City suffered their first League defeat of the season at Newcastle last night but boss Nigel Pearson is not getting too down because it is still a "decent start."

The St James' Park encounter was so close, with City having the better of the first-half, not so in the second, and probably deserved a share of the spoils but the Magpies won it with a Danny Guthrie goal to go top of the table.

The fact that the visitors were only just bested in a very even game shows the real worth of Pearson's side and he said: "It wasn't a brilliant game. Both sides turned the ball over too many times. It was a game we looked forward to and expected to get something out of and as far as we were concerned it was a game we could have won.

"I don't think there was a lot in the game. They are very similar to us. The goal we conceded was not a good one from our perspective. Their strength is also their weakness, they throw a lot of people forward but you can counter-attack against them.

"They would probably say the same against us on the night. It was a game that was relatively open and either side could have won it but you have got to take your chances, haven't you?

"We have had a relatively decent start. It was disappointing but put it in perspective. We will debrief the game and prepare for the next one, simple as that."

That next one is after the international break, against Ian Holloway's Blackpool at the Walkers Stadium on Saturday September 12.