The conclusion to the 2023/24 season is drawing ever nearer with Bristol City finishing with something of a flourish as Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Huddersfield Town, while slightly fortunate, did extend their unbeaten run to five matches.

The trip to Norwich City on Saturday represents the Robins penultimate away day with the visit of Rotherham United to Ashton Gate and journey to Stoke City their remaining assignments before the off-season.

The closing stages of a campaign can be signified by the fact it’s also awards season with the EFL holding their gala event in London on Sunday. City didn’t have any individual nominees on the night but there was a degree of Robins-related interest and victory for one area of the club.

Robins Foundation honoured by EFL

The Robins Foundation were celebrating success on Sunday night as the ‘ADD Mentor Project’ was named Community Project of the Season at the 2024 EFL Awards.

City’s ADD-Mentor project has supported young people identified by the police as being at risk of going to prison, using a comprehensive mentor scheme to help steer them away from negative influences.

The project sees trusting relationships built between known young people in the community and the mentors (who both have lived experience of the challenges the young people are dealing with) to give them an opportunity to change. Police reports have shown 100 per cent non-engagement with anti-social behaviour with each mentee impacted in year two of the project.

“We are delighted to win because there were several good projects nominated, but we’ve done it by doing the best we can every single day,” said Robins Foundation Chief Development Officer James Edwards.

“The impact has been huge, for example, we’ve helped a girl that was struggling a lot, but she has just passed her GCSEs and is going onto a sports degree, so it’s important for us to continue helping these people.”

Door remains open for Dire

Liam Manning insists Dire Mebude still has a chance of earning some first-team minutes between now and the end of the season despite the loanee not featuring for the Robins in any of their last 10 matches.

Mebude was a late arrival on transfer deadline day from Belgian side KVC Westerlo, with Manning and City hoping the teenager could provide pace, trickery and penetration out wide and bring an x-factor to an attack that has struggled to create and score goals consistently all season.

However, despite being named in 13 matchday squads, Mebude has made just three appearances comprising 43 minutes and was notably an unused substitute in the 5-0 win over Blackburn Rovers despite the Robins being comfortably ahead.

With three games of the season remaining, all signs point to a return to Belgium upon expiry of his loan, but Manning said: “Anyone who is in the squad is in contention for minutes. We’ve got some training days now with three games left and it’s all on how you train, it’s about smashing doors down to get in the team.”

Szmodics beaten to Championship award

Sammie Szmodics’ 24 goals for struggling Blackburn Rovers weren’t enough for the former City forward to be named Championship Player of the Season as the 28-year-old was beaten to the crown by Leeds United’s Crysencio Summerville.

Summerville, who’s scored 17 goals and added eight assists in 40 appearances with Leeds in the promotion race all term, saw off competition from Szmodics and Leicester City’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. All three were named in the Championship Team of the Season at the EFL Awards.

Summerville’s Leeds teammate Archie Gray collected the Young Player of the Season award, as won by Alex Scott in 2022/23, while Ipswich manager Keiran McKenna was declared the division’s best manager.

There was success for another ex-Robin as City academy product Wes Burns won the Goal of the Season award for his outside-of-the-boot strike for Ipswich Town against Coventry City in December. Burns came through the system at Ashton Gate, after being released by Cardiff, and made 54 appearances over four seasons being sold to Fleetwood Town in 2017.

Meanwhile, Marlon Pack, now of Portsmouth, was named in the League One Team of the Season and Aden Flint, now with Mansfield, was in the League Two select XI alongside former loan striker Matt Smith, who's now with Salford City.

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