'A new low' - What Bristol City can expect from Plymouth Argyle and Wayne Rooney at Ashton Gate

Having returned from the international break with a good performance but defeat at the hands of Burnley, Bristol City fans will have been left frustrated when the same was true against Watford on Tuesday night as the Robins impressed at Vicarage Road, only to lose 1-0.

With the defeat to the Hornets now in the rearview mirror, attention turns to Saturday afternoon's showdown with Plymouth Argyle at Ashton Gate as the Robins look to win at home for the first time since September.

Wayne Rooney's side currently sit 20th in the Championship table, two points clear of Hull City who occupy the final relegation position, and are yet to win away from Home Park this season having been beaten 6-1 by Norwich City at Carrow Road last time out.

Last season, the Robins won both games against the Pilgrims, first beating them 4-1 at Ashton Gate under the management of Nigel Pearson before securing all three points with a 1-0 win at Home Park under Liam Manning thanks to Nahki Wells' second half goal.

Although Rooney's Argyle side have so far proven to be the Championship's whipping boys so far this term, City's home record has left more than a little to be desired. Only three teams have picked up fewer points than Manning's side at home so far this season and the Ashton Gate crowd haven't seen a win in over two months, when the Robins managed to claim all three points against Oxford United back in September.

Ahead of Saturday's game, Bristol Live spoke to Plymouth Live's Christopher Errington to get the latest insight on all things Argyle...

How would you evaluate Argyle's season so far?

It has been pretty good at Home Park, and pretty terrible away from Home Park. I think that best sums it up. Argyle have picked up 15 of their 17 Championship points this season at Home Park, including wins against Sunderland, Luton Town, Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth. They have scored plenty of stoppage-time goals as well to turn draws into wins and defeats into draws.

It has been very different on their travels. Argyle have lost seven out of nine, drawing the other two, and conceded 23 goals while scoring just three. That record speaks for itself. The 6-1 hammering by Norwich at Carrow Road on Tuesday night was a new low in that regard.

What have supporters made of Wayne Rooney?

I think there was quite a lot of early scepticism about the appointment, especially given it went so badly for him at Birmingham City last season, but as time went by the fans started to buy into Rooney's attacking style of football. The fact he is living and working in Plymouth, away from his family in Cheshire, when clearly he does not need to do that given the wealth he will have accrued during his career, shows his commitment to making a success of his time at Argyle and the Green Army have appreciated that. What they want to see from him now is to come up with some answers to the team's dreadful away record.

Bristol City Live on Whatsapp

Join Bristol City Live's Whatsapp community for all the biggest Bristol City stories sent straight to your phone

Bristol City Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.

Through the app, we’ll send the Bristol City news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis and more straight to your phone.

To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select ‘Join Community’.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live team.

We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.

To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’.

If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Click here to join our WhatsApp community.

Why do you think Argyle have struggled away from home this season?

If only I knew the answer I would let them know so they could sort it out! I suspect it is a combination of things. Winning away from home in the Championship is not easy for anyone, as the league table this season shows quite clearly, but especially for smaller budget sides such as Argyle.

They have had some heavy defeats, losing to Sheffield Wednesday (4-0), Cardiff City (5-0) and Leeds United (3-0) and that has probably eroded some of the confidence of the players. I think Argyle have been a bit too open in some away games, while recent injuries which have seen them lose some of their best players - such as Joe Edwards, Lewis Gibson, Ibrahim Cissoko and Morgan Whittaker - are not helping either.

Who are the key players for City fans to look out for?

With Argyle deprived of the attacking threat of Cissoko and Whittaker out wide or as a 'number 10,' they are going to be more reliant on their strikers. Andre Gray was a free agent signing at the start of October and after taking time to get up to full speed, he has scored three goals in six games, including two superb strikes in the 2-2 draw with Watford at Home Park last Friday.

Michael Obafemi is on loan from Burnley and has come up with a couple of important goals, including a late winner against Portsmouth. Plymouth-born midfielder Adam Randell has captained the side recently and is capable of scoring from free-kicks.