BRADLEY Orr dismisses out of hand talk of Bristol City suffering a crisis of confidence in their own backyard. Considered something of a fortress not so long ago, Ashton Gate has proved a far happier hunting ground for visiting teams this season.

So much so, that City have won only twice on their own patch, collecting a modest 10 points from eight Coca-Cola Championship games played on home soil.

That compares less than favourably with an away record which has seen the Robins bank an impressive tally of 14 points from an identical number of games on the road.

Forced to endure below-par performances against Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle (in the first half), season ticket holders of a more strident nature were persuaded to voice their concerns in the wake of the recent 4-1 drubbing meted out by Reading.

When certain elements within the media made open reference to a "crisis," it seems City's players took the criticism to heart.

Determined to put City's season into it's proper perspective, Orr insists such talk is wide of the mark and highlights recent results in support of his argument.

"I've read quite a few reports and come across the word 'crisis' a couple of times," reveals the popular right-back.

"It baffles me because, if you look at our recent form, you'll see we've won three games, drawn two and lost one. During that period, we've also kept five clean sheets.

"If that's a crisis, then I'd like to know what a good run is!

"By no means is there any crisis here. We were well beaten by Reading and we held our hands up and admitted as much. But we addressed that against Southampton.

"There are going to be times when you get beaten in this league and it was unfortunate that defeat came at home. It just so happened the nil-nil draw with Sheffield United was also at home.

"But our away form has been great and, by no means is there any crisis here."

There are mitigating circumstances, however. Six of the eight teams City have encountered on home soil are stationed in the top half of the Championship table, four are currently benefiting from lucrative television-funded parachute payments and three were plying their trade in the Premier League last season.

That said, this afternoon's renewal of hostilities with Nottingham Forest offers Orr and his teammates a timely opportunity to redress the balance and keep Ashton Gate regulars on side.

He acknowledged: "Our form away from home has been so good, it's helped us balance things up. But we want to give the home fans something to shout about and we can do that by taking three points against Forest."

City have struggled to break down opponents who have put men behind the ball, defended in depth and relied, almost exclusively, upon swiftly-launched counter-attacks at Ashton Gate this season.

Orr says it is incumbent upon City's players to prove they are good enough to overcome any tactic deployed by a visiting side.

He reasons: "Opposition managers are going to have us watched because we're a good team and they're going to set their teams up in whatever way they think necessary to win the game.

"If that means they're going to come here, get men behind the ball and play a counter-attacking game, then so be it.

"Whatever the formation and tactics used by the opposition, we have to be good enough as a team to combat it and play our own game.

"We like to play a passing game, but there will be times when that isn't needed and we have to play longer balls into the channels.

"No matter which way we play, it's all geared to getting three points and we accept the tactics laid down by the manager and buy into the philosophy."