Bristol City manager Lee Johnson praised his Charlton counterpart ahead of their Wednesday night meeting.

Lee Bowyer’s side sit seventh in the Championship following their 3-0 win over Derby on Saturday, two places above the Ashton Gate outfit who lost to the same scoreline at Luton.

A League-One play-off, a promotion, and now flying high in the second tier, the Addicks boss has seen his stock rise dramatically over the last 24months since he broke into management, a feat that isn’t lost on Johnson.

Ahead of the fixture, Johnson, another young manager who at 38 is getting recognition in the game, lauded Bowyer and the impact he’s had at The Valley side.

“I know Lee Bowyer well enough, just through the management team,” he said.

“We had dinner recently at the Reading game when Reading played Fulham so we had a good chat there.

“He's done really well.

“You can see his passion come across in his teams and the way they play, just like Luton - not a fancied team at the start of the year but a very, very good team.

“This is why the Championship is so competitive.”

Magic Midfield

Johnson was also complimentary of the Addicks playing personnel, singling out three key players he feels they’ll need to be weary of when they visit.

“They have a very strong midfield - I really like their midfield,” he added.

“They've got a quality player from Chelsea, Conor Gallagher.

“Josh Cullen is doing very, very well.

“The likes of Jonathan Leko has been dangerous, that we've had here before.

“We know all about him and his strengths.

“It's a really, really tough game and our attitude towards the football game on Wednesday night will be imperative for the result at the end.”