Bristol City v Sheffield Wednesday: Owls chief confident of bridging gap

Alan IRVINE is backing his Sheffield Wednesday side to bridge the one division gap when taking on Championship side Bristol City.

By The Newsroom

Published 7th Jan 2011, 23:48 BST

Updated 7th Jan 2011, 23:49 BST

The Owls make the trip to Ashton Gate on the back of a disappointing defeat to Huddersfield Town in League One.

However, despite that and the Robins' much improved form over the past two months that saw promotion-chasing Cardiff City humbled 3-0 last week, Irvine still believes Wednesday have what it takes to go on an extended run in the FA Cup.

He said: "Bristol City didn't have a good start, as everyone knows. But their form recently has been excellent.

"I don't think there is a great deal of difference between teams in the bottom half of the Championship and those who are at the top end of League One, so it will be interesting to see where we are in relation to a team like Bristol City,

"I always take the FA Cup seriously, it is a fantastic competition. I have never been involved in previous rounds until this year but it always proves to be a great competition and I would love us to have a good run in it."