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 |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 17th March | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Newcastle vs Scunthorpe |
| Saturday 20th March | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 15:00 | Blackpool vs Crystal Palace |
| 15:00 | Doncaster vs Sheff Utd |
| 15:00 | Ipswich vs Barnsley |
| 15:00 | Middlesbrough vs Reading |
| 15:00 | Nottm Forest vs Peterborough |
| 15:00 | QPR vs Swansea |
| 15:00 | Scunthorpe vs Plymouth |
| 15:00 | Sheff Wed vs Derby |
| 15:00 | West Brom vs Preston |
| 17:20 | Bristol City vs Newcastle |
| Sunday 21st March | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 14:00 | Leicester vs Coventry |
| 15:00 | Cardiff vs Watford |
| Tuesday 23rd March | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| 19:45 | Blackpool vs Swansea |
| 19:45 | Bristol City vs Barnsley |
| 19:45 | Doncaster vs Newcastle |
| 19:45 | Ipswich vs Plymouth |
| 19:45 | Nottm Forest vs Crystal Palace |
| 19:45 | Scunthorpe vs Peterborough |
| 20:00 | Middlesbrough vs Preston |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 16th March | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Peterborough 1 - 2 Doncaster | |
| Derby 2 - 2 Middlesbrough | |
| Swansea 0 - 2 West Brom | |
| Coventry 1 - 2 Cardiff | |
| Barnsley 2 - 1 Nottm Forest | |
| Reading 1 - 0 QPR | |
| Crystal Palace 0 - 1 Leicester | |
| Sheff Utd 3 - 0 Blackpool | |
| Plymouth 3 - 2 Bristol City | |
| Watford 2 - 1 Ipswich | |
| Preston 2 - 2 Sheff Wed | |
| Saturday 13th March | |
| The Coca-Cola Football League Championship | |
| Barnsley 0 - 0 Crystal Palace | |
| Sheff Utd 1 - 1 QPR | |
| Doncaster 2 - 1 Derby | |
| Swansea 0 - 0 Sheff Wed | |
| Watford 0 - 1 Peterborough | |
| Middlesbrough 2 - 2 Newcastle | |
| Reading 2 - 0 Bristol City | |
| Ipswich 1 - 0 Scunthorpe | |
| West Brom 3 - 2 Blackpool | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle United | 35 | 73 |
| 2 | West Bromwich Albion | 36 | 69 |
| 3 | Nottingham Forest | 36 | 64 |
| 4 | Swansea City | 36 | 60 |
| 5 | Leicester City | 35 | 57 |
| 6 | Cardiff City | 35 | 52 |
| 7 | Blackpool | 36 | 50 |
| 8 | Coventry City | 36 | 50 |
| 9 | Sheffield United | 36 | 49 |
| 10 | Middlesbrough | 36 | 48 |
| 11 | Doncaster Rovers | 36 | 48 |
| 12 | Preston North End | 36 | 47 |
| 13 | Barnsley | 35 | 46 |
| 14 | Bristol City | 36 | 45 |
| 15 | Queens Park Rangers | 35 | 44 |
| 16 | Reading | 34 | 44 |
| 17 | Ipswich Town | 36 | 44 |
| 18 | Derby County | 36 | 42 |
| 19 | Watford | 34 | 39 |
| 20 | Crystal Palace | 35 | 38 |
| 21 | Sheffield Wednesday | 36 | 38 |
| 22 | Scunthorpe United | 35 | 38 |
| 23 | Plymouth Argyle | 35 | 31 |
| 24 | Peterborough United | 36 | 30 |
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