LEE Angol has admitted he cannot complain about how well looked after he has been at City, and he is hopeful he can repay them with a fully-fit season.

The striker has seen his career plagued by injuries, and sadly the 2021/22 campaign, his first at Valley Parade, was no different.

After a bright start to his City career, he tore a hamstring in August in the win over Stevenage, before returning to action in early November.

Another hamstring injury in January in the goalless draw with Rochdale looked to have ended his season.

But he persevered, and played a part in all of City’s last six games, starting the last three, which were all wins, against Scunthorpe, Sutton and Carlisle.

Despite only managing 18 league games, he still bagged six goals, with another in the FA Cup topping his total up to seven.

And though he featured in less than half of Mark Hughes’ 13 games in charge, Angol showed enough to the former Blackburn boss for him to be kept on beyond the end of the season.

And Angol appreciates the faith and time the club have invested in him, saying: "The way they’ve been with me, everything’s been good. I’ve no complaints about that.

"I don’t know about the higher leagues, the Championship and above, because I’ve never been up there.

"But to have a care package for me does feel like a real positive. You don’t really get that at this level, especially at the teams I’ve been at before.

"It makes me feel a lot more comfortable knowing that I’m being looked after and it gives me confidence to trust what’s going on.

"I have to be able to believe then that I will last the whole year.

"My aim is to last from the start to the end with no injuries.

"If that does happen, with the belief I have in myself, I think it will be a good year."

Given he featured in less than half of City's games last term, it is not surprising that Angol was less keen for a summer break than some of his team-mates.

He admitted: "It depends how you want to look at it because I had breaks twice in the season through injuries.

"I didn’t really want a break – well I did, but I didn’t. I don’t really know.

"It feels weird (being off) but I’m going along with it because I have to when the season’s finished.

"Hopefully next season though, we’ll be talking about promotion at this time of year."

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Lee Angol on the turf after suffering a nasty hamstring injury in the game at Rochdale in January.Lee Angol on the turf after suffering a nasty hamstring injury in the game at Rochdale in January.

As for how his break looked, Angol said: "I’ve had that structure from sports scientists, so I can be ready for pre-season.

"It is good to have a little bit of time to relax and get away from football.

"I wasn't in the same condition as most players who had played the whole season, so I didn’t feel that shattered.

"Mentally I was tired but physically I wasn’t too bad."

And that means Angol, who is due to become a father again soon, should be raring to go on Thursday when pre-season training starts, with a point to prove.

He said: "It’s great not having to worry about where I’m going to be

"It’s another chance to get up and going after the way my career has gone.

"I know I’ve got a lot to prove. I’ve got to prove it to people and to myself.

"I don’t have to be seen as an injury-prone player. But at the same time I don’t see it as a lot of pressure because I stay focused on the important things."

And one of those important things is stepping up in the big moments, with Angol happy to reflect on when he did just that last season.

Talking about his personal highlights, he said: "The first home game (against Oldham) when I scored two was the best one.

"The way my season went, it was more about moments, like the Port Vale header (in November) for example, because I never really score headers.

"Sutton at home was good too, as the team performance level, when we had 10 men for the majority of the game, was superb and we managed to bring it back for a draw."

Angol netted in that aforementioned game, and talking about his favourite currency, he said: "All the goals I’ve scored have been different, and it gives you a wider variety.

"I don’t really score headers, like that one against Port Vale, so it does create a new area in my mind.

"I scored a goal against Exeter in the FA Cup where I brought it down on my chest, then hit it with my left foot in off the post, so that was a nice one too."

Hughes knows he has to be careful with goal-hungry Angol next season though, and the City boss said: "It’s about managing the individual. It’s not one size fits all.

"We don’t want to make everybody train in the same way with the same intensity, certainly not if they are coming back from significant injuries. That’s not the way to do it.

"I protected Lee up to certain point last season because he wanted more game time, like Abo Eisa."