Nahki Wells admitted he felt "hard done by" to have dropped to the substitutes' bench in recent weeks but it only added to the hunger to force his way back into the manager's starting line-up and get himself on the scoresheet.
The City striker won the PFA Fans' Player of the Month for September have bagged five goals in five appearances. A blank followed against Coventry City before being one of three players to come off at half-time in the 3-0 defeat at Birmingham.
Wells then found himself on the bench for the next two matches with Nigel Pearson opting with the strike duo of Antoine Semenyo and Tommy Conway but he turned to Wells against West Brom on Tuesday night in a bid to get City's strikers firing again.
After his well-documented frustrations of playing second fiddle for the majority of last season, Wells had the bit between his teeth and proved a thorn in West Brom's side to play a key role in getting City back to winning ways. His goal was one of a real striker's instinct after glancing Semenyo's effort into the corner with his head.
But it was his all-around play that was equally as impressive. He played a key role in the opener when his run down the right was picked out by Matty James before Joe Williams fired in from close range.
Wells admitted he had an honest conversation with Pearson in the build-up to the game after being on the bench although it only added to his motivation to ensure he keeps his place in the starting XI.
"It's always a pleasure and honour to go and score an important goal for us," he said. "It's been a tough period for ourselves but to score a vital goal, to put in a good shift and get the three points in a well rounded good away performance.
"I felt a bit hard done by to come out of the side, I had a chat with the gaffer this morning (yesterday) and he said maybe it's a bit harsh as well in bringing me out but there's a lot of competition and maybe I had a bit of an underperformance in that first half against Birmingham.
"I was playing a lot of football and you respect the manager's decision to sometimes make changes. I've been hungry to get back and take my chance so I'm delighted to perform well tonight and get a goal and get the three points."
Wells knows all too well the fine margins of being in and out of the side. He admitted he had to "bite his tongue and bide his time" last season when just seven league starts returned three goals.
Tuesday's strike lifted him to joint-top scorer alongside his close mate Tommy Conway on seven goals and if there's one thing for certain, he won't be resting on his laurels going forward.
"The lads in front of me had done really well and I knew if I had to get my chance to go on and play for this football club, I'd need to play well and take my opportunities and thankfully I've been able to do that this season and I've been able to build now," he added.
Whether it was Pearson's prerogative to try and get a reaction from Wells by leaving him on the bench over the last two matches, only he knows, but the City manager praised the frontman for taking the most of his opportunity.
He told Robins TV: "He embraced that challenge really well, that was one of the better games I've seen him play. He played with a lot of energy and for someone in his 30s, one of the real strengths he has is his genetics and if he keeps his enthusiasm, he's not going to slow down and so he remains a very, very effective player of this level."
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