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Bristol City midfielder Andy King on life at Ashton Gate, returning from injury and helping younger players

Boyhood Bristol City fan Andy King says he’s “absolutely loved,” his time with the Robins so far, but believes now is time for him to kick-on after injuries.

“It couldn’t have worked out any better me coming here at this stage of my career,” explained King.

“It’s something I always wanted to do and I’m delighted to be here.”

The 33-year-old picked up an injury against AFC Bournemouth in October that kept him out of action for 11 games, adding to the frustration the midfielder has had to endure over the last few seasons.

“Going into that Bournemouth game we were in a really good place,” King explained.

“We’d had the win before the international break and were in a good place in the league and it felt like things were starting to fall away.”

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King spent last season in Belgium with OH Leuven after spending the previous season on loan with Huddersfield Town, with both spells not being easy for the midfielder, injuries this season have only made things more difficult.

“It’s really frustrating, I didn’t play as much as I’d like last year and then seven or eight games in (to the season) I pick up another injury, it’s one of those things.

“That’s behind me now, I’ve had a couple of games and I’ve felt good and feel good in training.

“Hopefully it will be a big second half of the season for the team and for me personally.”

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Since Christmas the Robins have seen an upturn in performances, with a seemingly more creative style of play that has changed the mood around Ashton Gate to a positive one, yet results are still yet to reflect the upturn in quality from City.

“The team’s playing well, in recent weeks there’s been some really good performances and hopefully it will be a big few months.”

Last weekend King captained the Reds in their FA Cup match against Fulham, the midfielder has no expectation that it will become the norm but thinks he has a role to play in helping the young players.

“Dan Bentley is the captain of the club and he’s doing that role brilliantly, looking after the lads and on that day the manager made changes and he’s selected me.

“It’s not about just one player, it’s about the group. We can probably be better at it to be honest, having as many leaders on the pitch as possible.

“The more leaders we can have on the pitch and in the group the better for everyone.”

King is viewed as a leader in the City squad by a number of younger players, as a Premier League winner during Leicester City’s incredible 2015-16 season and an experienced midfielder closing in on 400 professional appearances his opinion is valued by the younger players.

“The young lads here, looking at Scotty (Alex Scott) and Ayman (Benarous), to think those lads are 18 and playing the way they are is absolutely outstanding.

“They get the plaudits because they’re that young, but you’ve got Han (Noah-Massengo) who’s only 20, the young players here are brilliant.

“They’ve got that attitude to learn and that’s why those particular players will go to the top.”

King and the rest of the Bristol City side will next be in action when they travel to Fulham this Saturday, looking for their first away win since October, with kick-off at 15:00pm.

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