Dom Ballard on being underestimated and City boss Skubala's 'superpower'

Dom Ballard is, at just 21 years old, already one of football's characters. This week, Michael Skubala opted to use "lovable rogue" to describe the striker, shortly after labelling the popular member of the Bristol City squad a "cheeky chappie."

The former England youth international's goal away at Birmingham City, his first as a Robin, was evidence enough that such descriptors were warranted. The 'Goal of the Month' winning backheel is one of three the City striker has managed since he arrived at Ashton Gate this summer.

Two of those three have come from the bench and away from south Bristol. All three came before the extended international break, and before Ballard had got the run of starts he had been hoping for since he put pen to paper in the West Country.

"I sat here last time, and I said I wanted to play more minutes," he says, speaking to the media at City's High Performance Centre. "The gaffer's allowed me to do that; I'm getting more minutes, and I couldn't be more grateful.

"I'm not really a knocker," the forward adds when asked how he deals with being left out of the side. "I just try my best in training and try to prove to the manager that I can be trusted. Tolly [Lorent Tolaj] obviously had a knock, and he came out of the squad, which allowed me to have my opportunity.

"I think I've performed pretty well; it's just the goals that are missing right now."

Such a fact is as true of the rest of the City squad as it is of Ballard. The Robins have played three times since the interval, but managed a single goal - a Scott Twine penalty - over the course of a draw with Charlton Athletic and home defeats to Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield United.

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Against the Blades, the Reds were guilty of not being creative enough. When they hosted Rovers, however, it was a lack of cutting edge and inspired performance from Blackburn stopper Balazs Toth that kept them at bay.

"Look, we know as a squad it wasn't good enough," Ballard says, referencing last weekend's loss. "We've come off the back of two tough games now, but there were definitely upsides on Tuesday.

"There were so many positives to take from that game. Saturday was a bit different; I don't think we really had a strong foothold in the game at any point. We did create some chances, probably not enough, but we did enough to nick a goal.

"Either way, they're learning curves, especially for me. I'm new to the Championship, but for anyone, you've got to find ways to win games. We're all a new group; we're all learning those relationships.

"I think my performances have been good, but my job is to score goals," he adds, shifting the conversation to his own displays at the top end of the pitch. "There's more to being a striker than scoring goals, but especially me, I pride myself on scoring goals. That's my job, and to win games, you have to score goals.

"We're not winning games at the moment, and part of that is we're not scoring goals, but you just have to keep going, keep pushing and find a way.

"I believe that if I keep doing the right things and keep getting in the right positions, I'm going to score goals," the striker insists. "When people talk about experience and stuff like that, I'm obviously only 21, but I've played around 100 games now, so I feel like I've learned that.

"Earlier in my career, I was definitely beating myself up about it, whereas now, I feel like I'm quite good at moving onto the next one."

Ballard's senior career started with a couple of Premier League cameos with Southampton a little over three years ago. The bulk of his near 100 competitive appearances so far, however, have come further down the pyramid, across loan spells with Reading, Blackpool and Cambridge United, as well as his year at Leyton Orient.

Standing at five-foot-nine, the centre-forward will have come up against his fair share of imposing defenders and has gone through runs before where he's struggled in front of goal.

His spells with Blackpool and Cambridge, namely, weren't as successful, in terms of end product, as he, Southampton or either League One side would have liked, but provided the forward with important lessons and experience that have helped shape the player he is today.

"I'm quite a confident lad," he smiles. "I think always being around older people when you're coming through, you have to - in this world of football - have that confidence, otherwise it can swallow you up.

"It's quite a hostile environment sometimes, especially being a striker. You go through so many ups and downs, and because we're so goal-related, one week you're sky high, the next week you're really low. It's important to just maintain that confidence and belief that you can affect a game at any time.

"Obviously, only being five-foot-nine, I've learned to use my body," he adds, referencing the recent battles he's been a part of. "I've learned to work hard. It's one of the reasons the gaffer spoke to me first in the summer. He said it's one of my best skills, but I love that side of it, and it gets me chances.

"People underestimate me because of the size, and I lean towards that.

"I played under Steve Bruce at Blackpool," the striker continues. "That was definitely an experience - he taught me so much about that side of the game, which, coming through an academy like Southampton's, you don't always learn. I love it: the underestimating of it.

"People underestimate me all the time in terms of the air and last year, I think scored the most headers in the EFL. It's something I enjoy because people don't expect it."

The physical side is a part of Ballard's game that has been brought into focus in recent weeks. Under Skubala, whether out of choice or necessity, the Robins have repeatedly looked long for their centre-forward in an attempt to kickstart attacks, something that drew attention against the Blades in particular.

By the City boss' own admission, Ballard is at his best when he is in and around the opposition penalty area. The challenge, therefore, for Skubala, and the players around the 21-year-old moving forward, is to make the most of him in such positions.

Having spent much of the last three months working with the Reds manager, and after being pitted against his side in the past, Ballard is confident that things will click into gear in south Bristol, regardless of the Robins' recent difficult run.

Asked about his relationship with his current gaffer, Ballard says, "I've enjoyed it. It's obviously very new around the building and there are a lot more things I think he wants from us, me and the team. That stuff does take time.

"I am enjoying it, and I just think if we can get on a run of games, like just before the break - I could really feel that momentum building - I think that's his superpower. When we do start winning games, and do start getting points, he really finds a way to keep that confidence high.

"We played Lincoln maybe three or four days after they won the league," the striker continues, calling back to last season, when Leyton Orient faced Skubala's title-winning side. "They were obviously having a lovely time, but we absolutely battered them and lost 2-1.

"It was just that momentum and confidence that he could gain from his players, so it was just like 'no pressure, we're always going to find a way to win a game.' That was something I admired because I've been at a few clubs now in men's football and I've struggled to put a run of games together.

"It was something that I liked, and I thought, if I could be in a team where we're starting to put a few wins under our belt and build that momentum, it's going to be really exciting.

"It's obviously just about trying to get that first win after the break is a massive one."

City's next opportunity to secure those much-needed three points comes this weekend. The Robins travel to the bet365 Stadium on Saturday afternoon to face a Stoke City side who have enjoyed an exceptional start to the Championship campaign.

After 11 games, the Potters find themselves sixth in the table, 10 places and five points better off than City. Mark Robins' side have won six of their last eight games in all competitions and boast one of the division's better home records, having scored 10 goals in their first five matches on their own patch.

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City's form in BS3 is far less impressive, but that is unlikely to have much of an impact when the two sides face off on Saturday.

"At Ashton Gate, I don't think we've found the form we've been looking for, and it's been frustrating for us in the group, but also - I can imagine - for the fans," Ballard admits when asked about the weekend's fixture. "Luckily our away form has been pretty good, so we can go into it with quite a lot of confidence.

"They're a good side; they've brought a few really good players in, but so have we. We've got a really good team, and on our day, we can beat anyone."