Gary Johnson will warn his Bristol City players to beware the Crystal Palace backlash before sending them into action in what could a crucial Coca-Cola Championship clash at Selhurst Park tonight. Bristol City's manager acknowledges that relations between the two clubs have been strained for some time and there will be little love lost when they renew hostilities tonight. Games between the two sides have been mired in controversy in recent seasons, not least when Palace accused the Robins of over-celebrating David Noble's injury-time winner in the 2008 play-off semi-final. There was further rancour when Palace failed to pay the balance on the transfer fee which saw midfielder Nick Carle move from Bristol to Selhurst Park later that year, but relations plummeted to a new low in the wake of the infamous 'goal that never was' incident at Ashton Gate last August - Freddie Sears scoring for the visitors only to have his effort ruled out in highly contorversial circumstances. Palace went on to lose the game 1-0 and then-manager Neil Warnock lambasted referee Rob Shoebridge and, together with Eagles chairman Simon Jordan, suggested City's players had been guilty of unsporting behaviour. The south London club will be out for revenge tonight and Johnson has warned his players to expect a rough ride in the capital. City's manager said: "Because of what has gone on previously, it is always a massive battle when we play at Crystal Palace. We are going to have to be up for it and we are going to have to be prepared to fight for anything we get. The fact that Neil Warnock is no longer their manager may take a little bit of heat out of the situation, but not a lot."
Bristol Evening Post
Ivan Sproule, Paul Hartley and Stephen Henderson are all in contention for Bristol City's trip to Crystal Palace tonight. The Robins were thumped 5-2 by Doncaster Rovers at the weekend and manager Gary Johnson is ready to make wholesale changes. Danny Haynes' place in the side is under threat after he was taken off at half-time on Saturday but Johnson's options are limited due to a number of injury problems at Ashton Gate.
Clubcall
Crystal Palace boss Paul Hart will be without centre half Claude Davis for the clash with Bristol City as he starts a two match ban. Davis picked up his tenth booking of the season in the win over Sheffield United at the weekend so he will sit out the Eagles next two games. Hart will also be without Paddy McCarthy who has had a couple of screws removed following his shoulder surgery but should be back in action within three weeks.
Clubcall
Bristol City chairman Steve Lansdown has paid tribute to those supporters who have parted with their cash to demonstrate their continued loyalty to the club. More than 6,000 fans took advantage of special early-bird rates to renew their season tickets before last weekend's deadline. And Lansdown insists such a response offers incontrovertible proof that Bristol City FC are making progress despite recent difficulties on the pitch. Disappointed by their team's slide into the bottom half of the Championship table, some City fans, fearful that manager Gary Johnson's team might be relegated, have delayed buying season tickets for the 2010/11 campaign. Although sales are unlikely to match the record-breaking 2008/09 season, when more than 13,000 tickets were sold, Lansdown remains confident the club will again exceed the 10,000 mark. He said: "These early-bird figures are vindication that we are doing things the right way. It shows that the supporters are buying into what we are trying to achieve here. Things do not always run smoothly and there are fluctuations along the way. We have to keep our supporters happy and give them what they want and, to be fair, we have not given them a sparkling season. But if we manage to sell 10,000 season tickets, that will prove that Bristol is a football town and that people here are passionate about their local club."
Bristol Evening Post
Bristol City chairman Steve Lansdown says the club is now in a relegation battle following a season that has gone "from the sublime to the ridiculous". The Robins have slipped to 15th in the table, five points above the relegation zone, after taking just 12 points from a possible 42 since Christmas. Lansdown said: "It is a difficult time for us. We have three very tough away games - three relegation battles with teams that are trying to catch us."
BBC Sport
