Cardiff striker Jay Bothroyd insists any abuse he receives from the Coventry fans on Tuesday will only spur him on.
Striker looking to prove any Coventry boo-boys wrong
Cardiff striker Jay Bothroyd insists any abuse he receives from the Coventry fans on Tuesday will only spur him on.
Bothroyd, who was recently touted for an England call-up by Bluebirds boss Dave Jones, began his senior career with three years at the Ricoh Arena.
However the 28-year-old, who scored the opener in Saturday's 3-2 win over Bristol City, acknowledges it was not until he arrived at Cardiff in 2008, after racking up five clubs in five seasons, that he was able to live up to his potential.
Clash
The Welsh side visit the Sky Blues on Tuesday evening in a clash which could see Bothroyd play alongside Craig Bellamy, nine years after the duo led the line for Coventry.
And Bothroyd says they will both be looking to silence any Coventry boo-boys with solid displays.
"I always get stick when I go back to Coventry, and that's fine," Bothroyd told
Cardiff City Player.
"I'm sure Craig will be the same, it won't bother him.
"We're just going to go there, we want to play football and win the game for Cardiff. If anything, it makes me want to prove them wrong and do better against them. They can boo me, that's fine, we play with smiles on our faces.
"Craig's career went totally different to mine, obviously. Mine was a bit slower, I took a while to mature and to understand what needed to be done for me to show my full potential consistently.
"Since I've come here, I've done that. Craig's a great person to play with, an intelligent footballer and he's got great pace."
Bellamy, who was rested on Saturday as he continues his comeback from a knee problem, is expected to face his old side.
Favourites
Cardiff, defeated in the play-off final by Blackpool last term, are once again among the favourites to gain promotion, and they have so far lived up to their billing, with Bothroyd notching six goals despite battling a recurring calf injury.
He said: "It's been a decent start, I'm happy I've scored a few goals. We're second in the table and doing well as a side without really hitting our peak.
"The last few games we've done well, we've ground out good results and hopefully we can take it into the next game."
