Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Pring can still push on, insists Pearson
NIGEL Pearson has challenged Cam Pring to continue pushing himself to the next level, believing he has more to offer.
The City defender has started the last two matches on the left of the back three due to injuries to Kal Naismith and Tomas Kalas, while illness to Rob Atkinson and Timm Klose has further reduced Pearson’s options in defence.
And the 24-year-old has grasped his opportunity after a frustrating six months on the sidelines.
Pring was left out of the matchday squad for ten of City’s first 12 Sky Bet Championship games of the season and had to wait until the defeat at Birmingham last month to get a taste of League action. He has, however, started both of the Carabao Cup victories earlier in the campaign.
Pearson admitted he has not altered his view that Pring’s best position is at left wing-back despite his last two showings in a more orthodox defensive role, which suggests that he will find himself challenging for that spot with Jay Dasilva when the Robins have a clean bill of health.
Speaking in his press conference, ahead of today’s trip to the North East to face Middlesbrough, the City manager said: “It’s through necessity that he’s had to play at centre-back and he’s reluctant to get forward at times even with the pace that he has. I think he’s played pretty well in the games.
“He’s a player that has been
here for quite a while, maybe five, six years as a player, he’s been out on loan quite a few times.
“Last year was his breakthrough year, if you like, for us and he’s played as a wide player, as a wingback, as a centre-back and did okay, but he’s got more to come.
“He needs to continue to push himself. In the same way we’ve spoken about Zak (Vyner), my view is like that for Cam. He has genuine pace and he’s a powerful player and he needs to push himself, as well as us pushing him, and that’s the thing.”
Pearson was heavily critical of his defence after Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat against Sheffield United in a game which City dominated with 16 attempts on goal. The visitors took advantage of some poor defending from the Robins’ perspective when Iliman Ndiaye was left unmarked at the back post.
The manager bemoaned his lack of reliable central defenders before stating his intention to improve that area of the field if there is the scope to do any deals during the January transfer window.
As City prepare to take on Boro, Pearson tasked his players with going back to basics with limited options available at his disposal. Kalas and Naismith remain out, Klose is out of form by the manager’s admission, while Atkinson remains a doubt with illness. George Tanner also serves the first game of his three-match suspension following his red card in the week.
“Players who have come into the side recently, both George Tanner and Cam Pring, have done pretty well in their performances of late,” he added “Unfortunately for us we are making errors.
“Whether there is improvement or not, and I think there has been, what we do lack is that leadership at the back. I think that’s where we miss Kal Naismith in particular, but what I will say is Zak Vyner has improved tremendously this season.
“I always judge defenders on how reliable they are in terms of what they do to stop goals and it is a big bonus to have someone like Kal, who can break lines with passes that get you up the field with penetration. I think that’s the difference. We just have to keep things simple at the back at the moment.”
For his part, Pring said of his wait for a chance: “It’s definitely been frustrating, but you have to stay as positive as possible, keep training well, and when you get your chance you have to take it.
“(Last) Saturday I felt like I did that, Tuesday again. Not as tidy on the ball as Saturday, but I think I did enough defensively to stay in the gaffer’s mind.
“I feel like two games in the space of three or four days for me is quite tough, so it’s good to get the minutes, test myself and prove to people that I can actually last the 90 minutes over the two matches.
“I feel like I’m good enough to play here and, on a selfish note, you want to prove people wrong and say ‘Look, I am good enough to play here and I do want to play every single minute of the season’.”