Matty James says Anis Mehmeti has been the missing piece in the Bristol City puzzle but has challenged him with being more efficient with his end product.
In his second start for the club, the 22-year-old was largely unplayable at times out on the left against Trai Hume. The majority of attacks came down his side when the visitors threatened and was only denied by a brilliant Anthony Patterson save in the first half.
With the right-back struggling to deal with his pace and flair, Mehmeti cut inside and his effort was destined for the corner until Patterson tipped it onto the inside of the post. From the resulting corner, he crashed the side netting from close range in front of the City fans.
At the beginning of the second half, he breezed past two opponents on the touchline but his delivery flashed across goal without a City team-mate able to simply tap it into the net from close range. Sunderland quickly identified his threat and doubled up on him at times, which limited the impact he had on proceedings before his substitution with 20 minutes to play.
James, who was the standout player alongside Mehmeti, labelled his arrival as a "steal" and praised the impact he can have on games. He also highlighted areas of his game he can work on as he continues to develop with regular Championship football.
Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol after the game, James said: "He's a talented boy and I think everyone knew that when we got him. I think he's a bit of a steal.
"He's such a direct player and a tricky character that he can go left and right. For him now, it's zoning in on the directness and when he gets that half a chance, can he take that shot? Can he slip somebody in?
"The one thing he does for us that we haven't had for a long time is attract players. He receives the ball and sometimes two or three men go over to him which then opens another pass to somebody else.
"For us, he's that little maverick player that we've been after. He's been really good so far and he's really settled in. I'm pleased for him."
James has arguably been City's most consistent and in-form player during this run of 11 games unbeaten but it was another experienced player in Nahki Wells who salvaged a point from the penalty spot to end a wait of 469 days.
At the time, it appeared as though Wells and Mark Sykes were locked into a debate about who would take the penalty. However, James conceded it was a clever ploy to prevent Sunderland from playing mind games with the striker.
He added: "I think Sykesy took the ball just to make sure no one put the pressure on Nahki and he just slotted it away really well.
"Their keeper is three from three this season so it was a high-pressured penalty but he held his nerve at that stage of the game and it was a fantastic finish. I think most of the games now we are pushing and credit to the fans because I think they have been magnificent with the support they have given us over recent months.
"On Boxing Day it was a tough place Ashton Gate. We had to stick together and I think we're trying to repay that to the fans travelling up here today (Saturday)."
In the build-up to the game, both Nigel Pearson and Alex Scott waxed lyrical about James' levels of performance and his unsung hero status within the squad. The 31-year-old remained modest when it was put to him and responded: "I'm absolutely over the moon.
"I'm enjoying my football, I'm enjoying the winning mentality we've created. It has been frustrating for players and fans.
"Sometimes performances you come off and you deserve more. I think at the minute, from my point of view, there's something with this group of players that we've got now.
"We're together, we're in it, we're fighting till the end, we've scored a goal in injury time where last year we were conceding last year."
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