This is Bristol -- TAMWORTH player-coach Darren Byfield fears the appointment of Steve Cotterill as Bristol City manager will make the Conference side's task all the more difficult in Sunday's FA Cup second round tie at the Lamb Stadium. Former City striker Byfield feels sure the presence of Cotterill will give players who have won just two games in League One his season added resolve to avoid a giant-killing in front of the ITV cameras. Now in his second season with the Midlands club, Byfield admitted: "The change of manager will make things more difficult for us. "We've seen it so many times when a team is struggling, a new man goes in and the players respond to him. "City had been having a tough season under Sean O'Driscoll and the change might give them a lift. The players will all want to impress the new manager and that will make it harder for us." He added: "Steve Cotterill has a reputation for getting teams out of trouble and I'm sure he'll do that at Bristol City. "As an ex-Bristol City play myself, I hopes he has a positive effect, but only after Sunday!" A member of the Robins squad that reached the Championship play-off final in May 2008, Byfield admits he is surprised by the club's fall from grace in the intervening years. He said: "I always look out for City's result and it's sad to see them struggling towards the bottom of the League One table. "We were one game away from the Premier League when I was there and it looked as though the club was going places. It just shows how fortunes can change in football." NEW City boss Steve Cotterill will assess the mind-set of his players before selecting a side to face Tamworth in the FA Cup on Sunday. Since succeeding Sean O'Driscoll at the Ashton Gate helm on Tuesday, the former Nottingham Forest boss has spoken of the importance of mental strength in what is already a supremely challenging season for the playing staff. While demanding physical fitness and discipline from his players, Cotterill is aware that not every member of the squad he has inherited will be feeling especially confident right now. He said: "I think it is very important to see where they are mentally. It is not easy for players when they step over that white line. "It is difficult when you are a footballer in the arena and that is why some people are paid tens of thousands of pounds every week. It's because they can deal with the arena. "A 10 or 20 yard pass that seems easy in training can be much more difficult in the heat of battle on a Saturday afternoon. "The mental side of the game is forgotten sometimes, but the players are the ones who have to go out on the pitch and they have to be right. "I need to find out why we've lost and drawn so many games. Is it a fear of the opposition or do we need to concentrate more on what we do? I don't have the answers yet and I'm shooting in the dark." STEVE Cotterill insists he would like to be around to see football played in a revamped Ashton Gate stadium in a few years from now. Owner Steve Lansdown's plans for a £35 million makeover of City's spiritual home was a factor in Cotterill accepting an offer to manage the League One club. Bristol City Council's planning committee gave the project a green light last week and the new Robins manager is genuinely excited by the prospect of new facilities in BS3. He said: "Planning permission has been granted and I think the owner is committed to it. I don't see anything getting in the way and preventing it from happening. "There aren't many clubs in a position to spend £35 million on a new stadium and it is one of the things that made this job so attractive. "I like being involved in building something and I'd love to be around in a few years to see games being played in a fantastic new facility. That excites me."
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This is Bristol -- TAMWORTH player-coach Darren Byfield fears the appointment of Steve Cotterill as Bristol City manager will make the Conference side's task all the more difficult in Sunday's FA Cup second round tie at the Lamb Stadium. Former City striker Byfield feels sure the presence of Cotterill will give players who have won just two games in League One his season added resolve to avoid a giant-killing in front of the ITV cameras. Now in his second season with the Midlands club, Byfield admitted: "The change of manager will make things more difficult for us. "We've seen it so many times when a team is struggling, a new man goes in and the players respond to him. "City had been having a tough season under Sean O'Driscoll and the change might give them a lift. The players will all want to impress the new manager and that will make it harder for us." He added: "Steve Cotterill has a reputation for getting teams out of trouble and I'm sure he'll do that at Bristol City. "As an ex-Bristol City play myself, I hopes he has a positive effect, but only after Sunday!" A member of the Robins squad that reached the Championship play-off final in May 2008, Byfield admits he is surprised by the club's fall from grace in the intervening years. He said: "I always look out for City's result and it's sad to see them struggling towards the bottom of the League One table. "We were one game away from the Premier League when I was there and it looked as though the club was going places. It just shows how fortunes can change in football." NEW City boss Steve Cotterill will assess the mind-set of his players before selecting a side to face Tamworth in the FA Cup on Sunday. Since succeeding Sean O'Driscoll at the Ashton Gate helm on Tuesday, the former Nottingham Forest boss has spoken of the importance of mental strength in what is already a supremely challenging season for the playing staff. While demanding physical fitness and discipline from his players, Cotterill is aware that not every member of the squad he has inherited will be feeling especially confident right now. He said: "I think it is very important to see where they are mentally. It is not easy for players when they step over that white line. "It is difficult when you are a footballer in the arena and that is why some people are paid tens of thousands of pounds every week. It's because they can deal with the arena. "A 10 or 20 yard pass that seems easy in training can be much more difficult in the heat of battle on a Saturday afternoon. "The mental side of the game is forgotten sometimes, but the players are the ones who have to go out on the pitch and they have to be right. "I need to find out why we've lost and drawn so many games. Is it a fear of the opposition or do we need to concentrate more on what we do? I don't have the answers yet and I'm shooting in the dark." STEVE Cotterill insists he would like to be around to see football played in a revamped Ashton Gate stadium in a few years from now. Owner Steve Lansdown's plans for a £35 million makeover of City's spiritual home was a factor in Cotterill accepting an offer to manage the League One club. Bristol City Council's planning committee gave the project a green light last week and the new Robins manager is genuinely excited by the prospect of new facilities in BS3. He said: "Planning permission has been granted and I think the owner is committed to it. I don't see anything getting in the way and preventing it from happening. "There aren't many clubs in a position to spend £35 million on a new stadium and it is one of the things that made this job so attractive. "I like being involved in building something and I'd love to be around in a few years to see games being played in a fantastic new facility. That excites me."
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