ELLIS Simms says he is determined to repay the faith shown in him by boss Mark Robins – by firing Coventry City to league and cup success.
The 23-year-old claimed his first career hat-trick on Monday night as the Sky Blues comfortably dispatched National League South side Maidstone United 5-0 to book their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Highly-rated Simms joined last season’s Championship play-off runners-up on a four-year deal from Everton in July, but has struggled for consistency in his first full season at the CBS Arena.
But after five goals in four games pre-weekend, Simms believes he has turned a corner – and he’s put it down to his mentor Robins, who knows a thing or two himself about scoring goals having starred in the top-flight for the likes of Manchester United, Norwich and Leicester.
“It is my first career hat-trick so hopefully I can build on that,” the former Sunderland loanee said. “It is nice to have a run of games, to build up confidence and momentum.
“It is great, the manager is putting his trust in me, to go up there and lead the line so I need to repay him, the fans and the whole squad. By putting a shift in and working hard, the rest will take care of itself.”
Robins, meanwhile, confirmed that Japanese star Tatsuhiro Sakamoto suffered a serious back injury in last Friday night’s 3-0 defeat by Preston, and will miss the rest of the season.
