Gary Johnson insists his entire Bristol City squad will be needed for their upcoming, hectic spell of games.

The big freeze in January has left City facing 12 games in 47 days between Tuesday – when they visit Watford – and the trip to Peterborough on March 27.

At present the manager has 23 players to chose from, while there are nine others who are out on loan elsewhere.

Johnson has seen his son Lee benefit from seven games for Derby County during a month's loan.

He is now back at Ashton Gate and was expected to be in the 18-man squad for today's home game with Coventry City.

Johnson snr said: "Lee got six 90-minute games and one 45 minutes, when he was ill.

"He has come back and looked sharp and if needed we know he is ready to come in and play a role.

"I think we have got five games now in two weeks and we are probably going to be needing all of our squad match-sharp."

Midfielder Gavin Williams has hardly featured since scoring a last minute FA Cup equaliser against Cardiff last month.

Johnson says the Welshman could be the next to go out on loan when emergency transfers are permitted again on Monday.

"Maybe someone like Gavin Williams needs to go out and get a month's worth of football so that when required he is ready," he said.

City's strength in depth was demonstrated when they won a reserve game at Exeter by nine goals to one on Tuesday.

The totesport.com Combination is clearly not a great standard of football, but Johnson was happy with his squad's attitude.

"People who have been our fringe players the last couple of weeks are up for it and when you have a whole squad who are up for it you can play around with the starting eleven," he said.

One player not likely to feature for another month is utility player Brian Wilson.

The former Cheltenham man cracked a shin in October and looks unlikely to feature until March.

"He is still not training with the team," said Johnson. "It will really take him a long time to get his match-fitness.

"He is over the injury and the time we know he is back is when he is training with the first-team.

"As for reserve games, I think it will be another month before we look at anything like that."

Wilson should play again before the end of the season and, although that is only three months away, Johnson insists much can still happen in the ultra-competitive Championship.

"Every team from fourth to 18th are mid-table," he said. "There are so few points between us. You have to try to get two or three wins on the trot.

"There is a long way to go. Even Crystal Palace with their ten-point deduction will still believe they can make the play-offs.

"Every team you hear about has only won one or two in 10 or 12 and you think: 'Who is winning all these blinking games?'

"There are a few top teams in good form and everything else is draws. Our league has the most draws in any league in the world at the moment. That is how competitive it is."