Spreading The Goals Is Key - Cotterill

Last season City were largely indebted to the goals of Sam Baldock and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas – 26 and 21 respectively – in their bid to avoid relegation from Sky Bet League One.

This season goals have been much more evenly spread. Aaron Wilbraham leads the way with 16, but every outfield member of Saturday’s starting XI at Crawley Town has found the net at some point this season.

Boss Cotterill reasoned: “When you think about the goals Sam and Jay scored last year, the pressure was on them every week.

“It doesn’t matter if they can score goals or not, they won’t be able to do it every single week.

“We felt like we needed players who could chip in from all areas of the pitch and that was all part of our recruitment process in the summer.

“We’re really pleased with it. Going into any game, if you were to say we’ll score three goals, or even one, I’m not sure who that goal would come from.”

Aden Flint has contributed eight goals alone and could yet hit the targeted mark of ten for the campaign.

Cotterill told Bristol City Player: “When you’ve got a centre-half the size of Flinty, I certainly felt like he should be adding more goals to his repertoire going into the campaign.

“I’m pleased he’s been able to do that. He’s getting better and he will do that with the more experience he gets. A goalscoring centre-half is like gold dust.

“They’re as hard to find as strikers who score goals.

“He still had a lot more to learn and that will make him a better player in the future. We’re delighted with him.”

Summer addition Luke Freeman, meanwhile, has topped Sky Bet League One for the amount of assists so far this campaign, with 15 to his name.

“Playing Luke in the role we’ve given him, I always knew he could provide assists,” added Cotterill. “He’s his own biggest critic and knows he could score more goals.

“When you look at the amount of running he does for the team, you can see he’s been a big signing for us.”

Next up is a trip to Yeovil Town at Huish Park tonight (7.45pm kick-off), a team that has parted company with former City boss Gary Johnson since the Boxing Day reverse fixture.

Cotterill said of the rock-bottom hosts: “Their team has changed quite a bit since the managerial change in terms of personnel.

“I think there may be seven or eight changes since the last time we played them (on Boxing Day).”

The match is all-ticket, with all 2,000 away tickets having already sold out.