Bristol City missed the chance to make it back-to-back home victories as Ben Brereton levelled 15 minutes from time.

Victory over Barnsley last month was their first at Ashton Gate since January and they looked well on their way when Callum O’Dowda put them ahead 10 minutes before the break.

Nigel Pearson was back on the touchline after a spell away from the squad as part of his recovery from Covid-19 and was pleased with what he saw from the most part.

Rovers improved after the break and dominated the possession, equalising when Brereton pounced on a loose header to hammer the ball into the roof of the net.

Pearson felt there was an understandable level of anxiety about his side as Rovers enjoyed more of the ball but the Robins boss didn't feel overly threatened.

He said: "We are a team who's suffering at home by not being able to convert chances when they come along. But I look at it in terms of what is positive and the response was excellent, and the positive intent was there.

"I'm not a psychologist, I can't verbalise what they feel during games but I can see with my own eyes there was a sense of anxiety which builds. But I didn't necessarily see that and that is a marked difference.

"I thought our fans were fabulous to really get behind the team even the second-half, when we didn't replicate our dominance in possession.

"To start with, we conceded too much territorial advantage in the second-half, I still think our fans stuck with the team which I think is very important for us.”

The hosts had lost five of their six matches leading into the visit of Rovers, the one exception being the 2-1 win over Barnsley last month.

But Pearson was left pleased with his side and hopes it is a display they can build on.

“We’ve just got to make sure that our disappointment from not coming away with three points doesn't hinder us when we play against Stoke because there's a lot of more encouraging signs. But it still remains a big frustration for us,” he added.

"When you consider the number of times that we've conceded late in games or have allowed our opponents to boss games, I think the players showed a spirited response.

"Unfortunately, for us, it was pretty much an unforced error that created the opportunity for their equaliser and I know they had more possession in the second-half, but apart from a couple of balls flashing across the goal I don't think there was a lot of danger towards our goal.

"In many ways we could have been out of out of sight, but that's where we are at the moment.”