Bristol fashion City’s winning sequence

1-0 v Rotherham (h)

2-0 v Stoke (a)

1-0 v Huddersfield (h, FA Cup)

2-1 v Bolton (h)

1-0 v Nottm Forest (a) 2-1 v Bolton (h, FA Cup)

2-0 v Swansea (h)

1-0 v Blackburn (a)

2-1 v Queens Park Rangers (h)

beating Watford, Crystal Palace, Stoke City and Manchester United before falling to Manchester City, the eventual winners, losing 5-3 on aggregate.

“That feeling of winning when you’re the underdog is special and the bigger the distance, in terms of the opposition you’re playing, to you, obviously the more euphoric the feeling,” Johnson says. “When we beat Manchester United, that was clearly a great underdog story. I wouldn’t put this in the same category as that one, yet.

“But, in saying that, it feels like the build-up to that type of moment could come again because we’re in form. Of course, football is a strange beast and an unbelievable goal from long range or a poor decision from the referee could completely alter the course of it.”

This wariness of the unpredictable nature of the FA Cup is clear in Johnson superstitiously tapping his head and the table when he mentions his side’s overflowing list of fit players. Though a handful of Premier League match-ups in the fourth round opened up the competition somewhat, Johnson is not about to jinx anything.

“A lot of the big boys are out of the tournament, and I think there will be a Championship side that makes it to the semi-finals – I’m sure,” he says. “But we know very well in football that the minute you start believing your own hype, that can come back to haunt you very quickly.”