Nahki Wells Reaches 20-goal Mark After Hitting Brace

LONDON – Bermudian striker Nahki Wells took his season tally to 20 goals on Saturday after bagging a brace that lifted Bristol City to an emphatic 3-1 away victory over Middlebrough at the Riverside Stadium and kept alive their slim English Championship play-off hopes.

Wells, 30, opened the scoring with a sixth-minute gem, curling the ball into the net from outside the box via a post, after being found by Andreas Weimann, who provided the assist for all three of his side’s goals.

Wells put the icing on the cake, stabbing home from close range in the 79th minute after a Jamie Paterson rocket had given the visitors a 2-0 interval lead.

Britt Assombalanga scored a late consolation goal for the hosts, who have not won at the Riverside in 2020 and remain in a scrap to avoid relegation following a third successive home defeat.

The win – the second for City’s caretaker boss Dean Holden following the sacking last week of head coach Lee Johnson – left the Robins in 11th place but only three points out of the play-offs with three games remaining.

Wells has now scored five goals for City to add to the 15 he netted earlier in the season while on loan at Championship rivals Queens Park Rangers before being sold by Burnley, his former Premier League parent club, for £4 million (US$5 million) to City in the January transfer window.

Said Holden afterwards: “I enjoyed the performance, the boys have gone out in the last couple of games and the pressure has been lifted really.

“We scored three fantastic goals. All in all, I don’t know how many chances we created, but we created enough to warrant the victory.”

Before kick-off tributes were paid to Jack Charlton, the former World Cup-winning England defender, who has died aged 85.

Charlton led Middlesbrough to top-flight promotion in his first managerial job 46 years ago.

CMC