City are proving everyone wrong

GARY Johnson has revealed the secret behind Bristol City's impressive start to the Championship campaign.

City produced a feisty display full of character and defiance when holding Severnside rivals Cardiff to a goalless draw in a full-blooded Anglo-Welsh derby at Ninian Park on Saturday to extend their unbeaten record to five games.

And Robins' manager Johnson says his team's form stems from a burning desire to prove they are no one-season wonders.

Play-off finalists in May, City were widely expected to struggle second time around. But their results so far this season are threatening to leave pundits and bookies alike with egg on their faces.

Johnson said: "We've been written off again and called one-season wonders and we're hoping not to be. We talked about it in pre-season and decided to prove those people who call us one-season wonders wrong.

"It's something we use as an extra motivational tool and it's definitely an incentive to do well.

"The only place you can prove it is out on the pitch and it's only five games. But we've taken nine points from those five games and, in the Championship, that's quite a good start."

City have yet to concede a goal in three away games this term and Johnson reasoned: "You have to be hard to beat in this division.

"There are some very good players in the Championship and you have to learn to concentrate all the time. Defenders have to be on form and both sets of defenders won the day on this occasion.

"They were throwing their bodies in the way of things and putting their heads in where it hurt. It's good that teams have to work very hard to score against us.

"It would be nice to win 5-0 every week, but that doesn't happen in the Championship."

City had the better of the second-half exchanges at Ninian Park, but Johnson had no complaints with the outcome, admitting: "A draw was the right result.

"I thought we were a lot better in the second half and we created some good chances ourselves. Both sides tried to win it and I thought it was a good spectacle.

City face another big challenge when they take on promotion favourites Birmingham at Ashton Gate tomorrow night (7.45pm).

But they may have to do so without the services of Brian Wilson. The midfielder limped off midway through the first half at Ninian Park suffering from sore shins and has little time in which to recover.

Gavin Williams replaced Wilson on Saturday and is in line to start tomorrow should the Mancunian fail a fitness test.