Bristol City academy graduate Sam Bell fired home in extra-time to send the Robins into the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, in a 1-2 victory over Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.
Nigel Pearson's side went in front with 62 minutes on the clock through Mark Sykes, only to be cancelled out ten minutes later through Oli Cooper's equaliser for Swansea City.
However, Bell's goal in the 22nd minute of extra-time ensured the Robins won the replay between the two sides, after a 1-1 draw at Ashton Gate two weeks ago.
Bristol City will face West Bromwich Albion in the next round. The Baggies thrashed National League Chesterfield to make it to the Fourth Round, in a tie which also went to a replay.
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Pearson pleased with academy impact
Robins boss Pearson spoke to the Bristol City website after the game and expressed his delight at the performance.
"It is an important game for us to back up Saturday’s excellent performance and win against Birmingham City. We need to try and create some momentum and the best way to do that is to win games.
"We knew it would be exactly that type of game because Swansea like to keep the ball and pass it around which we respect them for. It meant we knew at some point we would get some opportunities. The game opened up in the second half and in extra-time our fitness looked good. The subs all had a positive influence on the game. It was just nice to get through into the next round."
The Robins boss was delighted with the influence that the Bristol City academy graduates had on the game.
Sam Bell scored the winner, having come through the youth system at Bristol City.
"What you see tonight with our academy products is when they come into the team they are ready,” said Pearson.
"We just felt we needed to freshen it up, I wanted to give Sam Bell some more meaningful pitch time, and he took that"
Pearson was particularly impressed the goalscorer Bell, and praised the attacker for his performance against Swansea on Tuesday night:
"He looked dangerous tonight. He’s got an appetite to run and a good change of pace. There's been a lot of talk about people like Tommy Conway. Sam's had to be patient, but he's a different type of player and personality and he took his chance fantastically well.
"It's good for our fans to have home-grown players. It's a really important factor that we are producing players for the first team.
"Omar Taylor-Clarke made his debut too and got stuck in straight away. It’s a nice story and it's great for the fans to see our home-grown players doing so well.
"The concentration levels were good, all the subs made a really positive impact, it's a positive win for us.”
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Bell reacts to his winner
Sam Bell spent the first half of last season out on loan at Grimsby Town in the National League, where he got his first taste of senior football.
After scoring his first goal for Bristol City on Tuesday night, he is slowly working his way up to a regular starter for the Robins.
He impressed boss Pearson against Swansea and has now made eight appearances this season.
The 20-year-old also spoke to the Bristol City website, and was happy with how it all unfolded at the Liberty Stadium:
"To get the winner in front of a packed away end, I couldn’t think of a better scenario. I couldn’t have written it any better if I’d tried. It’s always nice against one against the Welsh teams too because these games can be a bit of a tasty affair.
"When we came on we all made a good impact, and we've obviously reaped the rewards.
"I’ve been patient but when you get presented with these opportunities you've got to grab them with both hands, and not dwell on past disappointments. It's a good feeling.”
Bell was also pleased to see his fellow academy teammates be given the opportunity in the first team.
"This whole season our whole squad has been academy packed, and it just shows our academy is one of the best in the country”, said Bell.
"We always show a lot of faith in the youngsters and I think that benefits us both short and long-term."
Bristol City face Blackburn Rovers next in the Championship on January 21, with a 15:00 GMT kick-off. The Robins will be looking to extend the gap between themselves and the relegation zone.
