Bristol City coach Chris Hogg has confirmed that Max Bird is “all good” despite being withdrawn at half-time in the Robins’ draw with Sheffield United on Tuesday evening.
City came from behind to draw 1-1 with Chris Wilder’s side at Bramall Lane, with Mark Sykes’ stoppage time equaliser proving to be enough to secure a late point for City against the current Championship leaders.
The Blades had taken the lead on the hour mark when Tyrese Campbell found the bottom corner after a smart pass from Rhian Brewster. That looked like it would be enough to secure all three points for promotion-chasing United, until Sykes smashed past Michael Cooper to send the travelling fans behind the goal into delirium.
Sykes was left out of the Reds’ starting line-up on Tuesday night with Yu Hirakawa instead starting on the right flank. To some supporters’ surprise, the Ireland international was then introduced after the half-time break, taking the place of Bird who had been deployed in a more attacking midfield role than we’ve seen in recent weeks.
Bird had been at the heart of a lot of City’s positive attacking play in the first half and Hogg was keen to credit the former Derby County man for his display in the more advanced position while insisting the change was not enforced by an injury.
“No Birdy’s all good,” the assistant head coach told Bristol Live after the full-time whistle. “Birdy’s a good footballer, he can play anywhere.
“I love watching him train every day because he can just handle a ball and his attitude, some of his qualities are really good and I think that’s the beauty of it.
“I think we live in a day and age where everybody gets pigeon-holed into positions and I know we’ve spoken about it before, but for me, he’s just a good footballer. You can play Birdy in any position on the pitch and he’ll do a good job for the team.”
City agreed a deal to bring Bird to Ashton Gate in last season’s January transfer window, but the midfielder immediately returned to Derby County on loan for the remainder of the season. In his temporary spell at Pride Park, the 24-year-old helped guide Paul Warne’s Rams to promotion back to the Championship from League One before finally linking up with Liam Manning’s side in the West Country last summer.
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The majority of the midfielder’s football in his first few months as a Robin came as an attacking option, typically as a number 10 just behind the striker. However, the signing of Scott Twine and an injury to Joe Williams ensured Bird was pushed into a deeper role alongside former Derby teammate Jason Knight. The ex-Rams duo have performed brilliantly next to one another, making it difficult for Williams to force his way back into the starting line-up on a consistent basis.
Tuesday evening saw Bird return to the more advanced position, with Twine moving out to the left flank and Hirakawa providing the width on the right. Although the 24-year-old didn’t see an awful lot of the ball in his 45 minutes of action, he kept things simple in possession and kickstarted a few attacks with some smart flicks and sharp passes.
The Robins now have another quick turnaround to deal with as they welcome Norwich City to Ashton Gate on Friday evening. Whether or not Bird will continue in as the number 10 against the Canaries is unclear but Manning will be keen to stretch the Reds’ unbeaten run to seven Championship games heading into the March international break.