Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Morale is high at the club, insists City coach
DEAN Holden has highlighted the positive feeling in the Bristol City camp ahead of their home clash with Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow afternoon.
Ahead of the Championship encounter at Ashton Gate, City’s assistant head coach insisted morale within the club was high despite a four-game winless run that has seen the Robins drop back into mid-table in recent weeks.
“The Sheffield Wednesday game will be our third match in ten days, so we have to be smart in our preparation,” Holden told the official club website. “There’s not much training time between games, so it’s been a lot of time in the classroom, so to speak, watching clips and despite not having won for four games, the mood and morale is good.
“We ended the Rotherham United game (0-0) on a real positive. We took the game to them in the last 30 minutes and we should have won the game based on the chances we created. Confidence is good and we’re fully prepped to go for Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday.”
Last year, City ran out 4-0 winners in BS3. The focus then shifts to rest and recovery for those not travelling with their national squads.
Holden continued: “We think it will be a great game, with another big crowd supporting us.
“We know what’s in front of us and we want to go into the international break on a real high. Home form is massive in any season and the fans have got behind us in every game, home or away, and we want to put on a show for them, which ultimately ends in us having the three points.
“We concentrate on the process, on our performance levels and the more chance of getting that right, the more chance you have of getting the three points at the end of it. To go into the break with three points will be a real boost for everyone.”
Wednesday’s Adam Reach is sure the Owls have learned lessons from their miserable Bristol experience last season.
“It wasn’t a nice day,” admitted Reach. “That was a point where we were in a transitional phase.
“Jos (Luhukay, manager) had come in and we were still trying to find our feet under him.
“We will go there full of confidence trying to bring three points home.”
Taunton will look to bounce back after their 4-1 loss to Metropolitan Police when they play at home to Frome in a rearranged Southern Premier League South match today.
With an FA Cup third qualifying tie coming up, Taunton’s caretaker manager Rob Dray said: “We need a positive result against Frome as no-one wants two losses going into an important cup tie.
“It won’t be easy because Frome are battle-hardened at this level, whereas we’re only eight games in.”