Sinclair Armstrong progress detailed as Gerhard Struber explains ‘bigger’ Bristol City impact
Sinclair Armstrong impressed Bristol City fans and Gerhard Struber with his substitute appearance in the Reds’ win over Southampton
Sinclair Armstrong featured off the bench for Bristol City in their win over Southampton(Image: EFL)
Gerhard Struber has explained that he and his coaching staff at Bristol City have been working with Sinclair Armstrong on the timing of his runs, with the forward now starting to have a “bigger impact” off the bench for the Robins in recent weeks
The 22-year-old was a second-half substitute as the Reds came from behind to beat Southampton 3-1 at Ashton Gate on Tuesday evening. The Saints took the lead on the half-hour mark when Adam Armstrong chipped past Radek Vitek, but Anis Mehmeti levelled almost immediately before a second-half Scott Twine brace put the result beyond doubt.
Having replaced Emil Riis shortly after the break, Armstrong played a crucial, if inadvertent, role in City’s second goal. The forward unknowingly deflected Zak Vyner’s shot onto the inside of Alex McCarthy’s post to allow Twine to dink into the back of the net from close range.
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Outside of his almost assist, the Ireland international proved to be a constant handful for the away side. In his 38-minute cameo, he won a handful of free-kicks, held the ball up well, and came close to his first goal of the season before Will Still referred to him as a “pain in the backside to defend” in his post-match press conference.
When asked about Armstrong’s showing after the full-time whistle, Struber explained, “I’m super happy with him. He helps us, of course, with his pace and also with his timing – how we come behind – and I think their centre-backs, they were scared about him, especially with his pace, how he came behind many, many times.
“He was also clean on the ball and very dangerous. This is what we expect, and this helps us, of course, to make the next step, when our subs come in and have a big impact.”
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Since the arrival of Struber, Armstrong’s competitive game time has been reasonably limited, as was the case at times in his first season at Ashton Gate under now Norwich City boss Liam Manning. Prior to the October international break, the 22-year-old had played just 113 minutes of Championship football over the course of the Reds’ first nine league matches.
When he was given extended run-outs, such as in matches against Derby County, Ipswich Town, and a full 90 minutes against Fulham in the Carabao Cup, the Ireland international struggled to make a considerable impact at the top end of the pitch.
However, against both Southampton on Tuesday and Norwich last weekend, Armstrong has produced much-improved showings, contributing both in and out of possession to help Struber’s side to back-to-back league wins for only the second time this term.
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From the outside looking in, the forward seems to have found a new lease of life, but from his boss’ perspective, his displays have been a product of both his and the coaching staff’s hard work on the training ground.
“I think we work, many times with him,” Struber told Bristol Live on Tuesday evening. “We work and speak with him, and we try to develop him in a direction that he is, for us, helpful.
“In forward runs, he is a really big monster. He is super, super quick, and he is very powerful. I think right now, he is better with his timing, so he is not offside, and comes in the right moment from the back. It’s very unpredictable for them, but he’s more smart – tactical-wise – when he comes from the back, and we spoke so many times about that with him.
“Right now, we have a bigger impact, and it is good to see that he helps the team and himself.”
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