Record breaking Bristol City transfer was a stunning coup - It was £2.25m well spent | OneFootball

Nicky Maynard made an incredible impression at Ashton Gate during his time with the Robins.

Bristol City came incredibly close to promotion to the Premier League for the first time in the 2007/08 campaign, as they were beaten by Hull City in the Championship play-off final.

To this day, the Robins have not come closer to making it to the top flight since being relegated in 1980, but that heartbreak did not stop the south-west club from making changes in the summer transfer window in 2008 to try and avenge their defeat.

Gary Johnson used the market to find a new striker, signing Nicky Maynard from Crewe Alexandra for what was a then club record, as the then 21-year-old moved to Ashton Gate for £2.25m.

Despite having played just one game in the Championship previously, it was a risk that Bristol City were willing to take, and few will ever forget the impact that the forward went on to have during his three-and-a-half-year stay in BS3.

Maynard's first season was a slow-burner but he showed signs of his class

Maynard made his league debut for the Robins against Blackpool as his side continued where they left off the previous campaign with a 1-0 win at Bloomfield Road. A week later, he registered his first assist for the club in a 1-1 draw at home to Derby County, with excitement beginning to grow.

However, he was not able to find the back of the net until the seventh game of the season, as he netted the second goal as Johnson's side ran out 4-1 winners against Doncaster Rovers on their own turf, while also picking up another assist.

Maynard's first year at Bristol City proved to be tough at times, but he found form over the winter, scoring twice in two matches in November before he hit a purple patch during the festive period. Five goals and three assists in just six games helped his team push out of the bottom half of the table and up towards the play-offs.

He would find the back of the net just twice more in 2008/09 as the Robins missed out on back-to-back play-off campaigns with a 10th-place finish, but it was clear to see that Ashton Gate was going to have a new hero.

Maynard continued to excel at Bristol City before leaving

It would be in his second season at the club that Maynard took that next step and became the goalscorer that Bristol City needed, as he netted 20 goals in 42 appearances.

He started the year brightly, scoring five times in six matches, as the Robins looked to hit the ground running following an inconsistent 2008/09, but their momentum would soon slow.

Nevertheless, their then record-signing continued to impress, and he kept finding himself in patches of form that were helping Johnson keep his side in contention for a play-off place, but they failed once again, finishing 10th in consecutive seasons.

Injuries plagued Maynard in 2010/11, and he featured just 13 times, scoring six goals in the process.

He was proving to be prolific in the Championship, and with the Robins falling down the table he started to look for a move elsewhere as he turned down a new contract at the end of 2011, and he eventually moved to West Ham United in January 2012.

The fee was reported to be around the £2m mark, and Maynard never truly showed the same quality as he had done with Bristol City, before bouncing from club-to-club and becoming a journeyman for the rest of his career.

His peak, undoubtedly, coming at Ashton Gate.