JOE Jordan is the latest recruit to the Wanderers fan club.

Days after Porstsmouth boss Terry Fenwick tipped the Division One leaders for automatic promotion, the Bristol City boss declared his admiration for his Coca-Cola Cup rivals.

There is a big contrast between Jordan the player - fearless and fiercesome - and Jordan the manager - studious and calm. But there is one common link - the former Scotland centre-forward doesn't suffer fools and never says anything he doesn't mean.

So when he spoke in glowing terms of his respect for Wanderers at the halfway stage of the second round tie, there was no question of his sincerity.

He was clearly impressed by Per Frandsen and Michael Johansen in Wednesday night's first leg at Ashton Gate and considered it a credit to his own team's performance that "very dangerous forwards" Nathan Blake and John McGinlay and "danger man" David Lee were so successfully subdued.

Indeed, Jordan measured his satisfaction with the scoreless first game by the way his Robins stood the test "against a team that has just come out of the Premier League and wants to get back into the Premier League."

He isn't alone in anticipating a tough return leg at Burnden on Tuesday. Centre-back Rob Edwards, whose partnership with Alan McLeary was one of the success stories of the night for the Second Division side, admitted: "Burnden Park is a nice place to go but we know it's going to be hard for us up there.

"Bolton are flying at the moment but we've got to think we still have a chance."

John Gorman, a former City assistant and now No 2 to Glenn Hoddle in the England set-up, thought Wanderers "didn't really go for it" in the first leg and warned that Jordan's troops will be fired up at Burnden.

"They didn't look like a team that's under pressure," Gorman said. "Bolton will probably go all out for the win at home with their fans behind them but City will be really up for it.

"It's still got the makings of a good game."

City will again be without centre-backs Jason Cundy, currently on loan from Spurs, and Shaun Taylor, who was cup-tied with Swindon before he joined the Robins.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.