Bristol City v Sheffield Wednesday - My Cup

City are still in the bottom half of the Championship table, but Wednesday should be wary. In my view it's a false position going on the performances I've seen and they are in the middle of a little purple patch at the moment.

Last weekend saw the Robins take a point from promotion favourites QPR in west London and in the previous fixture they trashed another hotly fancied club, in Cardiff, by three goals.

Manager Keith Millen is certainly up for the Cup and said: "It`s a massive game for us, I think it`s our biggest game of the season. We want a cup run because for the finances of the club it can be a massive boost, but the supporters deserve an exciting cup run too."

But the Christmas fixtures took their toll on Millen;'s squad with several players picking up injuries and knocks and he said: "I gave the players two days off because they needed it on the back of their recent exerts," said Millen. "A few have been feeling knocks and strains but hopefully the time off will see those ease. It's also important to maintain the momentum we have built up over the last couple of games. We have another home game against Middlesbrough next week and I don't want the lads to let things slip. We have back-to-back games at Ashton Gate and, if we can win both, then we will be heading in the right direction.


We'll make sure the players are all fully focussed and I'll put out the strongest possible team available to me. We'll have to wait and see who those players are but, hopefully, we'll have a few more available than over the last couple of weeks."

Wednesday currently occupy the final play off spot in League One, but are only four points off the second automatic promotion place. However they have lost three of their last four games and shipped ten goals in the last four. The only positive result they have had in this time was a 6-2 drubbing of Bristol Rovers.

I watched the Owls once this season in their away defeat at the County Ground where goals from Charlie Austin and former player Jon-Paul McGovern settled things and have to say that they were unlucky to head back to Yorkshire with nothing to show for their efforts.

Wednesday today signed defender Michael Morrison, 22,  from Leicester for an undisclosed fee on a three-and-a-half year deal and he is the second player to arrive during the transfer window after Reda Johnson.

Morrison will go straight into the Owls' squad for their FA Cup clash at Bristol City - as will Johnson - and manager Alan Irvine said: "He's a player I've known for a long time. He's a good age at 22 and has a lot of experience for a young player. Michael has played mainly as a centre-back but also at right-back. He's a good defender, who attacks the ball well, he's aggressive and mobile and a player who has excellent all-round potential."

Irvine seems to be doing a decent job at Hillsborough and I suspect that - while they would love a money spinning Cup run - promotion back to the Championship is all that really matters.

Irvine is highly respected within the game and a thoroughly decent guy as well and I'm sure that he will be bringing Wednesday back to Ashton Gate again next seasn fo a league tussle.

On this occasion though I think that the Robins will see the Owls off and progress into the next round. The feelgood factor is growing in the red half of Bristol and, while it would be unfair on the Yorkshire boys to say City want it more, they have a chance take a little glory from the season (promotion to the Premier League being unlikely) with a decent Cup run and some luctrative draws in future rounds. It'll be tight though and if I'm wrong (as I often am) it won't be viewed as a giant killing.