Bristol City boss Liam Manning slammed the "terrible" state of the Hillsborough pitch following their 2-2 draw against Sheffield Wednesday. Manning praised the character his players showed as Ross McCrorie's late goal earned them a point.

Manning's men almost pulled off an unlikely win but Sam Bell's shot late on struck the crossbar and bounced away from danger. “Mixed emotions," he said. "First half they shaded it but second half we showed a real belief, purpose and intent.

“Marginally frustrated not coming away with more. The lads who came in had a massive impact, and Belly (Sam Bell) nearly nicked it at the end.

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“I thought we pressed really well, we performed really well in duels and ultimately I think we passed really well and showed some quality on what was a terrible pitch to be fair.

"We showed some real bravery to go and do what we did. The pitch was terrible. Just not at the level.”

City are ninth in the Championship, four points shy of the play-offs. Manning told BBC Radio Bristol: "We spoke about our mindset at half-time; to play forward, run forward, and we scored a fantastic goal, and then got hit by a sucker-punch.

"But I thought we responded terrifically. There was some outstanding stuff from us on a tough pitch. I really enjoyed our second half.

"We wanted to grab an opportunity and take it to the opposition. Not many teams will dominate like we did in the second half and we could have nearly nicked it at the end. Ultimately, we've taken a point and come away with something."