The Exiled Robin

So here it is. All our efforts, strains and tribulations in the cup competitions over the past two months boils down to two big televised matches in the next five days. Amazingly five of our last 11 games have been non-league encounters (that will be seven in 13 after Thursday) and our reward is a never-better chance to reach Wembley on Thursday which follows a very rare national TV showing on the BBC as they sniff an F.A.Cup upset. Ultimately, given the start we made in going unbeaten until November and in the top two for the whole season to date, promotion, perhaps only the title in fact will measure the success of this season, and is rightly the main focus. But if we can add some cream on top of that by winning a trophy and knocking Big Sam’s Happy Hammers out of the cup in front of eight million viewers on Sunday afternoon, then that will do very nicely indeed! Bearing in mind this is a club whose stock in the last few years has fallen so dramatically that we all get e...

Betterer and betterer! We’re starting to run out of superlatives to measure the success (thus far) of Bristol City’s season, so I’ll make up some words instead. In this season of highs, it’s arguable that a dark night in Gillingham, in front of around 250 hardy supporters, represented the peak thus far as four goals – at least two of them stunning efforts – from on-loan striker Matt Smith all but secured City’s place at Wembley in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. The only thing that will stop us achieving that now, is complacency. Now, that might sound like counting chickens, but we’ve got to accept we’re at the top of the league and generally winning games, so we shouldn’t be expecting to lose at home to Gillingham by two goals. Can it happen?? Of course it can, but the odds are stacked right against, even for our beloved Bristol City who seemingly make a habit out of cocking things up! Sandwiched in between the multitude of cup ties against Doncaster and Gillingham is an all-im...