Football FanCast columnist Andy Davies, looks at Bristol City's current Championship plight and wonders where it has all gone wrong for Gary Johnson's side.

At the start of the season if someone had said to me City would be challenging for a place in the play-offs, I would have been ecstatic but after being top of the league only a few weeks ago, I think it is difficult for many fans not to be disappointed.

A run of nine games with just one win has seen the side slip in recent weeks and the blip probably could not have come at a worse time. Trailing Stoke by four points, it is highly likely we will have to settle for the play offs, unless they fail to pick up just two points from their remaining games against Colchester and Leicester. But stranger things have happened this season and it is certainly not impossible.

To me it is clear the reason we have failed to win in recent weeks, is our inability to score goals and it is something that has been evident all season but is now starting to have an effect on our results. It is hard to see to why we have only managed 50 goals in 44 games and many fans called for Gary to bring in more loan signings before the transfer window shut to bolster our attacking options. But would it have worked? It certainly didn't for Charlton.

The return of Steve Brooker has been welcome and he was sorely missed on Saturday against Stoke. He can offer us something slightly different to our other strikers, as he can hold the ball up but he also has good movement. Dele Adebola, although he is a good target man, is not the most mobile of players. Neither Darren Byfield nor Lee Trundle, have managed many goals in recent weeks either. A system Gary has used often this season, especially recently, is playing 4-4-1-1, with Nick Carle just behind Adebola, but recent results has proved this formation isn't the answer.

Which brings another question, has Nick Carle repaid the reported £500,000 the club spent on him in January or is it too early to say? Prior to his arrival I watched a few clips of him on the internet and he looked an exciting player with a good eye for goal, but he has not scored yet. Does he need time to adapt to the English game and our style of play? Or has Gary simply not decided what his best position is. That said, I think Carle can become an important player for us and once he gets a goal, hopefully more will follow. Let's just hope it's sooner rather than later.

To look at our league position considering we have only just come up from League One, it is wrong to criticise the lads because they have done a fantastic job. Looking at how Scunthorpe have fared, who finished as Champions last year, we can be delighted with where we are. I'm sure if we have to settle for the play-offs Johnson will have the boys geared up for it. It is often said the team that finishes sixth win promotion and at the moment Crystal Palace are one of the form teams. But, form goes out of the window in these ‘cup final' games. Also City have been involved in numerous play-off matches in the past few years and never won, so something has got to change.

But if for instance we ultimately fail in our quest for promotion, then I am sure we would come back even stronger next season. Let's not forget it took many years before we managed to escape League One and it was well worth the wait, the same could be said for now.