Derek McInnes is looking to lift his youthful Bristol City squad to the next level in the Championship this season.

Ins: Greg Cunningham (undisclosed amount), Tom Heaton (free transfer), Paul Anderson (free transfer), Jody Morris (free transfer)

Outs: Christian Ribeiro (free transfer), Jamal Campbell-Ryce (free transfer), Jamie McAllister (free transfer), Marlon Jackson (loan)

Strengths: A young squad willing to go. It’s always good to have some experienced players in your squad, but it may be better to look towards the future and have a collection of up-and-coming stars waiting for their chance to shine too. Derek McInnes feels that Brighton has the latter covered, if their 2-0 friendly win over Dunfermline is anything to go on. Commenting to Bristol City Player after that tie, the gaffer beamed.

“ I thought Joe Edwards did fine, Bobby Reid did well, Aaron Holloway did well when he came on and young Joe Bryan was outstanding at fullback – he’s certainly getting stronger.”

Is a changing of the guard in the Championship on the horizon?

Weaknesses: A young squad willing to go. The one worry with a collection of young players is if they have the physical and mental prowess to fight through an entire season. Fatigue can be extremely damaging in a Championship campaign that goes on for nine months, while the pressure of promotion or relegation can break even the strongest of minds.

Last season’s performance: Bristol City did not really have anything to write home about last term, with the club surviving to fight another day in the Championship by a mere nine points. This included the fact that Portsmouth were deducted ten points for their financial troubles – it would have been a mere point between survival and the drop in that case.

If they were a celebrity: Cher Lloyd. They are both budding stars who have the chance to grab glory with both hands and not let go, and are not afraid to let people know it. The only question is, can they actually walk the walk on top of talking the talk?

You might not have known: Bristol City won fewer games at home last season than Barnsley, Portsmouth and CoventryCity – three teams who finished below them in the Championship last season. Will The Robins be able to fly high at Ashton Gate in the months ahead?

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