Bristol City manager Keith Millen acknowledged that his side are already bang in the middle of a relegation battle after Saturday's home defeat to the Canaries left them rock bottom.

They took over the space vacated by Leicester who, after losing 4-3 at Carrow Road last Tuesday – beat Scunthorpe 3-1 to climb off the bottom.

'You can't hide away from where we are in the league,' said Millen. 'We're on a bad run, we're not winning games. We need to keep clean sheets, but we've also got to start scoring goals. I can understand the fans' frustrations and it's tough for everyone. The only way we're going to get out of it is by sticking together.'

The Robins made a decent start, but struggled after Simeon Jackson's 23rd-minute opener.

'We were comfortable for the first 20 minutes or so without creating any chances,' said Millen. 'Their opener came from a lucky ricochet and we just switched off. We were in possession of the ball and they've scored the opener from it.

'The second one came from the penalty spot. It seemed like Louis (Carey) handled it and it knocked us back. Without any good play from then we were two down.

'It was criminal to get done on the half-way line for the final goal. The confidence drained from us and it was hard work after that.

'Confidence is an issue. The crowd were disappointed, the players were disappointed – everyone was.

'We took the positives from the last few games and tried to build on it. We were okay up until the first goal.

'However, we need to score the first goal in a game. Losing that first goal all the time knocks the stuffing out of the players.

'We've tried different players and different shapes but the recurring theme is we keep conceding softly. We have to put it right. There's no hiding place; we need to work hard on the training ground and stand up, stick together. We've got a local derby against Cardiff in two weeks and it's an important two weeks ahead for us.'

Home fans voiced their discontent when striker Jon Stead was replaced on 68 minutes, but Millen said he had picked up a slight injury.