The Robins are back amongst the leaders in the division, despite a summer of upheaval, as Lee Johnson plots a way into the Premier League.

His side seemed nailed on for a place in the top six last season, but a terrible collapse in the second half of the campaign saw them tumble out of the play-off spots.

Their end of season form was horrendous and resulted in them finishing 11th.

There were many reasons cited for the collapse, from fixture pile-ups to tactical decisions, but after a solid start to this season fans will be eager to see lessons learned and problems rectified.

Despite a high player turnover, this season has started incredibly well and they're currently level on points with second-placed Brentford.

If they are to avoid a late collapse once more, there are several things that Lee Johnson needs to consider. The first, of course, is to ensure they're still in the top four by Christmas so they're in a position they can hold on to, but beyond that, FLW believes these issues are the key.

There's no getting away from it, beating Manchester United in the cup was the catalyst for the collapse.

Why? Who knows. Psychologically perhaps they weren't right, but before the United game they'd won eight in ten. After, they won five in 27.

They dropped points last season by dropping deep in games, evident in February as they drew 2-2 with Leeds after being 2-0 inside 16 minutes and still leading with ten minutes remaining.

The week before that they led Sunderland 3-0 after 37 minutes, still led 3-0 with just twenty minutes to go, but drew 3-3.

They dropped deeper and deeper in that game, inviting pressure and Johnson must find a way to ensure that his side remain on the front foot when they're on top. They need to retain a killer instinct, at the end of the season they drew seven matches in sixteen, if they'd converted just four of those to wins, they could have finished inside the top six.

They drew 0-0 with forest and Burton, failed to kill off Barnsley in a 2-2 draw and were held at home, 5-5 by Hull City. One goal in each of those games could have secured them a top six finish, despite the otherwise terrible form.

Bobby Reid scored 21 goals last season, but only seven came in the league in 2018, three of those in one game. If he had been consistently sharp, they might be in the top flight now.