His good form has seen Vipotnik nominated for the English Football League Championship Player of the Season award – which will be announced on Sunday, 19 April – with Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney, Coventry City goalkeeper Carl Rushworth and Millwall wide-attacker Femi Azeez the other players in the running.
“I’m really happy, that individual prize says a lot about a player, about a season, and it’s always good that the player can have a reward about something,” Matos added.
“Then it’s about how we can, as a team, keep improving, because when you improve as a team, 100% you improve as an individual and the other way as well.
“It’s about taking the best out of them, and I think that’s what we’re doing with Zan… with Zan, there was a lot (of improvement), I think there’s still a lot to come.
“We were speaking about the amount of time we as a club relied on him for a period of time when Adam (Idah) got injured and now he coped, keeping the intensity, always available.
“Of course we needed to manage them in a few games, which we did by using Liam (Cullen) and Mel (Melker Widell) in that position as well.
“But the consistency he (Vipotnik) showed just as well on the finishing, on the pressing – controlling the press and starting the press – in some games we needed to use him as a support to build and to find the third man combination to get higher. He offered that as well.
“So he’s been important for us, that’s clear, and I’m really happy with the progress. He improved inside of the box, how to move, he’s finding his spots quite easier and much more spontaneous as well, and I think it’s really a joy to watch him at the moment.”