Smith puts friendships to one side

The City midfielder will come face-to-face with former roomie Mark Little and ex-captain Aaron Wilbraham in BS3 this evening.

Little and Wilbraham were both members of the club’s 2014/15 double-winning squad, but the pair left Ashton Gate for the Macron Stadium this summer.

Previewing tonight’s clash, Smith told BCTV: “We had some great times with them. They helped us massively in the promotion campaign, getting us to where we are today.

“We’re still very good friends and meet up regularly. Whether we’ll talk much before the game, I’m not sure. Some people like to throw banter, we’ll see.

“I’m sure the fans will give them both a great reception and they deserve that.

“Of course, when you get on the pitch, it’s 11 versus 11 and we’ll be determined to win the game. That’s the most important thing.”