Max Bird, Joe Williams, Rob Atkinson: Bristol City team news ahead of Charlton Athletic clash.

Bristol City have been boosted by the return of Max Bird ahead of their match against Charlton Athletic on Saturday.

Gerhard Struber has confirmed that Max Bird will start on the bench when Bristol City face Charlton Athletic this weekend, and the Robins’ head coach has also revealed that Joe Williams will not be risked against the Addicks as he recovers from injury.

On Saturday afternoon, City will host Nathan Jones’ side in their first home league game of the season at BS3. Last season’s League One play-off winners began their first Championship season in five years with a 1-0 victory over Watford at The Valley, thanks to a late stoppage time goal.

The Addicks followed up their opening-day victory with a Carabao Cup first-round win over Stevenage on Tuesday night, while the Robins defeated MK Dons after defeating Sheffield United on Saturday.

After missing the trip to Bramall Lane due to injury, Bird returned to the Reds’ matchday squad against the Dons and played the final 15 minutes of City’s 2-0 victory, replacing Adam Randell.

While Struber was impressed by what he saw of the former Derby County player in that brief cameo, he is eager to manage his minutes in the coming weeks and does not intend to throw him straight into the mix this weekend.

“I think Birdy gives us a really good feeling,” the head coach told Bristol Live at his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. “He strengthens the team, particularly the midfield, with his game intelligence.

“He’s very clear in his actions, so we can see that he has a lot of Championship experience and a football brain that will help us along the way. “I think, of course, we consider whether he’s ready for a start, but I also believe he needs time to grow with the right load, and tomorrow he’ll come off the bench again. Then we look forward to how things will go in the next few game days.”

Williams, like Bird, appeared too soon in last weekend’s season opener at Bramall Lane.

The 28-year-old suffered an ankle ligament injury in the first leg of City’s play-off loss to Sheffield United last season, which Liam Manning later confirmed would necessitate surgery during the offseason.

Williams was once again left out of the Reds’ squad for Tuesday night’s cup win over MK Dons, and while there had been some hope that he would be able to play against Jones’ side, he will have to wait a little longer for his return. “He needs a little more time with his injury,” Struber stated. “We don’t want to bring him back and risk losing something.

“He’s on a good way, but I think he needs a little bit.” Rob Atkinson was also left out of the Robins’ squad for their match against Paul Warne’s Dons. The centre-back started City’s win over Sheffield United but was replaced by Rob Dickie in midweek, with Struber confirming he chose to rest the former Portsmouth loanee after feeling something in his back following the victory at Bramall Lane.

Following Tuesday night’s victory, the Reds manager expressed confidence that Atkinson would be able to play against Charlton at the weekend. That remains the case, but City, like Williams, will avoid unnecessary risks.

“Yeah, we hope everything is good tomorrow,” Struber said when asked if he still expected Atkinson to play against the Addicks. ” Also, the training went well.

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