NIGEL Pearson refused to blame his Bristol City side’s defeat on the absence of Matt James, who was forced to pull out of the game after suffering a calf injury in the warm-up. “While we missed Matty’s quality on the ball, it is not a day for excuses,” said Pearson, whose side have started the season with back-to-back defeats. “If we continue to defend like that, it will be a long season. Last week at Hull I could argue that we were unlucky, but I certainly can’t say that today. “The goals we let in were really poor. That’s ...