Bristol City fell to a disappointing defeat against rivals Cardiff yesterday and their day was made worse with news that two key men face a spell on the sidelines.

Nathan Baker and Famara Diedhiou both went off towards the latter stages of the game in Wales yesterday, with the centre-back believed to have pulled a hamstring. For Diedhiou, the big striker felt a pain in his knee which the club will have to assess.

The Robins are without a win in five and hold just a two-point lead over 7th place in their battle to make the play-offs and boss Lee Johnson admitted these injuries haven't helped.

Speaking to the official site, he revealed the club may consider looking for free agents if Baker faces a long time out.

"We might have to look into the open market and see if there are any centre-halves about because at the moment we can’t rely on getting a steady team out."

He also acknowledged losing his Senegalese striker could force a tactical change for the side.

"We may have to change the way we play if we don’t have a focal point up front, if Famara isn’t right, if Milan Djuric isn’t back so it may mean we have to stick smaller players on, who can handle the ball and be busy."

The Verdict

Yesterday was a disastrous day for Bristol City as if losing to their rivals wasn't bad enough, they now could be missing two key players for a while.

Even though it's too soon to speculate about how long they could be out, it's fair to say the initial feeling isn't positive going from Johnson's comments.

It will be tough for the side but they'll have to adapt if they're to cling on to the final play-off spot.

Thoughts, Bristol City fans? Let us know in the comments below.