Swansea's play-off bid suffered a setback as Bristol City continued their fine form with a 1-0 victory.
Maynard strike seals 1-0 victory
Swansea's play-off bid suffered a setback as Bristol City continued their fine form under Keith Millen with a 1-0 victory.
Nicky Maynard scored the decisive goal just six minutes from time to keep the Robins' faint hopes of finishing in the top six alive.
Swansea had chances of their own, most notably a one-on-one opportunity for Gorka Pintado, but it looked like they would at least emerge with a point until Maynard's late tap-in.
The visitors made much of the early running, and Andrea Orlandi and Darren Pratley combined on the edge of the Bristol box before the latter's effort was deflected wide by Paul Hartley in the third minute.
The Swans' early momentum was checked when Angel Rangel was forced off with a thigh problem, allowing Albert Serran to make his return from a three-month injury lay-off.
In the 12th minute, Robins full-back Bradley Orr burst into the penalty area to collect Jamal Campbell-Ryce's crossfield ball, only to fire high and wide.
Confidence
Bristol City started to play more like a side flushed with the confidence of an extended unbeaten run, and Maynard pulled narrowly wide following a 23rd-minute melee in the Swansea box.
Paulo Sousa's side responded by fashioning two inviting openings for themselves. First Orlandi's 30-yard free-kick dropped tantalisingly wide, before Pintado shot straight at Stephen Henderson when clean through on goal.
Campbell-Ryce was denied the opener shortly before the interval when Swansea keeper Dorus de Vries grasped his 20-yard drive at the second attempt.
After half-time, the game progressed serenely without incident and it was left to Robins substitute Ivan Sproule to inject some excitement when he fizzed a 67th-minute shot across the face of De Vries' goal and narrowly wide shortly after coming on.
Bristol City gradually increased the pressure and broke through six minutes from time when Sproule got the better of David Edgar on the right wing before finding the unmarked Maynard, who applied the finish.
Sproule almost fashioned a second in the final minute when fellow substitute David Clarkson headed his cross wide.
