A great day for the club - Johnson

Saturday, September 9th 2017

Lee Johnson hailed match-winner Aden Flint, his hard-working troops and the hordes of travelling fans after securing an impressive 1-0 win at Reading’s Madejski Stadium.

City’s last seven games against the Royals had ended in defeat but that run was ended in emphatic fashion by Flint’s 84th-minutes strike in Berkshire.

For Johnson it brought back memories of City’s last victory at the Madejski, when he was a player in February 2009, as the supporters stuck around after the final whistle bellowing out the ‘Bounce around the ground’ chant.

Speaking on BCTV, Johnson said: “It was a great day for us. The energy, application and effort from the players was top notch.

“It was a really difficult game because of the way Reading play their football but we worked hard, pressing and applying pressure high up the pitch.

“It was great that we had an international break coming into this one as it gave us the time to prepare for the challenge.

“We rode our luck at times and I thought Frankie Fielding was fantastic for us, but we had our chances too. If Pato (Jamie Paterson) had stuck his chance away then maybe we could have gone on to win by a couple.

“The fans were brilliant and it was great to see they were part of the win as well."

"It was a great day for the club. The energy, application and effort from the players was top notch."

Head coach Lee Johnson

Aden Flint fires home the winning goal six minutes from time

RICHES FOR FLINT

Goal hero Flint has been the subject of much speculation over the past two months following the many failed bids from Birmingham City in a busy transfer window.

But on his first league start of the season, the giant defender was able to nail his colours to the mast with a firm right-foot shot to beat Vito Mannone and clinch all three points.

Johnson added: “Aden never threw his toys out of the pram. The important thing is he turned up every day and gave it his all.

“The riches will always come if you work like that; whether that’s a promotion, a new contract or someone comes to buy you.

“I was desperate for Flinty to get central because the last few free kicks had gone wide of the post. Pato set it perfectly and it was a striker’s finish.

“I did say to him that it was Bailey Wright’s place and he replied ‘but what if I score the winner?’ – my reply was ‘I’ll stick you up front in the next game’.”

CONCERN FOR PISANO

Eros Pisano missed the game with a knee injury sustained at the club's rain-soaked Failand training ground on Friday morning.

Johnson reported that Pisano has had a scan, which has showed up no serious damage, but he still believes the Italian could be absent for up to ten days.