Jon McLaughlin admits City’s powder-keg FA Cup clash at bitter rivals Rotherham needs no extra spice – but he expects Steve Evans to provide it anyway.

City have history with the Millers boss as they prepare to take on their League One rivals in Saturday’s first-round tie.

The firebrand Scot was infamously handed a six-match stadium ban and fined £3,000 by the Football Association after being found guilty of “using abusive and insulting words and behaviour” towards a female member of City’s staff when in charge of Crawley Town following a League Two game in March 2012.

Five players were sent off in the dressing room after a post-match brawl – Andrew Davies, Luke Oliver and McLaughlin for the Bantams, with Crawley duo Pablo Mills and Claude Davis also seeing red.

Having taken over at Rotherham, Evans guided the South Yorkshire club to automatic promotion last season, when they twice beat the Bantams.

Evans made a vicious jibe towards City in April when he claimed they would not even reach the play-offs and that Phil Parkinson would not be at Valley Parade this season.

City keeper McLaughlin said: “The fans will be licking their lips about this one because it’s a great tie and a massive Yorkshire derby.

“They put us to the sword there last season (City lost 4-0) and we always want to beat Rotherham because of the history between us.

“A lot of it relates to Steve Evans from his Crawley days.

“He took a lot of players from there to Rotherham and I think he’s a manager who knows what he does. There are not many managers who would class him as a friend or have a bond with him.

“But I think he likes to be confrontational and mix it up with managers and opposition supporters.

“It was already a huge game so you don’t really need an invitation to create more of an atmosphere.

“I think the presence of Steve Evans has just added to the mix the last few times we have played Rotherham. Saturday should be no different.”

The Millers have enjoyed a renaissance under Evans after moving to their plush New York Stadium in the heart of the town having used Sheffield’s Don Valley Stadium as their temporary home for four seasons.

McLaughlin said: “We played against Rotherham at the Don Valley and there was very little atmosphere because it’s an athletics stadium.

“They weren’t getting crowds but in recent times they have moved to this new stadium back in Rotherham and it’s a fantastic ground.

“The crowd are right on top of you and it was a great atmosphere when we went there last season. We’re expecting the same again.”

City recorded their first clean sheet in five games last weekend in a goalless League One draw at Crewe.

McLaughlin, who enjoyed a fine game at Gresty Road, said: “We believe we can build on last week’s performance and really attack Rotherham on Saturday.”