Gary Johnson can see no reason why Nicky Maynard should not still achieve the 20-goal landmark coveted by most strikers.

Signed from Crewe amid a media fanfare in the summer, the 22-year-old initially struggled to shoulder the onerous burden of a £2.25m price tag.

A meagre return of two goals in 12 starts caused him to be dropped in October and those City fans of a more impatient hue were prepared to question the wisdom of lavishing a club record fee on a player who had never previously operated higher than League One.

But Robins manager Johnson never doubted his investment and was quite prepared to give Maynard time to acclimatise to English football's second tier. His patience is now being rewarded.

Since regaining his place in the starting line-up in November, Maynard has contributed six goals in eight games and is already level with last season's top scorer, Darren Byfield, who ended up with eight before moving on to Doncaster Rovers.

And Johnson firmly believes there is more to come from his big-money signing after watching Maynard deliver victory against Crystal Palace at Ashton Gate.

"Nicky is coming good and maybe people will stop telling me I need to sign another striker," said Johnson, whose judgement was being questioned in some quarters until recently.

"It's been said we haven't had a goal-scoring striker for some time, but that's no longer the case.

"Nicky has scored eight already this season and, considering the number of games he has started, that's not a bad return. Who knows, maybe he could still go on to reach the 20-goal mark which is the target most strikers seem to set themselves these days."

On target after just 23 seconds in the 4-2 Boxing Day win at Watford, Maynard kept City fans waiting a little longer on this occasion – 63 seconds longer, to be precise.

Profiting from Stern John's neat flick, the pint-sized striker controlled the ball with his chest and turned in one movement before beating Palace keeper Julian Speroni all ends up with a superb drive which found the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

"They say strikers thrive on goals and that proved it," added a delighted Johnson. "Nicky has found the back of the net a few times now and he's playing with a lot more confidence as a result.

"He's getting into the game more and is prepared to try things rather than hiding away and waiting for something to happen.

"But it's not just about goals. Nicky has also worked very hard on the rest of his game and his workrate has improved no end. That's why he's now getting himself in positions where he can score goals."

Maynard's work ethic was matched by the rest of his teammates, who displayed a willingness to engage Palace at close quarters in the trenches. Renowned for their physical approach, the Eagles have earned a reputation as bullies under the stewardship of manager Neil Warnock.

In City, they found opponents who were prepared to stand up and be counted.

"You have to be prepared to battle with Palace for 90 minutes right until you reach the dressing rooms," said Johnson. "No one wanted to be a shrinking violet and we were strong from the first whistle.

"We stood up to them and that pleased me more than anything else in the game."

It was Palace's goal which came under heavy fire in the first half and, had Ivan Sproule's angled shot gone in instead of coming back off the post, City fans might have been more relaxed about what followed.

Although City created the better chances and more of them, Palace always remained dangerous while only a goal behind and Lee Hills came close to levelling matters when rattling the angle of post and bar shortly before half-time.

Former Robins midfielder Nick Carle posed a potent threat thereafter, twice forcing Adriano Basso into smart saves as the Eagles threw men forward in a quest to extend their eight-match unbeaten run.

This was only City's third home win in 13 games at Ashton Gate and the manner in which it was achieved suggests Johnson's men could yet have a say in the race for the play-offs.