Haydon Roberts talks about the “tough” reality of spending time away from the starting lineup for Bristol City.
Haydon Roberts, who was left out of Bristol City’s starting lineup for the first five games of the Championship season, has spoken out about his difficulties.
Liam Manning made three changes to the City team that defeated Oxford United 2-1, including the inclusion of the left-back, after the teams’ respective dismal results against Derby County and Blackburn Rovers.
The 22-year-old was preferred over regular starter Cam Pring at left-back after substituting in the second half of the 3-0 loss at Ewood Park the week before. And Roberts did not let the coach of the Robins down in his first start of the season, combining a strong defensive performance with offensive flair in the team’s match against the U’s.
But it hasn’t all been plain sailing for the former Brighton prospect, who registered just two appearances in all competitions before Saturday’s contest at Ashton Gate.
The defender has since spoken about the struggles he faced while being reduced to a place on the bench in the opening five games of the Championship season but revealed the key areas he improved in order to win a place in Manning’s starting 11.
“It’s really tough,” Roberts told Bristol Live. “Every player wants to play every game and the reality is not everyone is going to be able to do that – and if they do it’s very rare.
“It’s about always being prepared, pushing the lads in training, doing everything properly, going into training every day and wanting to improve and not wasting a day. When I wasn’t playing, I was looking at ways to improve trying to get my chance and hopefully have go on to have a positive impact on games.
“That’s what I had to do (bide time) in the first five games to support the lads and having to wait. There’s always going to be an opportunity at some point.”
Roberts’ start against Oxford United represented his first league start since City’s final day 4-0 defeat to Stoke City in May.
Leave a Reply