The walls of the manager’s office at Bristol City’s training ground are all decked with the same quote, a question young boss Liam Manning asks himself multiple times a day.

‘Does it help the team be successful?’

Manning, 39, adapted the slogan from the Team GB rowing squad starring the fabulous foursome of Tim Foster, Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell, who won gold at Sydney 2000. ‘Does it help the boat go faster?’

‘I put those signs up,’ he tells Mail Sport. ‘If something does not help us be successful then do not give it energy. I am fascinated by things like this… learning about what allows or restricts people to succeed.’

Clearly, Manning is choosing a lot of paths that lead to success.

Liam Manning has taken Bristol City into the Championship play-off places with four games left

Bristol City’s players and fans are dreaming of returning to the top flight after 45 years away

Manning has taken inspiration from a slogan used by Britain’s Olympic rowing heroes in 2000

And success feels long overdue for this club, city and loyal fanbase. ‘Always the bridesmaid, never the bride,’ feels an apt description for a team who have spent the last nine seasons in the Championship’s midtable positions.

They have the stadium. En route to this interview, we go past the aesthetic and atmospheric Ashton Gate which, from certain vantage points in the stands, invites a stunning vista of the Clifton Suspension Bridge overlooking the Avon Gorge.

They have the city. Plenty of club colours – both City and Rovers – are spotted during a stroll through the picturesque Harbourside district brimming with life. This is the seventh-biggest city in England yet neither of its clubs feature on the list of 51 to have competed in the Premier League.

They have the fanbase – averaging more than 22,000 at Ashton Gate this season – and the finances which accounts show are just behind those receiving parachute payments thanks to steady ownership from Steve Lansdown.

And now it feels like they have the manager and culture that can drive them to their ultimate goal, too. Norwich-born Manning, one of the brightest young bosses in England, is the catalyst for that, with the Robins fifth going into this weekend’s double-header of fixtures.

‘Of course I am excited, it is nice to go into the final four games with something to play for,’ he says. ‘I want the fans to be excited, I want them to dream, I want them to be ambitious. The same with the lads. But all we have to focus on is turning up on Friday (at home to Sunderland).

‘I am hugely motivated to get into the top six. Look at Coventry and Middlesbrough and what they have spent – arguably we should not be competing with them as they have spent fortunes. But the lads here are fantastic, a real tight-knit group with a strong culture.

‘The club is now in a position it has not been in for a long, long time (2008 was the last play-off campaign). We are in a very outcome-driven world. The destination rather than the journey. Here, you can feel and sense the frustration at times around the place. I understand that.

Bristol City have a stadium in Ashton Gate that would be worthy of gracing the Premier League

They also have a sizeable fanbase, with more than 22,000 regularly attending home matches

‘We can only control the future, turn up, apply ourselves, give the fans something exciting to watch and get behind. The fans have even upped their game and got behind the lads. It is an exciting time here.

‘We are doing absolutely everything we can up against some hugely strong opposition, but I really believe this team can achieve something special. I believe in the group. We will do everything in our power to do that – if not, hopefully everyone has enjoyed the journey.’

Manning never had a top-level playing career after being told by Joe Royle at Ipswich that he was not quite what they were looking for. He started working at a school and coaching every night, plus weekend mornings, to make ends meet.

He was a youth coach at Ipswich before joining West Ham’s Under 23s, where he played a key role in Declan Rice’s journey – the pair exchanged texts last week after the Arsenal star’s free-kicks against Real Madrid. Then he joined the City Football Group with New York City and Belgian side Lommel.

He took them from bottom spot to third in the league then joined MK Dons, where 89 points was just one shy of automatic promotion. His next job was with Oxford United whom he steered from relegation fighters to second place when he left for Bristol City. A fine c.v.

‘I am young but I have managed quite a few games now,’ he says. ‘I have been coaching for 20 years, even though I am only 39 I think I am experienced. Age is not relevant to me, experience and knowledge is.’

This season, Manning has lowered the average age of the squad and is working wonders despite not spending in January. Bristol City have also conceded a fair few late goals, which he admits is not the best stat, but it shows they are closer than some may think.

Manning, though, had to take a period of leave this season as he grieved the loss of his baby son, Theo, who died shortly after birth. It was a harrowing time for all involved but the boss was left touched by the togetherness of players, staff and fans, who produced a memorable tribute.

Manning did not have a top-level playing career but has flourished since becoming a manager

Manning had a role in Declan Rice’s rise and spoke to him after his heroics against Real Madrid

‘It was an extremely difficult time,’ says Manning, who left the team in the hands of assistant Chris Hogg. ‘Yeah… something you would not wish on anybody. It was really difficult for me. But I came back quite quickly because of the group I have here to work with every day.

‘And also for me, I needed the distraction and not to be in my head every day. The group were a massive part of me coming back, when I saw the performances they put in at Middlesbrough and Stoke when I was not here, the staff and what they did.

‘And obviously what the fans did for me and my family. They are memories that will live with me for ever. You get a bit of perspective about how precious time is. Let us make the most of our time.

‘That is now my message for the lads – no regrets every day, just be us. For the fans too – enjoy every game, live in the present.’

The squad and fans have certainly united in recent months, losing just one of their last 11 games to leave them fifth and four points clear of seventh. The run-in is tough, with Sunderland followed by trips to relegation-scrapping Luton and promotion-chasing Leeds.

But Manning believes in his group. ‘Football clubs are defined by the people, right?,’ he adds. ‘All of the people here are top… most of them! I look forward to coming in every day. We have a culture where people are desperate to get better, improve and learn. That works for me.’