JONATHAN REDHEAD City's hot-shot striker Robert Earnshaw moved into to double figures for the season after his excellent matchwinning strike against Sunderland on Saturday.

JONATHAN REDHEAD

City's hot-shot striker Robert Earnshaw moved into to double figures for the season after his excellent matchwinning strike against Sunderland on Saturday.

But the Welshman insisted after the match that he does not play the numbers game as far as goals are concerned - he's just looking for the next one.

Earnshaw's sweet right-footed drive, City's only shot on target, was the difference in a tight affair at Carrow Road, and keeps the former West Bromwich Albion and Cardiff man up among the division's top marksmen.

However, the fact he only had a solitary opportunity to score in the whole 90 minutes does not bother Earnshaw, providing he can score his next one.

“No, the only time I do think about it is when I want another one, but I never go into it,” the Welshman said when asked if he thinks about the number of goals he has scored and the number he will score this season. “I never think about it. I am waiting for the next chance and the next chance again.

“That is one thing I have been lucky about - if you have chance and miss it doesn't matter - the next one you put it in. Today was the only chance I had, I didn't have too may against Colchester either. I would rather have had more chances, but I will settle for the winning goal - that was nice.”

The front man admitted he was a bit of an outcast during the first half, as City played lots of high balls, but he became more involved in the second period as the home side changed tact.

“It's just the way we played,” he said. “In the second half we played it still high but away from the defenders so I can get on to it.

“If you aim straight at the defender he is going to get it. If you aim to the side of him, that is the type of ball I want and it worked better in the second half because we got a few half chances and we got going forward a little bit.

“That was the difference between the first half and the second half.”

Now Earnshaw is focusing on City's next game, a trip to The Hawthorns to face former club West Brom. But he believes city can win and kick-start their promotion push.

“Next week is a massive game for us. We want to beat West Brom now,” he said. “It's going to be tough. They are very good down there, they are very confident at home.

“But that's what we build on now. We won today, win next week, get up to 10th, ninth and then build again. If we win the next week you never know where we could be.”