'We need them' - Neto Borges makes request of 'unbelievable' Bristol City fans ahead of QPR test | Bristol Live

Neto Borges joined Bristol City on a season-long loan from Middlesbrough on the penultimate day of the summer transfer window

Neto Borges has urged Bristol City fans to "keep coming" ahead of the Robins' clash with Queens Park Rangers, with the defender impressed by the "unbelievable" support during the Reds' draw with Ipswich Town.

Borges started and played the full 90 minutes, as the Robins were held to a 1-1 draw by Kieran McKenna’s side on Tuesday evening. Jack Clarke’s second-half penalty proved to be enough to cancel out Rob Atkinson’s first City goal in almost three years and ensure the points were shared in BS3.

Deployed as the Reds’ left wing-back, Borges was heavily involved both in and out of possession against the Tractor Boys as he worked back well to assist Atkinson defensively, while also carrying an attacking threat to carve out chances for Zak Vyner and Sinclair Armstrong.

Having had a taste of the Ashton Gate atmosphere during his cameo appearance against Oxford United and in his time at Middlesbrough, the 29-year-old was both delighted to make his full City debut and quick to laud the home support for the atmosphere they created.

When asked by City's media team how it felt to make his first start in red and white, the defender replied, “Very happy. I’m there training, giving my best in training every day, and whenever the gaffer chooses me to play, I’m going to be ready.

"That’s it, and I’m very, very happy for my first start.

"When I came here and played against you, and in my first interview, I felt like the atmosphere was very good," Borges continued on the home support. "Today, again, it felt very, very good.

"The fans were unbelievable. They were like the 12th man on the pitch today. Keep coming, Saturday [we have] another game, a tough game, we need them."

After an open first 18 minutes, Gerhard Struber's side took the lead when Atkinson rose highest inside the Ipswich penalty area to nod Anis Mehmeti's corner beyond Alex Palmer and into the back of the net. The opening goal lifted the home support, and with the backing of the crowd, City pushed for a second before the break, but couldn't find the moment of quality needed.

Then, just a matter of minutes after the restart, the Tractor Boys levelled when Clarke converted from the penalty spot after Ross McCrorie was adjudged to have fouled Chuba Akpom inside the box. The Scotsman appeared to clip the heels of the Ipswich forward as he broke into the area at the end of a smart attacking move.

The remainder of the second half saw momentum swing between the two sides as both the Robins and Ipswich had chances to claim all three points. However, with the scores still level come the end of stoppage time, the points were shared, and there was a sense of frustration inside BS3 with most feeling the Reds would have been good value for the win.

“Disappointed with the result," Borges admitted post-match. "I think the way we played, we deserved the win, but they are a very good team.

"We knew it before the game that we needed to be at our best to win the game, so one mistake, they scored. A point is a point, so we’ve got to take that.

“They are a very good team," he added. "The gaffer had the instructions; the game plan was just to let them play outside and press them outside. I think we did that very, very well, and then it just worked for us.

"We were very aggressive as well, then we got some transitions, and we knew they had a back four, so I could hurt them in the transitions. It worked in the first half in the second half, they adjusted to that and that was it."

On the reaction following the second-half penalty decision, the Brazilian added, "We responded well, to be fair. We didn’t stop playing our game, we didn’t change the game plan, we just kept going.

"Unfortunately, we didn’t take the win. That’s what we wanted, but we’re going to take that point."