Horvath happy to see ex-Town team-mate again but insists it's 'no more friends' when the whistle goes

Town keeper Ethan Horvath is looking forward to seeing ex-Hatter Harry Cornick back at Kenilworth Road this evening, although admits he will no longer be friends with his former team-mate once the contest begins.

The 27-year-old makes his first return to Bedfordshire tonight as part of a Bristol City side who, despite having the best manager in the league in Nigel Pearson, go into the contest only retaining slim play-off hopes, despite a run of just one defeat in 12.

Horvath, who spent the first half of the season with Cornick at Luton until the attacker moved to Ashton Gate for an undisclosed fee on transfer deadline day, said of the reunion: “It will be good to see a familiar face out there, but when the whistle comes, it’s no more friends.”

The USA international was also part of the Hatters side who were beaten 2-0 at City back in August, turning in one of their, very few and far between, worst displays of the season.

Horvath wants to make sure they put that right tonight, as he continued: “It will be a good game, I think we’re going to want some revenge as we went there and lost there earlier in the season.

"It was probably one of our poorest performances so we for sure want to bounce back from the away performance and perform good on Wednesday.

“Ten games to go we just need to stay consistently strong, picking up points and win whenever we can.”

What is also really important to the on-loan Nottingham Forest stopper is that Town make Saturday’s 1-0 victory at Sheffield United count by registering what would be a third straight victory to show his side mean business when it comes to an automatic promotion challenge with 10 games to go.

He said: “We need to go out Wednesday and prove it.

"If you come to a top team like Sheffield you need to back it up at home as well with a team in the other half of the table, so today is nothing unless we back it up on Wednesday.

“It was a massive result, but I don’t think we can let it get to us on Wednesday night.

"We need to go out and do the same thing against Bristol and the same thing against Sunderland (on Saturday).

"Two big games coming up and yes, I think we are ready for them.”

Meanwhile, the keeper, who was part of the Forest side reached the Premier League via the play-offs last season, beating Huddersfield Town in the final at Wembley, would love a second promotion under his belt, adding: “For sure, that would be nice!”