Bristol City manager Gerhard Struber hails ‘monster’ Sinclair Armstrong

Gerhard Struber praised matchwinner Sinclair Armstrong’s work on the training ground after the striker’s first-half goal had clinched Bristol City’s third Sky Bet Championship victory in a week.

A match of few clear chances was settled in the 42nd minute when Armstrong used his pace to break clear of the Blues defence onto a Rob Atkinson through-ball and slot a low shot past James Beadle.

But it was the home defence who took the honours in the 1-0 success, particularly in the second half when Birmingham dominated without ever seriously troubling home goalkeeper Radek Vitek.

Having seen his side retain fourth place, head coach Struber said: “Sinclair Armstrong’s goal came from a situation we have worked on again and again in training.

“He is always ready and eager to work and learn. We let him run free with his pace on the training ground and repeatedly work on his finishing in that position. I am super happy with the way he is developing but today is just the first step for him.

“He is a monster for defenders to cope with. But he has one goal so far this season and we need him to be an important player for us over the remaining fixtures.

“It has been a great week for us. Today our football was not as sexy as I like but the togetherness of the team and the commitment to defending our box was tremendous.

“We have won three games, each with a different picture and a different way of earning the points. I have a group full of players with a fantastically professional attitude and with an outstanding team spirit.”

Struber was able to give a debut to 20-year-old striker Olly Thomas in the closing seconds and added: “He is a young player who suits our style and has done well to overcome a serious injury.”

For Birmingham boss Chris Davies there was total frustration at not seeing his side capitalise on their second half superiority.

He said: “It was like a home game for us at times, but we haven’t made the most of something like 75 per cent possession, which is higher than I could have expected before the game.

“There are positives to be drawn from how dominant we were against a team who will again be up there challenging for the play-offs this season but we have to carry more of a threat when so much on top.

“It was a game that got away from us. The danger was always going to be a fast break from them. We didn’t suffer many, but one proved the difference.

“We have been working on stopping counter-attacks, but we couldn’t stop that one. Away games in the Championship are difficult enough without giving the opposition a goal they haven’t had to work for.

“When you lose possession, you have to sense danger. Sinclair Armstrong is really quick, but if we could have retreated a bit quicker and closed the space we could have coped.

“We got in some great positions wide to create a threat in both halves but balls flashed across goal without anyone there to grab a tap-in. Players have to arrive in the finishing areas to make the moves count.

“Sometimes they are too safe in their movements and hang around the edge of the box without moving in.”