Sinclair Armstrong sparks pride, relief and admiration in Bristol City with belief now building | Bristol Live

Bristol Live's Bristol City fan columnist Matthew Withers offers his verdict on the Robins' Championship win over Birmingham City

I know that I wasn’t alone in feeling an enormous sense of relief, pride, and admiration all rolled into one when Sinclair Armstrong’s shot hit the back of the net against Birmingham City. It was quite emotional, and Bristol City fans all around the ground were simply delighted for him.

How quickly things can change in football. One of the early questions at the fans forum, only ten days ago, centred on Armstrong, with the supporter who asked the question concerned that Sinclair seemed to lack many of the skills needed to operate, let alone succeed, at this level - a view shared by lots of fans.

The fan asked the panel why, if it was true that we were able to double our money in January for him, we had chosen not to. Technical director Brian Tinnion pointed out that Armstrong had only been in the building six months, was on a four-year contract, and that he was working extremely hard in training. He went on to say that in January, we would be looking to potentially change things. Both Sinclair and Fally Mayulu had found it hard to get the game time needed - under both Liam Manning and Gerhard Struber - to develop, and if it were not to work out, we would have to look in January and move it on.

Whether Sinclair was made aware of the comments or not, it seems to have influenced him. His substitute performances against both Norwich City and Southampton would have given Struber food for thought over his starting striker against Birmingham, even if Emil Riis had been fit. What we witnessed from Sinclair was a performance full of heart, determination, physicality, and a defining moment of real class.

In terms of the game, it wasn’t the prettiest performance you’ll ever see, and it certainly wasn’t one that will win any awards for possession, but it was one built on sheer heart, concentration, and that never-say-die spirit that’s becoming the hallmark of Struber’s side.

After the intensity of Tuesday night’s battle against Southampton, which was one of those games that left both the players and fans emotionally drained, you could sense before kick-off that this was going to be a tough game. On the back of two excellent wins, I did wonder, with our patched-up squad, whether this had all the ingredients of another potential banana skin, ala Oxford United and Queens Park Rangers.

Perhaps more than in any other game so far this season, Struber’s side showed something that every supporter loves to see: character and determination. Make no mistake, this was a win earned the hard way. We had far less of the ball, and soaked up pressure for long spells, especially in the final half an hour. So many of our players looked to be running on empty, on fumes, but when it came to the moments that mattered, we stood firm. We defended with everything we had.

The one decisive moment that came was taken with absolute aplomb by Armstrong moments before half-time. A player booed when entering the field only a matter of games ago by a small section of fans, became the hero of the day, and left the field in the 75th minute to a standing ovation from all home sides of the ground.

Rob Atkinson had done brilliantly to intercept inside the City half, and credit should go to referee James Linington for allowing the advantage, with Atkinson clearly having his shirt pulled. Atkinson fed a ball through to Sinclair, who raced onto it from just inside our half. After beating the Blues back line for pace, he powered forward with that trademark stride, and with keeper James Beadle slipping slightly as Armstrong bore down on goal, the Robins striker opened his body up and fired a perfectly placed, curled finish into the far corner and beyond Beadle’s reach.

It was one of those goals that instantly evoked memories of Thierry Henry in his pomp at Arsenal (I wasn’t the only one to say it), with that same effortless elegance combined with ruthless execution. This was the type of opportunity that Sinclair had spurned on several previous occasions, but on Saturday, he got it spot on.

As a friend of mine, who is a qualified coach, messaged me after, it was the perfect striker’s finish. Players are coached to create the angle with their first touch. They are taught to shoot low and hard across the keeper, aiming for the low inside of the net.

Why? Goalkeepers are coached to save high shots, which, if they save, are likely to lead to a corner. Keepers are coached not to concede at their near post, so they always favour protecting that side. If the striker shoots low, it’s harder for the keeper to get down quickly, and if they save it, it is likely to stay in play and lead to a tap-in.

I genuinely don’t think there will have been a more popular scorer on Saturday. It’s clear to see the upturn in work rate and attitude from Sinclair. In his post-match radio interview, Sinclair talked about the past few months being so tough, testing his faith, having to persevere through the challenges, and his standards dropping.

When pushed on the idea of his standards dropping, Sinclair said that he has been nowhere near it, not maximising his potential. He talked of coming into his own against Norwich City and Southampton, going back to how he was at 15 or when he first came into English football at 18, doing what he does best, running at defences, running in behind, holding up the ball, and bringing others into play. Whilst only two or three games, he recognises the importance, and momentum is building.

This wasn’t just about the finish from Sinclair; he had a 100% pass completion rate of 13/13. Yes, even when his very first touch was not to his intended target, it still found a teammate. The way he rolled the Birmingham backline and played the ball out wide was excellent.

Make no mistake, the second half was largely an uncomfortable watch, with Blues dominating possession. They passed the ball around neatly enough, trying to pull us out of shape, but Struber had us set up compact and disciplined. We didn’t press too high; we waited, absorbed, and looked to use the pace and power of Armstrong whenever the chance arose. For all their possession, Brum boss Chris Davis admitted that they couldn't make it count and create clear chances with it.

It wasn’t attractive attacking football, but it was smart football, the sort of tactical maturity that Struber has been quietly instilling since his arrival. Unlike the Norwich and Southampton games, this was about control, not chaos.

As the game wore on, you could see the tiredness in our play. Passes went astray, challenges were lost, and our attacking forays weren’t sharp. Thankfully, the back line of Radek Vitek, George Tanner, Rob Dickie, and Atkinson, ably supported by Neto Borges and Mark Sykes, stood firm. Birmingham threw everything at us: corners, crosses, long balls, but we dealt with it all. Atkinson in particular was colossal, a monster. He headed away everything that came near our box and made one goal-saving block late on, with Vitek impeded.

The only blot on Saturday’s page for me was the performance of Mayulu when he came on to replace Armstrong. Their performances were polar opposites, and Mayulu needs to take a leaf out of Sinclair’s book, or he may find himself elsewhere come January. It was great to see another academy youngster, Olly Thomas, make his debut late on.

To be successful, there are times when you must win ugly. You can’t always be at the top of your game. What’s noticeable within this side is the trust between the players and Struber. You can see it in the way they commit to the plan, even when it’s not easy on the eye. There were times yesterday when fans might have been urging us to push out, but Struber kept the shape intact, and the players stuck to it. And in the end, it worked perfectly. It’s now three wins in a row, and we are fourth in the League. With that, belief is quietly building again.

As I left the ground yesterday, I overheard a Birmingham fan say, “How did we lose that?” The answer’s simple: we battled like our lives depended on it, took our chance when it came, and we refused to break.

I couldn’t be happier for Sinclair Armstrong. A huge three points and a performance that really says something about Stuber and his boys.

Our 3 Peaps in A Podcast player ratings were: Radek Vitek 6.5, Rob Atkinson 8.0, Rob Dickie 7.5, George Tanner 7.5, Neto Borges 7.0, Ross McCrorie 5.5, Adam Randell 6.0, Zak Vyner 6.0, Anis Mehmeti 6.5, Scott Twine 6.0 and Sinclair Armstrong 8.0 *MotM.

For the substitutes, who must play a minimum of 20 minutes (including injury time) for a rating, we went: Mark Sykes 6.0 and Fally Mayulu 4.0. A game average player rating of 6.50, resulting in a season-to-date average of 6.48.

For head coach Gerhard Struber, it was 7.5. We gave the game a rating of 7.0.