‘Emotional’ Bristol City offer Sheffield Wednesday a tricky challenge

Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl and his team of analysts will have found their job a little trickier this week as they prepare to take on a Bristol City side still reeling from the shock sacking of boss Nigel Pearson on Sunday.

Taking charge in the interim is Pearson’s assistant Curtis Fleming, who has admitted it’s been an ‘emotional’ week in the Robons’ camp, such was Pearson’s popularity amongst the players.

How much, or little, Fleming will change is anyone’s guess from a Wednesday perspective and it remains to be seen how City players react on the pitch, but Fleming has stated ahead of his first - and potentially only - match in charge that his main priority has been making sure that his players focus’ has solely been on the challenge ahead and the visit of the Owls to Ashton Gate.

“No doubt a tricky week,” Fleming said. “Personally, it’s quite emotional, isn’t it? It’s something that happens in the game. You’ve got a lot of good friends, you work hard to try and achieve something, you don’t get there and they end up losing their jobs - it is an emotional time. But at the end of the day we’re professional people and I think it’s very important, and people who have left the club will understand that if you’re still at the club you have to do your job to the best of your abilities.

“Nige is a mate of mine, and Dave and Euelly, but I’ve been asked to continue and be interim manager and I think we’ve got to do that: one, for the players, because we’ve got this group together, they’re a great group of guys, and then we’ve got a game coming up on Saturday so it’s very, very important for me and the other staff, that they produce a good display.”

Fleming told Bristol Live: “It was a shock on Sunday, on Monday you’re kind of a bit all over the place, and then you start getting your head on and prepare, knowing you’ve got to deal with 40 different people who have got different things happening to them. All their thoughts are going to be different but, at the end of the day, it comes back down to a game - we need to win the game against Sheffield Wednesday.”