Bristol City 1 Rochdale 0

Aaron Wilbraham dished out another pizza magic as promotion favourites City try to get pasta finish line.

Striker Wilbraham, 35, served up his fifteenth goal of the season with a superb glancing header before revealing the players' dinner dates are whetting appetites for the title at Ashton Gate. He explained:

"We're a tight knit group and have got into the habit of going to an Italian restaurant before home games. At the start of the season we went out and Aden Flint scored so we thought we'll go again. We went the next week and Greg Cunningham scored. Then Matt Smith scored after coming last week and so he made us go on Friday and now I've scored. It seems like every time we've done it someone scores, so we don't want to change it. It's become a bit of a superstition."

Wilbraham won promotion to the Premier League with Norwich and Crystal Palace, but says this season is set to eclipse anything else he has achieved in the game. He said:

"If anything, I've felt more involved this season. I'm not saying we're going to get promoted by any means as there's a long way to go. We're in a good position though and if we were to win the league and the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at Wembley in a few weeks, it would probably be my best achievement."

Keeper Frank Fielding, 26, also pointed to the close bond among the City squad as a reason for their successful season so far. He said:

"Team spirit's there in abundance and it's the best I've ever known it. That started in pre-season in Africa and carried on from there. It's really quite special to be honest. We go out for meals and coffees and everyone just enjoys everyone else's company."

Robins manager Steve Cotterill said:

"We're focussed on crossing the line. We don't want to give it up."

Dale boss Keith Hill groaned:

"We've come away with nothing other than a little pride in our performance."