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BBC News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
When Bristol City blunted Blades in play-offs
Bristol City's 10th successive season in the second tier of English football saw them make the play-offs with a points total that in most seasons would only have merited around a ninth or 10th-placed through the play-offs is something that has eluded City in the five times they have participated - but that record is nothing compared to their semi-final opponents, Sheffield United, who have failed no fewer than nine play-offs have provided a finale to the Football League season since participated the following season when the format did not include a trip to Wembley but a two-legged final played home and team that finished third from bottom in the higher division played off against the fifth-placed team in the lower. City were that fifth-placed team in what is now League One and Sheffield United had finished third from bottom in what is now the Championship.I saw both games, with the first leg held at Ashton Gate on a Sunday afternoon with a 6pm kick-off. An Alan Walsh goal gave City a slender advantage to take to Bramall Lane, which proved to be enough as the Blades could only equalise an early goal from Carl Shutt, and City went through to play Walsall in the trailed Walsall 3-1 after the first leg at Ashton Gate so it looked like the Saddlers would emerge victorious. Goals from Rob Newman and Shutt drew City level on aggregate. There then followed a penalty shootout, not to decide who would get promotion but which club would host the deciding game. City lost, and so, just 48 hours later, we made the journey back up the M5 with hopes restored to a degree. It was a day to forget. City found themselves three goals down after just 20 minutes and eventually lost the game 4-0, with Walsall's David Kelly, who had a habit of scoring against us in the 1980s, grabbing a other play-off experiences were a semi-final exit against Brentford in 1996-97, similar against Cardiff in 2002-03, a final defeat played in Cardiff against Brighton in 2003-04 and a loss to Hull at Wembley in can hear more from David Pottier on the fans' podcast Forever Bristol City, external.
BBC News
23-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Trips to Leeds 'daunting' but often 'memorable'
City were humbled by Luton Town on Easter Monday yet remain in fifth position in the Championship thanks to Coventry slipping up at Plymouth and Boro coming away from Hillsborough with nothing - due in no small part, I'm sure, to ex-City player Tommy Conway missing a first-half penalty and then crashing a shot against the underside of the bar in the last minute of added City still remain odds-on favourites to qualify for the play-offs, they face the daunting prospect of a trip to Elland Road on Monday to face champions-elect Leeds United. They can only hope that the Yorkshiremen gave their end-of-season champagne performance in the 6-0 drubbing of Stoke over Easter, as they come up against opponents against whom they have an appalling record in recent years. This will be the 20th encounter since 2010, with Leeds racking up 15 wins and City winning just of encounters between the sides over the years, if you go back to 1968, there was an FA Cup tie which (naturally) Leeds won, the game memorable for the fact that goalkeeper Gary Sprake was sent off for unceremoniously knocking out City's Chris Garland. Roll the clock forward six years, and after a 1-1 FA Cup fifth-round draw at Ashton Gate, City made the national news headlines - such was Leeds' grandeur in those days - when a Donnie Gillies goal gave them a famous 1-0 victory in a game played on a Tuesday afternoon due to the three-day week and associated power cuts!One final game against Leeds sticks in the mind, although perhaps one should say one and a December 1976 it was a very foggy day as I walked across Ashton Park to the ground. Taking my place in the enclosure, on the halfway line, you could not see either goal. Surprisingly, the game kicked off with 36,000 people in the occasionally caught glimpses of the orange match ball and heard the "oohs" and "aahs" of the crowd from either end when there was penalty area action. It was farcical and no surprise when the game was abandoned at half-time with no refunds. The replayed game in May saw a Chris Garland goal secure the points as City scrambled to avoid can hear more from David Pottier on the fans podcast Forever Bristol City, external.
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
The Robins hitting form at a crucial time
Bristol City consolidated their position in the play off positions in a thrilling game at Ashton Gate as they beat faltering West Bromwich Albion teams were all square at half time although City would have taken a deserved interval lead were it not for two stunning saves from former Bristol Rovers loanee goalkeeper Josh Wells keeps rolling back the years - he's 35 in June - and the Bermudian showed his class to turn the defender and stroke the ball into the far corner almost on the hour to give City the lead that their high energy display a few minutes, they really turned on the style before a calamitous misunderstanding between Max O'Leary and Cam Pring presented Alex Mowatt with and easy chance to equalise. That heralded a period of dominance by the Baggies and with both teams introducing four subs each (65 minutes in for West Brom; 75 mins for City) the game moved towards its closing finale.O'Leary atoned for any blame that might have been attached to him for the goal conceded with two saves and then the visitors had Jayson Molumby sent off for a rash challenge on Joe Williams. With five minutes of added time signalled, City were camped on the edge of Albion's area probing for a way through and it actually came in the 96th minute when a corner was only half cleared and Rob Dickie slipped the ball to Haydon Roberts to prod home, the goal going between the keeper's roof literally came off Ashton Gate as the crowd erupted, such was the importance of gaining all three points against a fellow play off challenger. It drew comparison with Korey Smith's late goal against Manchester United in 2017 and in the play-offs when Christian Roberts earned victory over Hartlepool to see Bristol City the 2004 are hitting form at just the right time and need fear no one at this critical point of the can hear more from David Pottier on the fans podcast Forever Bristol City, external.
