AS manager of Celtic, Tony Mowbray had the better of Derek McInnes’ St Johnstone.

He is hoping for more of the same today, now the pair head up Middlesbrough and Bristol City respectively.

But the Boro boss has warned his side the trip to Ashton Gate will be a tough one.

Though beaten at home for the first time this season by West Ham on Tuesday, Mowbray insists defeat constitutes far from a crisis.

Both previous defeats this term – by Nottingham Forest and Southampton – have seen the Teessiders bounce back with victory in their next game.

That is the aim once again this evening, and though he admits the top two – the Saints and the Hammers – are beginning to pull away at the top of the Championship, Mowbray is confident his side can stay in touch, and in the top six.

“It’s our first home defeat in 17 games, so it’s not as if we’ve been getting beaten a lot at home,” said Mowbray, of Tuesday’s 2-0 reverse.

“We have drawn too many matches and psychologically it’s easier for teams to come to the Riverside and take a point from a game by scrambling a late equaliser. But home teams are trying to win football matches and leaving themselves a bit more exposed.

“With the likes of (Marvin) Emnes, you can break teams down on the break, hurt them and cause them problems. That’s what we have to do.

“I don’t feel we’re under any more pressure. It was a bad result on Tuesday night but after the other two occasions when we’ve lost this season, we’ve won the next game and that’s what we’re aiming for this weekend.

“It’s a tough one though, away at Bristol. They’re six unbeaten, they drew at West Ham and beat Southampton. So they’ve found some form.

“I think Derek (McInnes) has obviously waved the magic wand down there and got them going. It’s a big test for us.

“I’ve just been studying them on video and the personnel hasn’t changed that much.

“You’ve still got Albert Adomah on the right wing, damaging teams with his speed and directness.

“Nicky Maynard up front is a very obvious threat in this league with his goals, Stephen Pearson has got good athleticism and legs and Neil Kilkenny’s always been a good footballer who can pass and knit and link it.

“They’ve got good players around their team so I don’t know what the difference is. I wasn’t really studying them when they only won one out of 13, but to go the last six unbeaten with four wins is pretty impressive.

“I came up against Derek when I was manager of Celtic and he was at St Johnstone. I think we had three games and they all seemed to go pretty well.” Mowbray added: “I think the top two are pulling away now and we have to keep aiming for the top, and to win football matches.

“We have to keep going and find consistency. We have to score more goals, be a bit more ruthless and when we are dominating make sure we win games.

“We’ll keep going, we’re doing OK.

“When you look back a year, you can probably reverse the table.

“We might have been sitting fourth bottom this time last year. At this moment we shouldn’t be too disheartened sitting fourth-top.

“In 19 games we’ve lost three. it’s not a crisis, it’s not a disaster.

“We’re doing pretty well and we have to keep remembering that and keep pushing on.

“We’ve been fine away from home, won a lot of games, although I’m pretty sure that by the end of the season the points tally at home will be greater than it is away.

“We’re in a decent position. If we can find some form where we get back-to-back wins for a few weeks, we’ll be in and around the top six.”