FULL-back Simon Francis hailed Cherries for withstanding Reading's late "barrage" and then predicted more of the same in tomorrow's "must-win" clash with Sheffield Wednesday (3pm).

Cherries held on to a slender 1-0 advantage at the Madejski on Tuesday to stay at the Championship summit with three games left in the club's pursuit of Premier League football.

And while Francis acknowledged it was an unorthodox way for Eddie Howe's men to win, he anticipates more of the same during the coming weeks.

Francis told the Daily Echo: "We are not normally on the end of a barrage like that but we defended it well.

"A year, maybe a year-and-a-half, ago we might have conceded but we have come a long way in that time. The physical element of the Championship is tough and you have to stay switched on right to the final whistle.

"We are doing that at the moment and might have to do it again before the season is out. We have been used to doing it at the other end, pushing for goals late on like we did at Ipswich, but if we can get our noses in front it might be a bit different now.

"The pressure will be on us, of course, but we like it that way and it has been like that for months now. We have been right in amongst it, winning games that outsiders did not think we would."

And the ex-Sheffield United defender also expects the Blades' Steel City rivals to ramp up the atmosphere with a bumper following.

"When I was at United a few years back, I was on the bench for a derby game. It was a hostile atmosphere because Wednesday have a lot of fans who get behind their team," he added.

"They will want to end the season on a high but more importantly, it is a huge game for us and one we must win."

"We have to make sure we don't take our eye off the ball because it would be an uphill struggle if we did. We have to be on the front foot and dominant from the off if we want to win the game."