Jamie: My Bristol City winner was for Grandad

BRISTOL City matchwinner Jamie McCombe dedicated his first goal of the season to the memory of his grandfather.

Giant centre-back McCombe displayed immense courage, bouncing back from injury and personal tragedy to net the only goal in Saturday's Coca-Cola Championship clash with Norwich City at Ashton Gate.

And the 6ft 5in Yorkshireman, making his first senior appearance since suffering a depressed fracture of the cheekbone on August 16, paid tribute to his grandfather, David, who passed away a few days into the new season.

"Before he died, he told me to keep playing and to make him proud," revealed McCombe, whose 75th-minute volley sealed City's first win in four games.

"Losing him was a massive wrench. He loved his football and would travel all over the country from his home in Doncaster to watch me and my brother.

"If he'd been here to see me score, I think he would have been smiling. That goal was for him as well as the team."

Recalled to the starting line-up in place of injured skipper Louis Carey, McCombe is now determined to put the bad times behind him.

"This feels like a new start, a fresh beginning," confided the defender, who suffered further anguish when his girlfriend's father died in August.

Forced to sit at home and rest for weeks after undergoing surgery to have a metal plate inserted in his right cheekbone, McCombe is just pleased to be playing again.

He said: "It feels like an eternity since I played a first-team game at Ashton Gate. It's good to be back and, hopefully, I can kick on from here and put what has happened behind me.

"It was horrible sitting at home not being able to do anything while the other lads played. Watching the Olympic Games on television helped relieve the boredom and keep my mind off other things.

"It was a difficult time, because I had to remain upright in bed at night. It didn't really matter that I couldn't sleep, there was nothing to get up for!

"The last couple of months have definitely been the most difficult of my career."

McCombe's goal came 15 minutes from the end, secured only City's second win in nine games and lifted Gary Johnson's team up to eighth in the Championship table ahead of tomorrow's trip to Charlton Athletic.

City's manager made no attempt to play down the significance of a result which will help restore lost confidence and bring worried supporters back on side.

He said: "This is a very important win for us. We identified the last match against Sheffield United as a key game and, because we lost that one, this one also also became a key game.

"Had we lost, we would have dropped to 18th in the table. But we won it and are now only one point off the play-off positions.

"That's how tight things are in the Championship. It's so important to try and keep ourselves there or thereabouts during this early stage of the season and this result was massive for us.

"It means we can go to Charlton in good heart rather than worrying about where the next win is coming from."

City skipper Carey (swollen toe) and midfielder David Noble (groin strain) missed Saturday's game through injury and face late fitness tests ahead of tomorrow night's outing at The Valley.

But Bristol City right-back Bradley Orr will definitely miss Saturday's trip to Barnsley after collecting his fifth yellow card of the season.