People with long marriages and people passing their 100th birthday are often asked for the ‘secrets to a happy marriage’ or ‘secrets to a long life’, often threading out varied answers about not going to bed on an argument or eating raw eggs twice a day.
Whilst not reaching either of those milestones, Bristol City attacking midfielder Jamie Paterson has seen an upturn in form lead to him being likened to looking “like a £25m player,” by head coach Lee Johnson. The Robins’ head coach went on to say that Paterson also “looked like a Premier League player,” as Bristol City outfought Barnsley to a 3-2 win last Saturday.
What Paterson has revealed to the Bristol Post is what has seen this spike in form, the turning point in his season for a Bristol City side still not mathematically assured of their place in the Championship for next season.
Quoted in the Post, Paterson said: “Maybe it was the time we lost 5-0 at Preston. In my mind I felt like I had to step up and to try and prove myself to the lads and the fans. I put in 100 per cent when I was out of the team, working hard in the gym. You work hard and you get the rewards. Not all the time, but thankfully I’ve had a good run.”
Since the humiliating 5-0 reverse against Preston, Paterson has played three straight games, scoring three times and delivering two assists for the Robins.
The 25-year-old Coventry-born former Nottingham Forest player has made 20 appearances for Bristol City this season, racking up 1,219 minutes of Championship football for the Ashton Gate side. During this time he has scored four goals and provided four assists – the majority of that output coming over his last four games.
The Robins, whilst not ‘mathematically safe’, are almost certain to retain their Championship status this season being six points ahead of the last relegation place, held by Blackburn Rovers, and are nine goals to the good to boot.
City’s last two games of the season start with a hard game against leaders, and already promoted side, Brighton and Hove Albion before rounding off their season at home to Birmingham City.
