Cardiff vs Bristol City: All-change on Severnside after last season's derbies cost two managers their jobs
Cardiff City manager Neil Harris and Bristol City counterpart Dean Holden set to face each other in Severnside derby; Watch Cardiff City vs Bristol City live on Sky Sports Football from 5.30pm on Friday; kick-off 6pm
Friday 6 November 2020 17:55, UK
Rewind 12 months and the world looked very different - especially for the two Championship teams either side of the Severn Estuary.
Cardiff and Bristol City both had different managers in Neil Warnock and Lee Johnson and were chasing a place in the top six after mixed starts to the campaign - but the two Severnside derbies would ultimately cost both of them their jobs.
It is almost one year to the day since Warnock left after a 1-0 home defeat to Bristol City and it was the same result in the reverse fixture, eight months later and in the midst of a global pandemic, that saw Johnson sacked by the Robins.
Neil Harris is now in charge at Cardiff and steered them into the play-offs, losing in the semi-finals to Fulham, and he admitted having to work "extremely hard at tidying up" when he arrived.
"It's been a little bit crazy at times. On the whole, it's been enjoyable and a learning curve but times flown," he said ahead of the clash at home to Bristol City live on Sky Sports on Friday night.
"There's so much more to come from us as well and that starts tomorrow evening."
Dean Holden is the man who succeeded Johnson, meanwhile, appearing to be preferred over high-profile candidates interviewed such as Chris Hughton - and many doubters were silenced after a terrific start in the dugout.
They ultimately finished 12th and have won five of their opening 10 games this season, keeping touch with the leading pack in seventh.
Transitioning from assistant to boss can be a tricky task but Holden appears to have handled the task well. "For me, the only change is I now make the big calls," he says.
His players have taken to him. Callum O'Dowda has called Holden an "exceptional" head coach and commented that, while their relationship has not changed, the way the team plays has. And they will need that without the fans this weekend.
"(The way we play) it has been a big transformation at this club," he says. "If there were fans, it would be an advantage. It's a strange one, weird times, uncertain times but in a way, we've got to create our own atmosphere."
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Holden, meanwhile, sees the positive side and the ability for the team to "literally help out supporters get through the weekend".
"It's as simple as that," he said. "We know what it means to the wider community. Our job is to go out and put smiles on faces and let's hope we can do that."
