PAST results are no guarantee of future performance but Bristol City are on a high and, instead of a distraction from the league, their Carling Cup tie against Crewe tonight represents an opportunity to enjoy themselves some more.
At the front of the queue will be record signing Nicky Maynard, who returns to the club which schooled him in the art of scoring.
Whether he would celebrate a goal at his old ground remains to be seen but City fans can rest assured he won’t be doing his old team-mates any favours.
He said: “I couldn’t have asked for a better tie, especially going back so soon, but hopefully I’ll come out a winner.
“I was obviously going to go back there sooner or later. I’ve never been away from Crewe so whatever happens on the night we’ll just see what my emotions are like. Celebrations depend on the state of the game.”
The 21-year-old is not the only former Crewe trainee in City’s squad. Dele Adebola, 13 years his senior, also began his career with the Railwaymen.
He said: “It’s been a long time since I played for them but you still go back there with fond memories. It’s an interesting tie for me.
“They’ve got a lot of the same coaching staff from when I was there, and Dario (Gradi) of course.”
The 33-year-old rose to the occasion on his return to another old club, Coventry City, on Saturday and is likely to be rested tonight.
But he stressed the importance of maintaining City’s unbeaten run. “You want to win as many games as you can, no matter what side the manager puts out,” he said.
“It’s about winning games. If you’re losing games, even if they’re not as important, you can get into a little rut and you don’t want that at this stage of the season. If you’re winning or not getting beat you want to keep it going in all competitions.”
Crewe upset Championship side Barnsley 2-0 in the first round, although their victory was reliant on two strikes from the penalty spot, and in 2006 they took a third round tie against Manchester United to extra time at the Alexandra Stadium.
Adebola said: “It’s sometimes the League One sides that provide the sterner opposition, as they are very big games for them. It’s a test for them against higher-league opposition and you usually find it’s the Championship sides who rest players.
“I’m sure (Nicky) will enjoy it regardless. I’m sure they will give him a good reception. If he can get a goal or two and not celebrate then it will be a good day for him.”
Maynard was in buoyant mood after City’s 3-0 demolition of Coventry at the Ricoh Arena and, if a result can be reached against Crewe, he believes the club’s early-season form could ensure City are this season’s giant killers in the third round. He has already had a taste of such an opportunity. He was part of the 2006 side which almost upset the Premiership Champions.
He said: “The dressing room’s buzzing and we reckon we could beat anyone on our day, whether it be a higher Championship or a lower Premiership team. Hopefully we can continue this form.
“He was main striker when I was at Crewe academy. Obviously I looked up to him while I was there. Hopefully we can show what we learnt off them and use it against them.”
No comments:
Post a Comment