THE agony continues for Wanderers and the wait for a goal stretches on towards an 11th hour… but it is hard not to feel some sympathy for the plight of Phil Parkinson’s side right now.

There had been little in the contest up until Famara Diedhiou’s 40th minute opener and no reason to suggest the Whites were out of the game.

Moments later, Filipe Morais’s harsh red card for a second bookable offence turned the molehill into a mountain.

Wanderers battled impressively to hold on at 1-0 and even went close to drawing level when Gary Madine’s header was hooked off the line – but another painful deflected goal for Aiden Flint ensured their efforts went unrewarded.

A midweek cone-filled trip down the M6 and M5 to Bristol to see a team who hadn’t scored for their last six games is a hard sell, and just 288 hardy souls trekked to the South West more in hope than expectation.

What they saw was a committed display, one head and shoulders above the weekend’s defeat against Brentford, but one with the same outcome.

The gap to safety is now six points but with a goal, let alone a win, seemingly so far out of reach it is difficult to cling on to the positives.

Parkinson’s desperate search to find a winning formula has been reflected in the ever-changing line-up, and another six changes were made to the side humbled at home to Brentford.

Among them was renowned ball-winner Karl Henry, signed only 24 hours earlier, and playing his first game of 2017.

The 34-year-old has been keeping up his fitness at Premier League West Brom and there were signs his mettle could come in very handy over the coming months.

His organisation looked good, and on a different day would have shone through.

For a good 40 minutes of the first half it seemed Parkinson had struck a decent compromise between attack and defence.

Knocks for Antonee Robinson and Reece Burke saw them drop to the bench, while injury also forced Ben Alnwick out of the squad completely.

With Jem Karacan suspended and Josh Cullen also dropped, Andy Taylor, Craig Noone, Darren Pratley and Jeff King – in for his first league start – also came into the equation.

Henry and King provided plenty of hustle in midfield – something sorely lacking at the weekend – and though Gary Madine still looked isolated up top, Morais came into the game for a spell when he was restored to the right hand side.

Chances were few and far between. Wanderers’ best came when Morais’s long throw was half-cleared and after Mark Little’s initial shot was blocked, Darren Pratley squeezed an effort narrowly wide.

As the dreaded 10-hour mark ticked by, the Robins started to get on top.

They had been having plenty of joy down their left side – prompting Parkinson to swap Morais and Noone – and sure enough, that was where Jamie Paterson provided the skidding cross turned in at the far post by Diedhiou for his fourth goal of the campaign.

If that wasn’t bad enough, within a couple of minutes Wanderers found themselves down to 10 men.

Cleveland ref Tony Harrington had completely ignored a foul on Madine near the corner flag but moments later was very much on the ball as Morais dived in to win the ball from Callum O’Dowda on the touchline.

Harrington may have used some common sense with seconds remaining in the half, and simply given the free kick, but instead opted for an altogether more draconian punishment, showing the winger a second caution.

Parkinson’s stony expression as the player trudged off the field perhaps told its own story but only Mark Howard’s reactions prevented Korey Smith from making it two right on the interval.

You feared for the Whites in the second half, particularly as Lee Johnson’s side came out determined to keep the pressure on.

Howard made another important save after Paterson broke through, Wanderers now camped permanently on the edge of their own box.

Parkinson reacted by bringing on Sammy Ameobi for his first start since signing permanently from Newcastle United in the summer.

Unlike Saturday, there was something to be admired about the way the Whites protected their own goal. Both Mark Little and David Wheater made crucial interventions and Howard’s return to the team was also a successful one – with a wonderful one-handed save to deny O’Dowda standing out.

And on 65 minutes it seemed like the impossible was about to happen. Some good football down the right from King, Ameobi and Little ended with a deep cross towards Madine, and his looping header looked to be dropping into the net before Nathan Baker got back on the line to hook the ball away.

Madine’s attitude was again first class. Moments after chasing 25 yards to retrieve the possession he lost, the Wanderers striker smashed an angled shot from the edge of the box which Frank Fielding could only push away in despair.

Just as hope was raised, it was then cruelly snatched away.

A Robins corner was cleared out to Aiden Flint and his fierce drive took a massive deflection off the back of one of his own players to nestle neatly in the bottom corner.

Adam Le Fondre had been waiting to come on as the goal went in – both he and Aaron Wilbraham’s late cameo reduced to a token run-out.

Howard kept the Robins at bay towards the end with some more sterling work to deny subs Niclas Eliasson and Josh Brownhill.

But even his excellent display was overshadowed by the numbers stacking up ominously against Wanderers right now.

MATCH STATS WANDERERS (4-1-4-1) MARK HOWARD…8.5 MARK LITTLE…6.5 DAVID WHEATER…6.5 MARK BEEVERS…5 ANDY TAYLOR…5.5 KARL HENRY....6 CRAIG NOONE…4 DARREN PRATLEY…6 JEFF KING…6 FILIPE MORAIS…5 GARY MADINE…7 Subs: Ameobi 5.5, 55 (for Noone), Le Fondre 80 (for King), Wilbraham 82 (for Madine) Not used: Turner, Robinson, Cullen, Burke.

Bristol City (4-4-2): Fielding; Wright, Flint, Baker, Bryan; Paterson, Pack, Smith, O'Dowda; Diedhiou, Reid.

Subs: Eliasson 67 (for Paterson), Taylor 80 (for Diedhiou), Woodrow 80 (for Reid) Not used: Steele, Brownhill, Magnusson, Leko.

Referee: Tony Harrington 3 Attendance: 17,203 (288 visiting)