REVENGE IS IN OUR MINDS, SAYS JOSH
FOR Bristol City midfielder Josh Brownhill, today’s clash with Leeds represents a fleeting visit to Elland Road. Had things worked out differently, it might have been his permanent home. In December, the Yorkshire giants registered a firm interest in the versatile 21year-old. But, just like Newcastle, Bournemouth and a host of other wealthy suitors, City’s hierarchy sent them packing. With negotiations over a new contract well underway, Brownhill could have stalled until January and hoped for a bid to materialise. Instead, he signed a new four-year deal. “There was never any doubt I’d sign,” insists the former Manchester United trainee, who has played in all but one of City’s 32 Championship games this term. “It was the first time in my career I’d ever had any speculation, but I wasn’t fazed. There’s always talk of interest from other clubs, especially when you’re coming to the end of a contract. You hear things and read things. People ask you about it. “I won’t lie. It’s always nice to be wanted and it means you’re doing something right. But this is a great place to play football right now.” Brownhill isn’t the only Robins player to attract a suitor this season. Centre-back Aden Flint was the subject of three bids from Birmingham City during the summer. The Blues also wanted left-back Joe Bryan, currently on the radar of every Premier League club outside the top six. Neither forced the issue and each has been rewarded with a stellar season spent almost entirely in the top six. “It was a good decision by the club to reject those bids, because they’ve both been vital players in the team,” says Brownhill. “Aden has scored a lot of important goals, on top of his defending. Joe’s all-round game is up there with anyone in the division. “But it was good for them, too. If they’d left in the summer – depending on where they’d gone – they might have been in a worse position. Like me, they wanted to finish the job here.
“We’ve got a young, hungry manager, young, hungry players. We play football the right way and every time you step on the pitch, you know your mate next to you will work hard for you. You don’t give that up lightly.”
That ‘job’ is promotion to the top flight for the first time since 1980. Unfancied in August, the easy-on-the-eye Robins have occupied a play-off spot since September 26 and in December knocked Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup.
Since then, however, they have won just once and travel to Elland Road suffering their rockiest patch of the campaign. Has gaffer Lee Johnson’s high-tempo style caught up with them?
“To play the way we do is hard,” admits Brownhill. “The intensity we play at is impossible to maintain over 46 games. Some games it comes off, some games it doesn’t. Recently, we’ve maybe dropped a bit.
“But everyone has a dip in form at some point. What hasn’t changed is the quality of the players in the dressing room. We deserve to be up where we are and we’ll start showing that again.”
Leeds won 3-0 at Ashton Gate in October with arguably their finest away display of the season.
“It’s in the back of all our minds what happened at our place,” adds Brownhill.
“We’ll definitely be looking for revenge up there.”
And, whatever the result, he says the Whites are in safe hands with new gaffer Paul Heckingbottom, who managed Brownhill for four months at Barnsley in 2016.
“Hecky was in the background at Barnsley when I joined, then stepped up when Lee Johnson got the job here,” he explains.
“He was very smart, very good to work for.
“He knew we were going well so he didn’t change much. I think he got a lot of respect in the dressing room for that.
“He’s done a great job at Barnsley and it’s good to see that recognised by Leeds.
“It’s a massive club with a lot of expectation, but I don’t think it’ll worry him. I wish him all the best – after Sunday, anyway.”