Steve Banks has a lasting memory of staring up at the floodlights at the Bradford & Bingley Stadium.

The goalkeeper's three-month stay with City was cut short by a knee injury in the home game against Sheffield United.

Banks had to be stretchered off midway through the first half and his loan from Bolton was finished a fortnight early.

But the Londoner will be back this afternoon in opposition colours, hoping to defy his former team-mates in the relegation showdown with Stoke.

Banks will play the fourth game of a month's stay with the Potteries club after answering an SOS call when Middlesbrough recalled Mark Crossley.

Banks featured nine times for the Bantams and top scorer Andy Gray knows he will take some beating.

Gray said: "I thought he played very well for us and it will be nice to see him again. But it will be even nicer to see him picking the ball out of the net a few times!

"Hopefully we've learned one or two tricks from training with Banksie the last couple of months so we can put one over on him.

"It's a huge game for both sides and it's vital that we don't lose. It is in our own hands and we can open up the gap from the bottom three with the right result."

Gray netted in the Britannia Stadium meeting between the sides in August - the first of his six goals this season.

But it was scant consolation as Stoke claimed their first points in Division One with a 2-1 win, one of only three victories they have managed so far.

Gray said: "We didn't play well there at all but still did enough to win the game but that has been our problem all season. We seem to raise our game when we play against teams at the top but struggle against the so-called lesser sides.

"The fact we haven't managed to beat any of the bottom teams says it all. But hopefully we can put that right against Stoke.

"There is so much at stake and it will be the same scenario next week when we go to Grimsby. If we can string some results together then the table will start looking much healthier for us."

Gray was as shattered as the rest by Watford's late winner but has no fears of a hangover affecting today's game.

He added: "The mood in training has been bright and we had a sharp session on Monday morning. Obviously we were all really disappointed but we'll get over it."

Stoke boss Tony Pulis may rest wingers Peter Hoekstra and Bjarni Gudjonsson but must do without striker Andy Cooke.

He damaged his knee at Wimbledon and is set to miss the next fortnight.