
03:23There is no turning back, no second chances, two games over a semi-final and then a final if they are to get there.
03:30Not going to be easy at all, but Liam Manning has certainly instilled that belief in them that they can do it,
03:37even against sides who perhaps on paper are superior.
03:41Bristol City will ignore all of that, of course, though they will focus on themselves,
03:45something which Liam Manning has drilled into them all season.
03:47Their inconsistent start of the season was soon put behind them,
03:52and all of a sudden they were winning games they needed to win,
03:54and they got themselves into a position of promise in order to qualify for the playoffs on the last day of the season.
04:01It wasn't looking good, as mentioned, against Preston, but they got themselves back into the game,
04:06and that crucial quality could prove vital come the playoff games once they roll around at the end
04:12and the start of the week to come.
04:15Lots of things to look forward to, therefore, from a Bristol City perspective.
04:18I think that many Bristol City supporters will not be necessarily assuming that they're going to go up to the Premier League,
04:25but as you say, Charles, they will be daring to dream, because why not?
04:29Why can their club not do what perhaps, on paper at least, seems unlikely of them?
04:36Why not? They will all ask.
04:37Yes, they perhaps don't have the quality that others will have, but they will have certainly the belief.