Bristol City v Pompey – Clean Sheets

I’m down for this evening’s mid-table thriller between the Robins and ever-improving Portsmouth.

Steve Cotterill’s side are unbeaten in seven and have won the last six games. They sit eleventh in the table at the moment on fifty points, six points and four places above City.

Pompey's run has seen them equal the club record of consecutie clean sheets and so another tonight will see them set new standards and Cotterill said:

"We love it people are talking about clean sheets. We want people to carry on talking about it. It means we are doing well. It’s nice to be talking about that.’

It’s not a do-or-die game but you have to be careful sometimes not to build a game up into something it’s not. It would be nice to keep the run going and nice to get some more points on the board but it will be no more than that. If we were to win, we get another three points as opposed to breaking records."

Dave Nugent seems to have re-found the form in front of goal that had him knocking on the England team door several years ago and has scored ten times this season while co-strikers Liam Lawrence and Dave Kitson have weighed in with seven each. But other players are chipping in with goals of their own and so the home side should be on their guard.

Of course the other thing to consider is that they are not out of the play-off running either – certainly not on current form.

It’s good to see the Pompey fans finally have something to smile about. Following their FA Cup win back in 2008, they have suffered relegation from the top flight, gone into administration, run up debts of £135 million and have chopped and changed owners and directors more than most of us change our underwear.

City have even more to do if they are to make the play-offs, but who knows? Now that they have Nicky Maynard back, they have someone who they know they can count on to score goals, but have they left it too late? Probably.

The Robins's problems all stem from Steve Coppell's shock resignation at te end of last season and it will be interesting to see how Keith Millen copes with a summer of transfer activity behind him. I suspect he'll do quite well and - having steadied the ship - deserves a chance to launch a proper attack on the Prem.

But, if reports of interest from Merseyside in Maynard are to be believed, Millen might struggle to hold on to his striker. He said:

"There is always speculation and you cannot do anything about that, but I'm surprised to have to answer so many questions about this at this stage of the season. It does not worry me, because I know there is nothing in it. In fact, I see it as a compliment. I want people to be talking about my players, because that means they are doing something right.

We have not heard anything from Everton, Liverpool or any other club and, as far as I'm concerned, this is just newspaper talk. Sometimes agents put things out there and sometimes it's just gossip. He scored 21 goals last year and no-one came knocking on our door. I'm hoping it will be the same this summer, because we certainly don't want to lose him."

And looking ahead to the clash tonight, he said:

"Portsmouth are on a fantastic run and they will be full of confidence. I'm sure, given the position they are in, they will feel they have nothing to lose and will go for the win. I expect them to be attack-minded, not like some of the sides that have come to Ashton Gate this season and put 10 men behind the ball. Pompey have some very talented individuals playing within a solid framework and it will be to our advantage if they come and have a go at us."

I get the feeling that the fans at Ashton Gate are ready to give Millen the time to get things right and a glance across the City at the farce taking place at the Memorial Ground, shows that things can really get worse.

Rovers chief Dave Penney was sacked yesterday after only fifty odd days in charge and the board have now appointed skipper Stuart Campbell.

You have to ask what the Gas directors are up to. They sacked Paul Trollope without having anyone lined up to replace him. Asked Darren Patterson to take over for a few games before appointing Penney and now they've paniced already with only tweleve games to go.

Campbell will have the dressing room with him, but it remains to be see whether he is given the time Millen has been given to steer them to safety. I hope so as he is one of the games good guys, but the board's track record suggests otherwise.