Half-time: Bristol City 1 Southampton 0. In buoyant mood following a seven-match unbeaten run, City seized the initiative from the kick-off, forcing relegation-threatened Saints onto the back foot, writes Andy Stockhausen.

Gavin Williams was the first to threaten a goal, sending a powerful drive inches wide from 20 yards, while Lee Johnson saw his fierce volley blocked at the expense of a corner.

When Williams next let fly from the edge of the penalty area, Southampton keeper Kelvin Davis, seeing the ball late through a phalanx of bodies, dropped to his right to make a fine one-handed save.

Still without a win since new head coach Mark Wotte took charge last month, Southampton weathered the early storm and demonstrated their own attacking intent when a swift breakaway culminated in centre-back Chris Perry directing a speculative shot wide of Adriano Basso's goal.

But City continued to pack the more powerful punch and the fast-raiding Williams was denied a clear sight of goal only by Johnson's under-hit pass.

The home side were afforded a wonderful opportunity to open the scoring on 15 minutes. Striker Nicky Maynard was hauled to the ground by Czech defender Rudi Skacel while attempting to engineer room for an overhead kick and referee Michael Oliver promptly awarded a penalty. He then issued a yellow card to the protesting Skacel.

Successful from the spot a week ago at Norwich, Bradley Orr again took responsibility, only to direct his kick straight down the middle, allowing Davis to save comfortably with his legs.

Saints still had to defend in numbers and they were fortunate to survive intact when Maynard spun away from Perry and sent an angled shot across the face of goal and agonisingly wide of the far post with Davis scrambling to make his ground.

Having squandered a series of chances, City almost fell behind on the half-hour mark. Andrew Surman looping a corner kick towards the far post and Jason Euell heading goalwards, only for the ubiquitous Williams to clear off the line.

Saints went closer still a minute later, the fleet-footed David McGoldrick stepping inside two red-shirted defenders and setting up Morgan Scheiderlin, who had steamed into space on the right side of the 18 yard box. Unfortunately for the visitors, his angled drive came back off the foot of the post and bounced to safety.

The action was now end to end and Dele Adebola missed a great chance to break the deadlock when being put clean through by Williams and shooting straight at Davis, who saved with his legs.

But there was no saving Saints when City next attacked. Atoning for his earlier penalty miss, Orr played Adebola in with an aerial pass and the big target man beat Davis with a cheeky left-foot finish from 10 yards. Southampton's defenders appealed for offside, but the officials remained unmoved.

Although they deservedly had their noses in front, the home side were still susceptible to quickly-launched counter-attacks and Euell came within a whisker of restoring parity in the dying moments of the first half.

Permitted far too much room and time in which to pick his spot, the striker sent a shot thudding against the base of the post from the edge of the penalty area. When the ball rebounded back to him, he lent back and sent his second effort sailing into the Atyeo Stand.

Bristol City: Basso, Orr, Carey, Fontaine, McAllister, Williams, Johnson, Skuse, McIndoe, Adebola, Maynard. Subs: Henderson, Murray, Styvar, Sproule, Iriekpen.

Southampton: Davis, James, Perry, Saeijs, Skacel, Wotton, Schneiderlin, Surman, Euell, Saganowski, McGoldrick. Subs: Forecast, Lallana, Gillett, Liptak, McLaggon. Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)