Ex-Aston Villa and Chelsea striker is inspiring Bristol City star to success

Tommy Conway has used Tammy Abraham as an inspiration to continue his good form at Bristol City.

The 20-year-old is the man of the moment around Ashton Gate after his hot streak in August, which returned six goals in nine matches.

Conway, an academy graduate who recently signed a new contract with the Robins, has taken on a more prominent role in the side as of late and has repaid the faith paid in him by Nigel Pearson.

As a result of his good form, he was named the Player of the Month across the three divisions of the English Football League.

He follows in the footsteps of former Tottenham Hotspur defender Steven Caulker and AS Roma striker Abraham, to have won the award when at City.

“As a player, it’s something you want to be recognised for,” he said to the EFL’s club website after winning the award.

“It’s nice to get these awards. For me, on a personal note, it’s been good. As a team, we’ve come a long way in August, and I’d say it’s the team as a whole that have helped me to get this award.

“Tammy Abraham has gone on to do unbelievable things. If I can do half the things he’s done, I’d class that as successful. I’m just happy to pick up this award and hopefully I can build on this for the rest of the season.”

Abraham had a successful spell in the West Country, sweeping up three personal accolades during his time on loan in the 2016/17 season.

The 24-year-old scored 26 goals in 48 appearances across all competitions, despite a lowly finish of 17th under Lee Johnson in his first full season.

Abraham went on to play in the Premier League for Swansea City, as well as replicating his form at City at Aston Villa, helping them to promotion in 2019.

He was given an opportunity at Chelsea and he scored 18 goals in 47 games which was a respectable return and then a year later he won the UEFA Champions League under the watch of Thomas Tuchel.

As for Conway, he still has some way to achieve what Abraham did, but it is clear the recent Europa Conference League winner is still an inspiration to those in the West Country.

Conway’s form has him amongst the top scorers in the Championship with four, tied with Bermuda international striker Nahki Wells.

This has led to his friends outside of football praising him highly with the youngster well in the discussions about the golden boot race.

He is also living the dream of many Bristolians, having netted twice in the month of August, including a strike against Severnside rivals Cardiff City, which is a reward for his hard work and patience during his academy days.

Conway said: “I’ve got my friends sending me screenshots of the top goal-scorers In the Championship and circling my name.

“When I see my name up there, it doesn’t seem real. I’m equally buzzing to be up there, but I want to be up there for the whole season if I can.

“I can’t really get my head around it. It’ll sink in one day, I reckon.

He added: “This season, I’ve played a part in every game we’ve played so far. If someone had told me at the beginning of the season that I’d get to the start of September with those figures, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.

“I was honest with myself and I knew that I probably wouldn’t be in the starting 11, so that was my aim at the start of the year, just to get in the team as quick as possible.

“That’s helped me to stay grounded, knowing that I’ve got to work hard for everything that I get. “I’m just trying to take it day by day to get better and better. I’d say it’s quite surreal how everything’s happened like that in the space of a year or two. We’ll have a good push. It’s exciting to be at Bristol City at this stage.”

Putting the cherry on top of the cake for Conway, he was recognised for his goal scoring streak by getting called up for international duty last week.

Born in England, the forward qualifies for the Scotland Under-21 national team through his grandfather, though an appearance for them wouldn’t limit him to one country.

Scot Gemmill, the manager was well aware of his form and Conway will be afforded the opportunity of playing for a country that he holds close to his heart.

The Scots have a doubleheader against Northern Ireland both in Belfast and in Paisley, which will be played next week, which could act as a perfect opportunity to showcase to others his ability.

Describing his delight over his call-up, he said: “I’m really proud for me and my family. My grandad is Scottish, so he’d be really proud of me.

“I’m really looking forward to going away with Scotland and seeing what it’s like. I’ve never been called up for any international team before.”