The Exiled Robin

Precisely one year after Bristol City went into Christmas bottom of the league, we enter the 2014 festive season the maximum  number of places higher; top of the pile. However, a once relatively substantial lead has been largely eliminated and for the nuetrals, if there are many that watch league one, an enthralling second half to the season lies ahead with the top four separated by just a single point. In the absence of any real competition from the blue lot north of the river, and setting aside a more traditional ‘M4 derby’, the Yeovil fixture was one many City fans would have sought out when the fixtures were released in the summer, and for once the computer didn’t disappoint. The only disappointment is that if it were not for the reduced capacity, this local derby, with City flying high, would have almost certainly attracted a capacity bank holiday crowd, meaning a lesser atmosphere and circa £200,000 lost revenue. Throw in the fact that it’s the return of Gary Joh...

One down, three to go.  A late show from Luke Ayling gave Bristol City all three points in the first of their four ‘winnable’ games last time out and the final match before Christmas sees the Robins travel to Cheshire to face bottom side Crewe Alexandra. Stu Radnedge caught up with Alex fan Nathaniel Holland, a journalism student who has kindly written a few words.  My thanks to Stu & Nat “This season has, for obvious reasons, been one to forget for any Crewe fan. A continuation from the poor results last season has spilled over into this campaign and it is still difficult for anyone to put their finger on the main problems. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t expect Crewe to be setting the league on fire this year but I did think with the squad we had put together that we would be sitting comfortably around the 14 th /15 th position. There is not one factor to the reason behind the run of poor results, a combination of individual errors at the back, mixed i...

A new dawn: It’s always exciting, isn’t it? There’s always that feeling of anticipation, of wondering what could be? Even if you’re expected to be relegated, fans talk about the likes of Burnley and of Blackpool and of Yeovil and they say “you never know”. Newly promoted sides discard the caution that should exist and dream of ‘doing a Norwich’ or ‘doing a Southampton’ and heading to two consecutive promotions. We at Bristol City so nearly did that. Despite these constant over-hyped emotions, which in many cases are shot down in a bitter dose of reality by 4:55pm on the first Saturday, some seasons just feel that much more special than others. Some just feel like it’s your time. And so it is that Bristol City head into their second League One season with a burgeoning spirit of anticipation and excitement, no, expectation buzzing around Ashton Gate.   But is it realistic to be talking of promotion?   Five years of decline have seemingly been halted but that uptur...

Luke Ayling made the short journey up the M5 earlier this month, joining Steve Cotterill’s mini summer revolution at Ashton Gate and at the same time ending Brendan Moloney’s relatively short stay in BS3. Ayling was one of Yeovil’s better performers in their ultimately unsuccessful first season in the Championship, but he’s made the move in an apparent attempt to bounce back at the first attempt. Yeovil fan and soon-to-be-married (to a ‘Dirty Leeds’ fan) Ben Barrett gave us this insight on a Huish Park hero who served his time well in Somerset. “When Yeovil Town fans favourite Luke Ayling left to join Bristol City this week, to say I had mixed feelings would be an understatement. Let’s get the rivalry bit out of the way, City are a rival, have been for a while, and for as long as the blue half of your city are pottering about in non-league always will be.  Not just geographically, but also, both sides have ambitions to be at the top of League One this season, so yes, los...