By James Pearson Last updated: 10th May 2008
Johnson: Staying ground
Bristol City boss Gary Johnson knows his side are not at Wembley yet despite their first leg success over Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Robins have the advantage going into the return leg at Ashton Gate thanks to David Noble's sensational stunner deep into injury time in South London.
Earlier in the game Ben Watson's penalty looked to have salvaged a draw for The Eagles after cancelling out Louis Carey's opener for the visitors.
Johnson acknowledges his side have the upper hand going into the return leg, although he knows Palace will be desperate to get that goal back in Bristol.
"If you're a goal up of course it swings in your favour, but as a professional manager you know that only one up is still a big thing to keep," Johnson told Sky Sports.
"Crystal Palace will come to Ashton Gate and try to get that one back as soon as they can so the tie still is very much there for both teams at the moment.
"We can only do what we've done in the away leg and come away 2-1 winners. We've now got to put in a good home performance as well."
Johnson has conceded that even if Noble had not won the game late on, he would still have been proud of his side's performance.
"I thought (the performance) was fantastic," he continued. "I thought it was a very competitive game. I thought our lads stood up to the battle very, very well.
"The referee had a fantastic game so I'm willing to trust his judgement. If it was a penalty it was a penalty.
"I felt we were playing well enough. I would have come in and been proud of the lads at 1-1. It was a fantastic strike to give us the lead."
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Monday 23rd November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Preston vs Newcastle |
| Saturday 28th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Bristol City vs Sheff Utd |
| 15:00 | Crystal Palace vs Watford |
| 15:00 | Derby vs Reading |
| 15:00 | Newcastle vs Swansea |
| 15:00 | Nottm Forest vs Doncaster |
| 15:00 | Peterborough vs Middlesbrough |
| 15:00 | Plymouth vs Barnsley |
| 15:00 | QPR vs Coventry |
| 15:00 | Scunthorpe vs Leicester |
| 15:00 | Sheff Wed vs West Brom |
| Sunday 29th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Cardiff vs Ipswich |
| Monday 30th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 20:00 | Blackpool vs Preston |
| Saturday 5th December | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 13:00 | Nottm Forest vs Leicester |
| 15:00 | Blackpool vs Barnsley |
| 15:00 | Bristol City vs Ipswich |
| 15:00 | Cardiff vs Preston |
| 15:00 | Crystal Palace vs Doncaster |
| 15:00 | Derby vs West Brom |
| 15:00 | Newcastle vs Watford |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Saturday 21st November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| West Brom 4 - 1 Bristol City | |
| Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Nottm Forest | |
| Doncaster 2 - 0 QPR | |
| Watford 3 - 0 Scunthorpe | |
| Barnsley 1 - 0 Cardiff | |
| Reading 2 - 1 Blackpool | |
| Sheff Utd 1 - 0 Peterborough | |
| Coventry 1 - 1 Crystal Palace | |
| Ipswich 0 - 0 Sheff Wed | |
| Leicester 1 - 0 Plymouth | |
| Friday 20th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Swansea 1 - 0 Derby | |
| Monday 9th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Barnsley 2 - 2 Sheff Utd | |
| Saturday 7th November | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Swansea 3 - 2 Cardiff | |
| Crystal Palace 1 - 0 Middlesbrough | |
| Nottm Forest 1 - 1 Bristol City | |
| Leicester 1 - 2 West Brom | |
| Blackpool 4 - 1 Scunthorpe | |
| Watford 2 - 0 Preston | |
| Reading 1 - 1 Ipswich | |
| Plymouth 2 - 1 Doncaster | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Bromwich Albion | 17 | 34 |
| 2 | Newcastle United | 16 | 33 |
| 3 | Leicester City | 17 | 30 |
| 4 | Swansea City | 17 | 28 |
| 5 | Cardiff City | 17 | 27 |
| 6 | Queens Park Rangers | 17 | 27 |
| 7 | Blackpool | 17 | 27 |
| 8 | Watford | 17 | 27 |
| 9 | Nottingham Forest | 17 | 26 |
| 10 | Bristol City | 17 | 26 |
| 11 | Middlesbrough | 17 | 25 |
| 12 | Preston North End | 16 | 24 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 17 | 23 |
| 14 | Sheffield United | 17 | 21 |
| 15 | Barnsley | 17 | 21 |
| 16 | Doncaster Rovers | 17 | 18 |
| 17 | Sheffield Wednesday | 17 | 18 |
| 18 | Coventry City | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | Derby County | 17 | 17 |
| 20 | Reading | 17 | 17 |
| 21 | Scunthorpe United | 17 | 17 |
| 22 | Plymouth Argyle | 17 | 15 |
| 23 | Ipswich Town | 17 | 13 |
| 24 | Peterborough United | 17 | 11 |
Bristol City fan Hannah Shine was strutting her as the Soccerette in the Soccer AM studios this week.
Catch every game, every goal from the Championship this season... right here on skysports.com!
Skysports.com looks at the 16 locations in England which are hoping to host the 2018 World Cup.
Newcastle have signed Fabrice Pancrate after he impressed on trial at St James' Park.
Ukra has admitted he would study any offer that came his way after being linked with Newcastle.
West Bromwich Albion moved to the top of the Championship table after a 4-1 victory over Bristol City at The Hawthorns.
Ipswich have moved to within four points of safety following a goalless draw with Sheffield Wednesday.
West Brom swept aside Bristol City 4-1 to climb above Newcastle at the Championship summit.