Andi Weimann believes hitting the 20-goal milestone this season following a devastating cruciate knee ligament injury is arguably his best career achievement to date.
The Austrian finally hit the elusive figure in the 3-1 victory over Derby on Saturday, finding the bottom corner after Chris Martin played him through on goal with a first-time flick in the 10th minute.
Weimann, 30, featured just seven times in Championship last season after requiring knee surgery following the 1-1 draw with Swansea during the first half of last season. He has now started in every game this season, missing just 16 minutes of action.
The forward can rightly feel aggrieved at being left out of the Championship Team of the Season, which was dominated by Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest players - particularly considering he has played in, "about seven positions this year."
Weimann has featured 14 times for his country and scored 17 times in the Premier League for Aston Villa, but Saturday's goal at Pride Park will be the one that sticks out long in his memory.
When quizzed whether it's the biggest achievement he's had, he told Bristol Live: "Yeah, I’ve been fortunate to have some really good moments in my career and it’s been nice. Personally, I think coming back from a serious injury and not expecting to hit it, I’m really proud.
"I wouldn’t have expected it at the start of the season. I’ve missed 15 minutes all season so after coming back from a cruciate ligament injury I’m even happier. Hopefully, I can take it into next season and see where I can get to.
"I’m really enjoying where I’m playing in behind the two strikers. It gets the best out of me and the goal (against Derby) shows that I can break from deep and get in, when I’m in front of goal I’m confident in my ability. Hopefully, if I can keep playing that position I’ll get a few more goals next year.
"I’ve played about seven positions this year, I can play anywhere on a pitch, to be honest. I’m happy to help the team and play where I need to be but that position frees me up a bit more because we’ve got seven behind us and three attackers.
"It allows me to be a bit freer and try to find the space where I think I can get in. It’s brought the best out of me. I missed all of last year so to come back and miss just 15 minutes all season, it’s been a brilliant season personally for me so hopefully I can carry on like this."
Nigel Pearson was also keen to pay tribute to his professionalism and his ability to come back from his serious injury to find the form of his career. The Bristol City manager also suggested that not rushing him back towards the end of last season has contributed to his goal tally.
"He's not a player that you'd ask to do more, let's put it that way, he's a really good pro," he said. "Both him and Chrissy (Martin), they rehabbed last season together so they were both out for quite a period of time. Andi with a cruciate and Chrissy with a hamstring problem.
"They were both getting to full fitness before the end of last season and it was prudent not to include them. They work hard and the very fact that they've both played more minutes than most other players. The staff have confidence in both of them and they are very important players for us.
"Andi's very open to new ideas and I think he's got plenty of possibilities to get better, his finishing this season has been absolutely incredible at times."
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