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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Sport
Richard Forrester

Bristol City striker on his contract prospects and how he's dealt with critics this season

Chris Martin has revealed he has yet to start contract talks with Bristol City after entering into the final six months of his deal.

The 33-year-old is enjoying a purple patch with three goals in his last three matches with City's three-man attack increasing in confidence with each game.

City have scored in their last nine consecutive league matches and Martin has become a vital cog in Nigel Pearson's system having featured in seven of those contests.

The club have the option to extend his deal for an extra 12 months but Martin has confirmed he still doesn't know what his future holds beyond this season.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's trip to Blackpool, he said: "No nothing has taken place so far, we'll have to wait and see.

"It doesn't really matter too much to me, contract situations are only sorted out by performances on the pitch so if I can continue with good performances that will only help my case.

"It doesn't matter if you have long contracts or short contracts, whether you're up at the end of the year or not, the same thing applies for me to do my job. I'll carry on doing that and see where I go."

A recent stat showed City ranked fourth in the Championship for the number of big chances created which is evident in the number of goals scored, particularly in recent weeks.

They've hit the target 38 times this season, more than any team in the bottom half of the table while 17 of those have come in the last nine matches.

The attacking trio of Martin, Antoine Semenyo and Andi Weimann have impressed in particular and the veteran heaped praise on his team-mates while remaining positive about his own form on the pitch.

"It feels like we've got a good understanding together and things have really clicked," he added. "It's quite rare for it to happen so quickly. We feel like we know each other's games and it's a real good combination so far.

"I think we are playing better as a team, we are showing more confidence and a bit more personality in possession. That's helped me.

"As a striker, you go through lean spells and purple patches so you have to try and make the most of it when they come so hopefully I can keep that going for as long as possible.

"I think It's reward for the hard work I've put in all season.

"Sometimes you don't always get your just rewards in games or you're unfortunate, especially as a striker there's very fine margins between getting on the scoresheet and not. So it's just payoff for the work I'm putting in and it's starting to bear fruit."

After scoring twice against Cardiff last month, his first goals at Ashton Gate since the first game of the season, manager Pearson name-dropped Martin's performance and highlighted the criticism he had received during the campaign.

Martin has come under pressure from supporters at times, as he thanklessly led the line across City's opening 23 fixtures without ever being taken out of the firing line, but admitted he has always just tried to focus on his own game without listening to outside noise.

"I don't really pay much attention to it, I have to be honest. The gaffer did mention it but I haven't really seen too much of it," he said. "I'm on social media a bit but not a huge amount so I generally don't tend to go looking for it. It doesn't really hold too much weight for me.

"I just focus on what I need to do day-in-day-out, trying to help my team and that's my own real focus.

"People are going to have an opinion good to bad and you have to take the rough with the smooth. I'm my own biggest critic, maybe my dad actually but I understand if I know I need to improve things.

"It's about having perspective on things and whether someone I don't know has an opinion on me, that's their business, it's not really mine."

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