Claim made on "fantastic" Bristol City star Jason Knight who is "first name on the team-sheet" | OneFootball

FLW's Bristol City fan pundit has backed one player to have a superb season for them in the 2024/25 season.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Bristol City will be hoping that this season is finally the year when they can reach the play-offs which have eluded them for so long.

Since returning to the Championship in 2015-16, the Robins have failed to break into the top six, with numerous mid-table finishes.

At times during these seasons, they have been in and around the picture, but a lack of consistency at the back end of the season has cost them.

Liam Manning will be hoping that he can rectify these issues through this campaign. Additionally, he will be desperate to see his new signings hit the ground running, with the likes of Sinclair Armstrong and Yu Hirakawa both hopefully adding more attacking impetus to the side.

Time will tell then, but with the minimal transfer activity in this window, it seems that the Robins head coach is relatively pleased with where his squad stands.

Bristol City midfielder given beaming praise

With the season just a matter of days away, we have decided to ask our Robins pundit, Tom Sandy, who he believes will be the most key player for Bristol City this season.

It didn't take long for Tom to reply, and one name in particular was on his mind.

"The obvious answer is Jason Knight. He's a fantastic midfielder and I think he is the first name on the team-sheet.

"He came in last season and became one of our best players. Rob Dickie may have won Player of the Season, but at least for the first few months of the season, Knight was pulling that Nigel Pearson side. He was basically getting points on his own and was a step above anyone else on that pitch.

"He's recently been made club captain for this season, so I think that will give him that extra boost."

Following this, Tom admitted how goals and assists would just be a bonus to his usual tasks, which include breaking up play and looking for those line-breaking forward passes for the side.

"He is that player who will turn and make moves for us before getting the ball into attacking players. That is why I am looking forward to seeing what he can do this season", Tom added.

Jason Knight - The key to Liam Manning's success

The lack of incomings in the centre of midfield suggests that Manning is set on who he wants to feature in those positions. Knight is, of course, one of those names, whilst Joe Williams, Taylor Gardner-Hickman and January signing Max Bird will likely fight over that second central-midfield role.

As stated by Tom, Knight's presence will be huge this season and any success will likely be down to the engine room of the team.

At just 23, inheriting the captaincy from Andreas Weimann and Matty James is a powerful vote of confidence, reflecting the immense trust he has built in his 12 months at BS3.

Additionally, his box-to-box nature is useful in a system favouring wing-backs, so it would be no surprise to see him build on his debut campaign.