Bruce aims to teach son Alex a lesson in knock-out arts

(GETTY IMAGES)

Steve Bruce, the Wigan Athletic manager, is looking forward to a family occasion in the Carling Cup third round at Ipswich tonight: his son Alex will be playing for the Championship side.

Bruce Senior insists the presence of his offspring in the opposition will not reduce his desire for victory. He said: "It is about time I turned him over. It's a game we definitely want to win. The club got to the final a few seasons ago and it would be great to have a run like that again.

"We'll put out a strong squad, that's for sure. To be honest we've got no others but what you've seen so far this season and it could be a chance for me to put in two or three who haven't featured that much and need a game."

Bruce hinted that Michael Brown could figure after being rested for Sunday's 0-0 draw at Tottenham in the Premier League. He said: "Michael Brown, I hope, will come back into contention. We let him off for the [Tottenham] match because his wife was having a difficult time having a baby and we said he should be with her instead. We'll also have Lee Cattermole back from suspension."

Bruce is serious about making the right impression in the Carling Cup. "There's no doubt we want to respect the competition and have a go at it," he said. "We had a nice 4-0 win over Notts County in the last round but now the opposition is two steps up the ladder. The Spurs result was a good one but disappointing in some respects. I thought they were there for the taking really.

"It's still a case of most people not giving us a prayer. In some respects that is why it is a great club to manage. And even though we are probably two players short in the squad the ones we do have are quality and I believe we enhance the Premier League."