Mark Sykes has rightly earned plenty of credit for the impact he has had on this Bristol City side in his debut campaign but he won't be celebrating his success as his focus immediately turns to next season.

Signed on a free transfer from Oxford United in the summer, the 25-year-old has proven to be one of the club's most astute purchases in Nigel Pearson's reign, quickly establishing himself as a first-team regular having made 42 appearances in all competitions.

Some players who make the step up in leagues need time to adapt to the increased physical demands and pace of the Championship but Sykes gave himself the best opportunity to succeed by settling quickly into life in Bristol with his young family.

His determination to thrive has been rewarded, having also proven his importance through his versatility. He played the majority of the first-half of the season as a right wing-back before juggling stints between an attacking right forward and right-back during the second half of the campaign.

Sykes' opening goal in the 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers was his sixth of the season having opened his account with a brace in the 4-2 victory over Birmingham City in January. It sparked a purple patch of five goals in six games after City's move to a back four allowed him to play higher up the pitch.

"The manager was just joking with me there and said he wants more goals next year and I was just saying 'yea we'll see if I play higher up the pitch all season', " he joked with BBC Radio Bristol on Monday.

"But I will play anywhere for this team. Obviously, I like playing further forward and that's where my goals are but I'll do a job."

Back in the New Year, Sykes spoke to Bristol Live about how he was studying Raheem Sterling's game at Manchester City after the England international scored 37 goals in all competitions under Pep Guardiola as a wide forward. It was about being in the right place at the right time by timing his runs toward the back post - just as he did on Monday to tap in Cam Pring's cross.

When asked if that was an area of his game he has worked on, Sykes responded: "It definitely is. We speak about it as well in the way that we try and get in that area and it's hard to miss. I'm sure they'll be a few misses throughout the season but it's easier to score and they all count for the same whether it's 30 yards or three yards so it was nice.

Mark Sykes celebrates the opening goal of the game
Mark Sykes celebrates the opening goal of the game

"It came across that hard and I thought Tommy was going to get there before me but I just threw my leg at it and thankfully it went in so another one of those goals where I'm in the width of the goal just a couple of yards out and as a winger, that's where we get most of our goals."

City finished the season four points ahead of last season's total, a +16 goal difference in comparison to last year, and 10 points closer to the play-offs. There have been plenty of signs of progress both on and off the field but Sykes won't be celebrating until that promotion to the top flight is secured.

He said: "I was speaking to someone before the game today and I don't want to celebrate this season. We've got a lot more to give as a team and as players as well so it's a decent season for us.

"I wasn't here last year and the lads were saying last year wasn't as good as this year so hopefully we can just continue to improve and hopefully we can be right up there. We have a lot of young lads who are looking to improve but it's also important to find that balance that we do have so hopefully it looks up for us. The lads will be another year older, another year of experience."

Sykes will now enjoy a well-deserved holiday but there is little time to rest and recuperate after breaking into the Republic of Ireland international setup this season. They have a four-day training camp being held at the Robins' High Performance Centre ahead of their Euro qualifiers against Greece and Gibraltar next month.

"I want to be in that picture and I've always said in interviews it's what I do at club level that gets me in there and I'm sure today (Monday) wouldn't have hindered me too much," Sykes added.

"Holiday for a week and then I'm back on the training ground on the 22nd. Ireland are training there for four days so I'm back in Bristol and back in the training ground for four days and then I might nip home for a while and see the family."

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