Full-time: Bristol City 1 Norwich City 0

JAMIE McCombe grabbed his first goal of the season to bring much-needed relief to Bristol City.

Making his first appearance in two months after recovering from a fractured cheekbone, the 6ft 5ins centre-back made an unikely hero in this intriguing Championship encounter at Ashton Gate.

McCombe was recalled in place of the injured Louis Carey and popped up to net the winner 15 minutes from time to end a run of three games without victory and lift the pressure from Gary Johnson's side.

City should have wrapped up only their second win in nine games much earlier, but failed to take several goal-scoring chances before half time.

City boss Gary Johnson made three changes to the team beaten 3-0 at Sheffield United last time out, recalling fit again centre-back Jamie McCombe and midfielder Gavin Williams and handing striker Lee Trundle his first start of the season.

Requiring a confidence-restoring win following two defeats and a draw, the home side certainly had chances to score during an eventful first half, most notably when Marvin Elliott contrived to mis-cue his shot from eight yards out after being set up by the hard-working Dele Adebola.

Returning to Ashton Gate for the first time since his £1m move to Reading three years ago, Leroy Lita made his presence felt when out-foxing McCombe and forcing Adriano Basso into a smart save at his near post.

When Basso and Liam Fontaine were involved in a misunderstanding inside the 18-yard box and the ball ran loose to Matt Pattison, the midfielder's shot flew inches wide of goal with City's defence at sixes and sevens.

It was City who created the better openings and Canaries keeper David Marshall turned aside Michael McIndoe's floated free kick and Fontaine's fierce volley before pulling off a spectacular fingertip save to divert Trundle's flicked header behind for a corner.

Lee Johnson burst through on goal, only to be halted by John Kennedy's timely challenge, while Bradley Orr's first-time shot flashed across the face of goal without any red-shirted player quite managing to apply a finishing touch.

Lita had an excellent opportunity to break the deadlock early in the second half, but shot weakly at Basso after being put through by Lee Croft.

City were struggling to create anything much in the final third and owed their lead, when it arrived, to a set-piece routine.

Jamie McAllister floated a free kick over the entire Norwich defence and there was McCombe, in glorious isolation on the edge of the six-yard box to turn the ball past Marshall with a deft flick of his right boot.

Substitute Ivan Sproule could have given the home side further breathing space eight minutes from time, only to shoot at Marshall when Nicky Maynard was better-placed to score at the far post.