Stoke City 1-2 Bristol City: Robins fight back to beat under-pressure Nathan Jones' 10-man Stoke
- Published
Stoke boss Nathan Jones was the recipient of some supportive words form opposite number Lee Johnson after the match
Stoke City manager Nathan Jones hopes his board will "keep patience" with him after seeing Bristol City come from behind to pile on the pressure at the Bet365 Stadium.
The Championship's bottom club, still winless this season, took an early lead through a Sam Clucas strike before the game turned when Joe Allen was sent off for a late lunge on Josh Brownhill.
The Potters survived until the break but Famara Diedhiou's downward header levelled the scores and an own goal by Tom Edwards earned Lee Johnson's Robins their fourth win in seven matches this season.
Jones has now won just four of his 30 matches in charge of Stoke since quitting Luton Town to join the Potters in January.
"I want to change things but nothing is going for us," said Jones. "There are teams with far more points than us, but are playing worse than us.
"The fans and the club have been brilliant with the patience they have given me and I have to repay that.
"But we can't keep saying that because eventually people's patience runs out.
"The board sees the work I do every day, they are good football people but I don't know how long they can be patient."
Stoke, who have won twice in the EFL Cup, both away from home, now face successive away matches at Brentford and then Crawley in then the EFL Cup.
But it is at home where they need to get it right - and they have not won now in front of their own fans in nine games since 2 March when they beat Nottingham Forest, who by an ironic whim of fate are their next scheduled visitors on Friday, 27 September.
"I know it's not going well right now," said Johnson, speaking about his rival's position. "But Stoke have a really good manager."
Joe Allen's red card was the combative midfielder's first since his Swansea days in December 2011
Jones looked to be on course to end a winless league run of 12 games going back to 6 April when Clucas smashed home the early opener from a smart Bruno Martins Indi cutback following a corner.
Even after Wales international midfielder Allen's 12th-minute dismissal, James McClean should then have doubled Stoke's lead but his close-range shot was well saved by keeper Daniel Bentley.
The visitors, who are unbeaten since the opening day of the season and now move up to third, then started to make their one-man advantage count.
Recalled Stoke keeper Jack Butland saved Andreas Weimann's curling strike and a low shot from distance by Antoine Semenyo, who replaced defender Taylor Moore in a tactical change by Johnson.
The home resistance was broken, however, when Diedhiou headed in a floated cross at the back post from Jack Hunt.
Substitute Niclas Eliasson's header was then cruelly bundled into his own goal by Edwards when he tried to clear on his own line.
