LOUIS Carey insists Bristol City have nothing to fear from arch-rivals Cardiff in today's big Severnside derby at Ashton Gate.
Having lost the Carling Cup final on penalties to Liverpool last month, the Bluebirds are now free to pursue a play-off place for a third successive season.
In contrast, the Robins are involved in a desperate and protracted fight against relegation from the npower Championship.
Yet, despite the glaring disparity between the team's fortunes, long-serving defender Carey, a veteran of numerous Anglo-Welsh derbies, believes firmly that City can slay the Welsh dragon on home soil.
The reason for his confidence? It was only 13 months ago that City destroyed Cardiff 3-0 in a Championship fixture at Ashton Gate.
Goals from Brett Pitman, Lee Johnson and Jamal Campbell-Ryce sealed a victory which is still fresh in the minds of Carey and City supporters. And the Bristolian claims he and his team-mates can draw on that success ahead of today's Sky-televised encounter.
Carey said: "That result showed what we are capable of when we get it right. We all know how good we can be when we're on song and we have to start showing that form for 90 minutes. We're playing well in parts of games and, if we can be more consistent, we know we are a match for any team in this league.
"Cardiff are going well and are a very strong side, but we won't fear them. We didn't fear Southampton and the West Ham when we played them and there is no reason to be fearful of this game.
"There is no better time for us to roll up our sleeves and come out of a really big game with some points."
Certainly, City can draw strength from their performances against other promotion-chasing sides this season, having twice beaten leaders Southampton and held West Ham United to a draw at Upton Park.
"It's not something we consciously think about, but we do tend to play well against the top sides," admits Carey. "That was certainly the case in the two games against Southampton and at West Ham earlier in the season.
"Those results gave the players, the staff and the fans so much confidence and that is something we could all do with right now.
"If we can get a result against Cardiff, it could prove invaluable for the rest of the season."
A depressing run of six defeats in eight games has seen the Robins slide back into trouble and anything less than victory over Malky Mackay's Cardiff could see City drop back further into trouble
Carey said: ""But at the end of the day, things have not panned out as we would have liked and we have to deal with the situation. Our fate is still in our hands and it is up to us to do what needs to be done."
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