Bristol City moved to within one point of the top six with a 1-1 draw against Fulham on Saturday.

The Robins welcomed Fulham to Ashton Gate on what was their 125th anniversary but a late equaliser from Tom Cairney spoiled the party after Nahki Wells 70th-minute opener.

With nine games to go, City remain well placed in the hunt for a play-off spot but still have some tough games ahead.

Lee Johnson's men head to Ewood Park to face 10th-place Blackburn Rovers on Saturday and face Nottingham Forest before the end of the month.

It looks like the battle for the play-offs is going to go right down to the wire and with that in mind, we've outlined three factors that will determine the Robins' fortunes in the run-in...

How clinical they are in front of goal

The goals have dried up a bit for City in recent weeks, in fact they have not scored more than one goal in a single game just once since the 11th of January.

Part of that has been down to chance creation for the Robins, who have had a lower xG and fewer shots than their opponents in their last five games (Wyscout), and that indicates that they will need to be clinical in front of goal to ensure a successful run-in.

It's hard to see them suddenly creating loads more chances, so Johnson's men will need to ensure they make the most of their goalscoring opportunities over the next nine games.

The arrival of Wells in the winter transfer window and the return of Benik Afobe should help that.

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The fitness of Korey Smith

The Robins have suffered some frustrating injuries this season and will want to ensure everyone stays healthy for their run-in.

No player's fitness is likely to be more important to their play-off hopes than that of current captain Korey Smith.

The midfielder has returned to action to great effect after a long time on the sideline and been vital in recent months.

The way he breaks up play and shields the defensive line is integral, while he also looks after possession well and keeps the side ticking over.

Following the exit of Josh Brownhill, there are a lot of questions over who should be starting in central midfield.

Han-Noah Massengo, Adam Nagy, and Markus Henriksen are all good players but none of them hold the side together like Smith–his fitness looks set to be vital.

The fortunes of the play-off rivals

This might sound obvious but the long and short of it is that despite not winning since the 12th of February, City have closed the gap on the top six in recent weeks.

That has been due to the poor form of the side around them. The Championship has been as unpredictable as ever this season and it doesn't look like stopping.

All the sides in the mix for the play-offs (third to 12th) have shown they have a mystifying defeat and a wobble in them.

For City, a successful run-in is not going to be about being perfect, it's going to be about being better than those sides around them.