Bristol City were the real winners from £1.1m West Ham United deal | OneFootball

Sam Baldock scored goals at quite a rate for City, with the Robins recouping plenty of funds once he left the club

Sam Baldock was a player who was in desperate need of a new start in the summer of 2012, with a high-profile move to West Ham United not going as planned.

The frontman had been scoring goals at a regular rate for MK Dons before the Hammers came calling in 2011, with 12 league goals in the 2010/11 campaign seeing him catch the eye of the East London side.

The forward would go on to score just five goals all season upon donning the claret and blue shirt, with no goals in his final 14 league matches for the club seeing them cut their losses as they headed to the Premier League via the play-offs.

Having paid a fee in the region of £2.75 million to MK Dons for him 12 months before, Bristol City only needed to fork out £1.1 million to prise him away the following summer, with the Robins about to get their rewards for a shrewd investment over the next two years.

Bristol City capitalise on Sam Baldock, West Ham United situation

Baldock’s move to Ashton Gate came in August 2012, with the striker looking to set the record straight from the off upon his return to the Championship, with a goal in his first outing against Cardiff City immediately helping to win over his new fanbase.

Before too long, it was four goals in as many games, with another goal against Blackburn Rovers added to by a brace against Peterborough United, as Baldock looked to make up for lost time in his new surroundings.

Whether he was in the goals or not, Baldock was enjoying his football again and playing with a smile on his face, although things were take a turn for the worse for City throughout the campaign, with results proving hard to come by under Derek McInnes.

Sean O’Driscoll came in to try and rescue the Robins from their fate, but despite ten league goals from Baldock that season, City were back in League One for the first time in seven seasons.

Sam Baldock earns Brighton move after Bristol City form

Heading back to the level where he initially excelled in Milton Keynes, Baldock would once again catch fire in the comfy confines of League One, with a 26-goal season the reminder everyone needed of his ability in front of goal.

The frontman’s tenacity in fashioning chances for himself, and his clinical nature when given the opportunity, made him one of the most feared frontmen in the EFL at the time, with two braces in his first four matches back at the level announcing his return to form.

A fallow period before mid-November only proved to be the calm before the storm, with a run of six goals in nine games seeing him catch fire heading into the new year, with a City team consisting of Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Marvin Elliott showcasing some delightful football when they were all on form.

And Baldock was right at the heart of it all, as his willingness to run every channel and pressure defenders continually reaped rewards, while his unerring accuracy when given the opportunity gave his side a focal point up top.

While he gave City fans plenty to be excited about during that season, a 12th-placed finish put the writing on the wall regarding his future with the club, with any Championship club in need of a frontman likely to want to take a punt on the 25-year-old.

Alas, it was Brighton who were the side to make him theirs in the summer of 2015, with the Seagulls said to have paid close to £2 million for him before he embarked on a four-year stint at the Amex, and helping the club break into the Premier League.

For City, it was a fine bit of business for a striker who arrived with a damaged reputation, and left with belief in his abilities, with their bank account well remunerated as a result.