Bristol City boss Gary Johnson has warned his players he is not afraid to change a winning team, writes Andy Stockhausen.

The Robins may have beaten West Country rivals Plymouth Argyle 3-1 in midweek, but the manager insists he will make changes for tomorrow's Championship showdown with Barnsley at Oakwell if he believes it is in the best interests of the club.

Since taking over at Ashton Gate in September 2005, Johnson has nearly always remained loyal to a winning team. But his latest statement of intent represents a clear departure from that policy and reflects the strength of City's squad in the wake of a summer spending spree.

Seldom has competition for first-team places been fiercer and Johnson warned: "Just because we won the last game, doesn't mean it will be an unchanged side for the next one.

"I thought some of those lads I left out against Plymouth did alright against Peterborough. They were not the reason we only drew the game.

"If I feel people need to be dropped or rested, then that's what I'll do. We have a strong squad and we can change things if we want to. I did it for Plymouth and I might do it against Barnsley.

"We have a strong bench this season and, if I'm not happy with the way things are going after 10 or 15 minutes, the lads know I won't hesitate to change things."

Louis Carey, Marvin Elliott and Lee Johnson all played last Saturday, only to be benched for the Plymouth game four days later.

Johnson explained: "We don't want to flog the backside off people, we want to give them every opportunity to give their best and their most athletic performance. They'll be able to do that if they're not having to play Saturday, Tuesday and again on Saturday.

"So long as the whole squad knows why you are doing it, I don't think there is a problem."

The arrival of Paul Hartley, Dean Gerken, Danny Haynes, David Clarkson, Lewin Nyatanga, Evander Sno and Alvaro Saborio has significantly increased the manager's options and Johnson made three different tactical changes and used all his substitutes to good effect to secure victory over Plymouth.

He said: "This is the first time in my career I've had the luxury of being able to change a side in this way.

"It's easy for me to do it because we have a strong squad and every player in this group is earning a living rather than nicking a living. They are all desperate to play because they love playing football.

"I have to make sure they are all happy in their work and, to do that, I'm going to have to make sure they all feel involved in the first team games. Before, I've had players who weren't really bothered if they weren't playing. We've moved them out."

Given the depth of the current squad, the various choices at his disposal and the fact that City have played just 13 Championship games to date, Johnson admits he is still unsure of his strongest line-up.

He explained: "At this stage of the season, you are not going to know your best team. Your best team is the eleven on the day that is winning a game.

"You can't say we'll be better with the two or three he's left out or the two or three who are available after injury, because it doesn't work like that.

"People are only guessing now and we won't know until after 46 games. Every time we lose a game, people blame me because I'm the only one who can put my ideas into practice. When we win, I've done well.

"All I can do is be honest about it, discuss things fully with my staff and then discuss it with the players and pick a team accordingly.

"I have my ideas and so do the people sitting in the stands. They all have their own favourites. But the difference is that I will stand or fall by the decisions I make.

Some you win, some you lose, but if you win more than you lose, then you are going to be there or thereabouts. At the moment, we are there or thereabouts."

Barnsley may be too near to the relegation zone for comfort, but Johnson expects a tough game against a side which has improved since Mark Robins took over as manager last month.

He warned: "Barnsley will be difficult opponents. They always seem to be in lower in the table than they should be given the quality of their squad.

"Mark Robins has come in and done a good job so far and we won't be fooled by their position in the Championship. Plymouth and Peterborough were in the bottom three when we played them and both gave us tough games."

With the exception of long-term casualties Liam Fontaine and Brian Wilson, Johnson again has a full complement from which to select.

City (from): Gerken, Orr, Carey, McCombe, Nyatanga, McAllister, Hartley, Skuse, Sno, Johnson, Elliott, Williams, Sproule, Haynes, Maynard, Saborio, Clarkson, Akinde, Basso.