IVAN Sproule insists Bristol City have no reason to fear Championship leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers.

City face arguably their toughest assignment so far this season when they take on Mick McCarthy's in-form side in their own Molineux backyard on Saturday.

Top of the table following a scintillating sequence of six straight league wins, the Midlanders have made no secret of their desire to achieve automatic promotion to the Premier League after narrowly missing out on the play-offs last season.

Wolves have not lost a league game since April 15 and amassed 19 points so far this season, scoring 21 goals, more than any other side in the country.

They are now just one victory away from achieving their best start since 1949-50, when Stan Cullis' side won seven and drew one of their first eight games.

Although City trail the leaders by seven points, they are unbeaten away from home in the Championship and announced their return to top form by trouncing Doncaster Rovers 4-1 last weekend.

And Sproule says he and his team-mates are unfazed by the prospect of taking on the league leaders in front of an anticipated full-house crowd in Saturday's 12.30pm kick-off.

"We have no need to be frightened of anyone in the Championship," declared Northern Ireland winger Sproule, who helped City reach the play-off final at Wembley last May.

"Molineux is a very tough place to go, but we went there last season and picked up a point. If I remember rightly, we gave them a real scare in the second half.

"They're the form team at the moment and they've not been beaten, but we have nothing to fear.

"If we have the right attitude and go there with the right game-plan, I'm sure we can come back with a positive result."

In the wake of last week's defeat to Birmingham, Sproule is adamant he and his teammates will not make the mistake of according Wolves too much respect.

He recalled: "We probably paid Birmingham too much respect in the first half and found ourselves chasing the game at 2-0 down.

"That defeat hurt us and we're determined not to make the same mistake again. If we'd gone at Birmingham in the first half like we did in the second, we could have come away with the points."

City responded in to their first defeat of the season in style, producing a scintillating second-half display to sweep aside Doncaster.

Sproule scored his first goal in his first Championship start of the season and is now looking to push on and cement his place in the starting eleven.

He said: "I've been feeling really sharp all season and was just waiting to get my chance. It was nice to score a goal, make another and be involved in a good team performance.

"Hopefully, I've done enough to keep my place for the game against Wolves."