"I've been here a while now, and this is the most I've seen the club move in the summer, or in any window"

"I think we can be very frustrated by it," Cam Pring explains when Bristol City's defeat to Blackburn Rovers is mentioned. This week, the Robins continued their stuttering start to the season at Ashton Gate as they were beaten by Tony Mowbray's side under the lights.

It was a night where the scoreline perhaps didn't tell the complete story. Oladapo Afolayan's winning goal had come from the visitor's only shot on target. At the other end of the pitch, the Reds managed more than 20 attempts on Rovers' goal, but were kept at bay by an inspired performance from Balazs Toth.

The way in which the defeat had come about only further emphasised the irritation present in the stands, on the pitch and within the changing room, where the players were left "baffled." Now though, with the best part of two days to reflect and review, positives have emerged from the frustration.

"I think we did enough - especially in the first half - to win the game," Pring continues. "I think on another day, we score one or two of the chances that we created and the mistakes that happened don't really get spoken about.

"I thought in the first 30 minutes, we were a lot better than them. The goal was against the run of play, and it was sort of like a hammer blow to us, after not scoring the two or three chances we had before and their keeper pulling off some great saves. It was a frustrating one to take, but we've got to deal with that better.

"It's difficult when a team comes to Ashton Gate to sit in a low block and make it really difficult for us," the defender adds. "But I feel like we did create enough chances the other night.

"It is just that final bit that we need to get right and it will come. It just takes time. I can see it coming. We are playing well, I think. It's just taking those last bits in and around the box and sort of stopping the sloppy mistakes at the back, conceding goals that we shouldn't really concede.

"Watching the game back, we've created so much and given them so little; we know one game it's just going to click and we're going to be a top, top Championship team."

Building the sort of side capable of competing at the top end of England's second division was the focus of the Robins during what proved to be an off-season of almost complete change in south Bristol.

Having finished the previous campaign under the interim management of Roy Hodgson, and with a sporting director vacancy present, Pring - who had undergone surgery to ensure he could hit the ground running in pre-season - and his teammates headed into the summer knowing they would likely return to a rather different HPC.

What followed in the next few months was the appointment of Michael Skubala and manager, James Ellis as sporting director, and the arrival of 11 new signings. Pring, ultimately, was one of the few players able to witness such mass alterations taking place as a bystander.

Asked what it was like to watch such change unfold, Pring replies, "It's been exciting, to be honest. I've been here a while now, and this is the most I've seen the club move in the summer, or in any window, to be honest. It's just been really exciting to be around.

"It [his time at Ashton Gate] has gone quickly and it's been sort of frustrating at the same time, because we do want to move forward. I can actually see that now.

"Going back to your previous question, with the amount of change that's happened, we have now put a foot forward in the right direction to make that possible. It just takes a while for the lads to sort of really gel together, but we've been putting in some really good performances, and hopefully, it will click soon."

Although Pring's position in south Bristol remained unchanged over the course of the transfer window, the picture present around him in the Reds' changing room has shifted since the arrival of Skubala.

Last term, the academy graduate had battled it out with Neto Borges and Ross McCrorie for a place on the left side of defence. Now, he is up against Crystal Palace loanee Rio Cardines, who has made an excellent start to his time with the Robins, while Lisav Eissat offers another alternative at left-back.

Heading into the season, the shirt was Pring's. An injury sustained in the opening game of the term, the Carabao Cup defeat to Walsall, however, opened the door for Cardines to stake his claim. Since then, the Palace prospect has registered six assists in eight Championship matches to ensure he has had the lion's share of opportunities so far.

"Competition is always good," Pring admits. "I think I've played my best when I have had competition. I think any team needs competition, especially in the Championship where there are so many games. You've seen over the last few years, with injuries at the back, we need as many people as possible."

On Cardines in particular, he adds with a grin, "He's got a hell of a delivery on him. He's done really well. I feel like we're different kinds of players, which means you can learn different things from each other. He's a very good player, and I'm sure he'll have a very, very good future.

"It's now just a case of when you're in the side, do the best job you can. Consistency will come with that, I guess. It's just about trying to get a little bit of consistency in my game now; trying to stay in the team and get a bit of momentum.

"I think the defence has been quite solid, to be honest," Pring continues. "I think some of the goals we've conceded have been sloppy, yes, but we haven't really given teams many chances. You see, the other night, it was only two chances, and they were relatively low-quality chances.

"Together, we've been quite solid; we just need to get firing at the other end now."

The Robins' next opportunity to click into gear in the opposition box will come this weekend, when the Reds welcome Sheffield United to Ashton Gate in their final home game of October.

Chris Wilder's side travel to BS3 on Saturday afternoon having suffered a defeat of their own in midweek. The Blades were in action 24 hours after the Reds, when a late Ebou Adams goal saw them slip to a 3-2 defeat against Portsmouth on Wednesday evening; a result made more painful by a Hamza Choudhury red card.

Based on the league table alone, City will be slight favourites, but having won just two of their opening six matches at home, in all competitions, this term, there is understandably some pessimism present amongst supporters. In the eyes of Pring, though, United's trip to the West Country presents an opportunity, just as much as it does a challenge.

"We've got to go into the weekend just trying to put it right, really," the defender says. "Then, consistency will come off the back of that.

"We obviously get frustrated because we want to make Ashton Gate a fortress. Obviously it hasn't worked out that way yet this season, but we need to start winning at home. It's not far away at all.

"You expect them to be up there, and I think they've had a tough start to the season," he concludes when asked about the Blades' start specifically. "They're similar to us in respect that they're a bit up and down.

"It will be a tough game and very competitive."