Bristol City F.C.

Bristol City

File:Bristol City FC.svg
Full name	Bristol City
Nickname(s)	The Robins, The Reds, Cider Army.
Founded	1897
Ground	Ashton Gate, Bristol
Capacity	21,501
Chairman	Keith Dawe
Manager	Sean O'Driscoll
League	The Championship
2011–12	The Championship, 20th
Home colours Away colours

Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England (the other being arch rivals Bristol Rovers). They play at Ashton Gate, located in the southwest of the city. They were promoted to the Football League Championship in the 2006–07 season after finishing second in League One but failed to make a second consecutive promotion to the Premier League after they were defeated by Hull City in the 2008 Football League Championship play-off Final at Wembley Stadium.

Bristol City won the Welsh Cup – despite being an English club – in 1934. In 1907 they finished runners-up in Football League Division One, which is their highest ever final position. In 1909 they lost the FA Cup final to Manchester United, their first and only final. Since relegation in 1911, however, they only returned to the top division from 1976 to 1980 and did not contend for any honours then.

In 1982, Bristol City became the first English club to suffer three consecutive relegations. By 1990 after going bankrupt and failing to pay their debts they were back in the old Second Division. Another relegation followed in 1995, when City finished second from bottom in the new Football League Division One and a return to that division three years later lasted just one season. Most of their seasons between 1999 and 2006 were spent challenging for promotion in the upper half of the Football League Second Division.

The club's nickname is "The Robins", and a robin featured on the club's badge from 1976 to 1994. Official club merchandise, including replica kits, still has a label showing a robin. An attempt by the club to alter the badge was abandoned after it was criticised fiercely by fans.

Bristol City play at Ashton Gate stadium in the Ashton/Bedminster area of the city of Bristol, which has an all-seater capacity of 21,497. Ashton Gate is the only ground in the English football league not to accommodate executive boxes. Bristol had been chosen as a host city for the 2018 World Cup, but England were not awarded host nation status.

History

Early years and early successes (1897–1911)

The club was founded in 1897, when Bristol South End turned professional and changed its name to Bristol City, and were admitted into the Southern League, finishing as runners-up in three of the first four seasons. In 1900 the club merged with local rivals Bedminster, who had been founded as Southville in 1887. The side joined the Football League in 1901 and were the only non-London League side south of Birmingham until 1920. Their first game in the Football League was against Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on 7 September 1901. City won 2–0.

They first entered Division One in 1906 as Second Division champions, and as newcomers became known as the "Bristol Babies", a nickname that would last into the 1930s. They were runners-up to Newcastle United in their first season in the top flight, and in 1909 reached the FA Cup final, where they were beaten by Manchester United at the Crystal Palace in London. But these achievements were not consistent, and in 1911 City were relegated back to the Second Division. They have not repeated the heights of the 1906–1909 era since, and did not return to the top flight for 65 years.

The yo-yo era (1912–65)

The 1920s were a rocky time as City bounced between the Second Division and the Southern Section of the Third Division. By the 1930s they had slumped into the lower division, and stayed that way until the Second World War. Harry Dolman became chairman in 1949, a post he would hold for over 30 years. An engineer who had bought out the firm he worked for, he designed the first set of floodlights installed at Ashton Gate in the early 1950s. The late 1950s were a better time for City, with a five year stay in the Second Division, a league they returned to for a further spell in 1965.

Back among the elite (1966–80)

In 1967, Alan Dicks was appointed manager, and things gradually began to improve, with promotion to the First Division in 1976, ending a 65-year exile from the top flight.

Between 1975 and 1981 City were regular participants in the Anglo-Scottish Cup, winning the trophy in 1977–78, beating Hibernian in the semi-finals, and winning 3–2 on aggregate in the final against St Mirren (managed at the time by a relatively new manager, Alex Ferguson). St Mirren had their revenge two seasons later, with an aggregate 5–1 victory over City to become the only Scottish team to win the trophy.

City's second stint in the top flight was less successful than the club's first, with thirteenth position in 1979 being their highest finish during this era. Stars of this era included Geoff Merrick, Tom Ritchie, Clive Whitehead, Gerry Gow, Trevor Tainton and Jimmy Mann.

Decline and financial ruin (1980–82)

In 1980, the City team went back to the Second Division in the first of three relegations, their debt mounted and their financial losses increased, with two successive relegations following. Thus, in 1982, they fell into the Fourth Division, and were declared bankrupt. BCFC (1982) Ltd acquired the club's player contracts, and the highly-paid senior players Julian Marshall, Chris Garland, Jimmy Mann, Peter Aitken, Geoff Merrick, David Rodgers, Gerry Sweeney and Trevor Tainton, who became known as the 'Ashton Gate Eight', each accepted termination of his contract for half the amount due.

Revival (1982–90)

City spent two seasons in the Fourth Division before winning promotion under Terry Cooper in 1984. They consolidated themselves in the Third Division during the later part of the 1980s, and in 1990 Cooper's successor Joe Jordan achieved promotion as Third Division runners-up.

There was a tragedy for the club, however, in that promotion campaign. In March 1990, two months before the club sealed promotion, striker Dean Horrix was killed in a car crash barely two weeks after joining the club, and having played three league games for them.

Second tier (1990–95)

Jordan moved to Heart of Midlothian in September 1990, and his successor Jimmy Lumsden remained in charge for 18 months before making way for Denis Smith. Smith's first signing was the 20-year-old Arsenal striker Andy Cole, who was an instant hit with fans. He was sold to Newcastle United in February 1993 and later established himself as a world class goalscorer, most prominently with Manchester United, where he collected five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the European Cup.

Meanwhile, City 1982 Ltd remained in the new Division One (no longer the Second Division after the creation of the Premier League in 1992) and Smith moved to Oxford United in November 1993. His successor Russell Osman was sacked within a year, being an unpopular figure with fans. One of Osman's few successful moments with City came in January 1994 when he led them to a shock 1–0 victory over Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup.

Joe Jordan was brought back to Ashton Gate in September 1994, but was unable to prevent relegation to Division Two.

Promotion and relegation (1995–2000)

Jordan remained at the helm for two seasons after City's relegation, but left in June 1997 after failing to get them back into Division One. Former Bristol Rovers manager John Ward took over, and achieved promotion in 1998 as Division Two runners-up. But City struggled back in Division One, and Ward stepped down in October 1998 to be succeeded by Benny Lennartsson. City were relegated in bottom place and Lennartsson was dismissed in favour of Gillingham's Tony Pulis, who lasted six months before leaving to take over at Portsmouth. During his time at Ashton Gate he was manager of perhaps the worst City side since the one that completed a hat-trick of successive relegations almost 20 years earlier.

Coach Tony Fawthrop took over until the end of the season, when Danny Wilson was appointed. Wilson was arguably the most prominent manager to take charge of a City side since Denis Smith, as he had guided Barnsley to promotion to the Premier League in 1997 and Sheffield Wednesday to a 12th place finish in 1999.

The Danny Wilson era (2000–04)

City were regular Division Two playoff contenders during Wilson's spell as manager. City failed to reach them in 2002, although Wilson almost took them to automatic promotion, and winning the Football League Trophy in Cardiff in 2003. The taste of the play-offs was bitter though, losing to rivals Cardiff City 1–0 on aggregate in the semi-final. In his final year – 2004 – they reached the final, but lost to Brighton & Hove Albion. He was sacked within days and replaced by veteran player Brian Tinnion.

Disappointment under Brian Tinnion (2004–05)

City just failed to make the playoffs in Tinnion's first season as manager, finishing seventh, and he stepped down in September 2005 after a poor start to the season culminating in a 7–1 defeat at the hands of Swansea City. City's form had slumped despite the addition of high profile players including Marcus Stewart and Michael Bridges. Yeovil Town manager Gary Johnson was recruited as his successor.

Revival and promotion under Gary Johnson (September 2005 – May 2007)

Pitch invasion at Ashton Gate after securing promotion

Johnson arrived in September 2005, making the move from Yeovil Town, with whom he had gained two promotions. His first game in charge (only hours after meeting the squad) saw City win away at Brentford 3–2. After a short spell of decent results, City were plunged into the relegation mire, enduring a club record of nine successive defeats, leaving them at the foot of League One. Much criticism was aimed at Gary Johnson at this time; the Chairman of Bristol City Supporters Club labelled him a 'Conference Manager' and contended that he was 'totally out of his depth'. The run was brought to an end with a 2–0 victory at home to Huddersfield on 10 December. City then lost just three of their next 16 games, and this fine run of form was capped with a 6–0 win over Gillingham, in which defender Louis Carey scored a brace. This was City's most emphatic league win since beating Charlton by the same score in September 1969, and was an encouraging sign of things to come, although they did not quite make playoffs in 2006.

Despite a slow start to the following season, which saw a vocal minority of fans calling for Johnson to be sacked after a 4–2 home defeat by Blackpool (who were eventually also promoted), City were in the top six of League One by November and at the end of the month began an 11-match unbeaten run which drove them to the top of the division. They also hit the headlines with an impressive FA Cup run, being knocked out in the 4th round on penalties after a replay in which they held Premiership side Middlesbrough to a 2–2 draw in both ties. They knocked out Championship side Coventry City in the 3rd round. They also reached the Southern Area Final of the Football League Trophy, but were knocked out over two legs by local rivals Bristol Rovers after a 0–0 draw at Ashton Gate and a Rickie Lambert goal condemned the Robins to a 1–0 aggregate defeat in the second leg.

Promotion to the Championship was confirmed on the final day of the season with a 3–1 win over doomed Rotherham United. David Noble scored two goals and Alex Russell scored once, securing runners-up place in the division and resulting in automatic promotion and joyous scenes of celebration in the city and even more so on the pitch at the full-time whistle. 2007–08 is the first season in almost a decade that has seen Bristol City playing at this level of English football.

The Championship challenge (2007–2009)

In the summer between City's promotion and the start of the Championship season, Gary Johnson made a number of signings. However their pre-season form did not start well, losing 4–2 to Forest Green Rovers. However City got off to a good start going unbeaten for a number of matches and briefly topping the Championship after beating Coventry City 3–0. City then suffered a slight blip after losing 3–0 to Barnsley before beating a variety of big name teams including Sheffield United live on Sky Sports and Southampton. In November, City's form dipped and they endured a run of four games without a win, including a 6–0 thrashing at the hands of Ipswich Town. In December, City's form picked up again and went unbeaten all the way to Boxing Day when they lost to West Bromwich Albion 4–1.

After a stop start run of form including victories over Blackpool and Coventry City and losses to Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace, City went top of the Championship on 1 March, after a 2–1 home victory over Hull City. After some indifferent results City went back to the top after a last gasp winner from Steve Brooker, who was just returning from injury, in a 2–1 win over Norwich City. However a poor run ended City's chances of an automatic promotion place. On 4 May 2008, a 3–0 home win against Preston North End on the final day of the league season ensured a play-off place and a semi-final fixture against Crystal Palace. On 13 May 2008, a 4–2 aggregate win over Crystal Palace with goals from Lee Trundle and Michael McIndoe confirmed City's trip to Wembley, where they were beaten 1–0 by Hull City.

After a poor start in the first half of the 2008–09 season, City recovered after Christmas. After winning 4–2 away at Watford on Boxing Day, they took 13 points from five games in early 2009 to reach eighth place in the league by early February. City had a memorable away victory against Reading which saw them jump up to their highest position of the season to fourth. After a lot of draws, the season eventually petered out and City finished the season in tenth place.

End of the Johnson era (2009–10)

The 2009–10 season saw some good results in the Autumn, but heavy defeats to Cardiff City (0–6) and Doncaster Rovers (2–5) in early 2010 lead to much dissatisfaction amongst fans. On 18 March 2010, the club issued a statement that Johnson had "left his post as manager of Bristol City by mutual consent". Assistant manager Keith Millen took charge as caretaker manager, starting well with a draw against title favourites Newcastle United and a 5–3 win against Barnsley. After that, City beat Peterborough United 1–0, which was the first time they had gone three matches unbeaten in the league since the end of October.

Steve Coppell enigma (2010)

In a brief press conference on 22 April 2010, it was announced that former Reading manager Steve Coppell would become the new City manager at the end of the 2009–10 campaign, when he would start a 12-month rolling contract, and that Keith Millen, who had guided the club to Championship safety in his brief spell as caretaker manager, would remain at the club as his assistant. Coppell's first game in charge was a 1–1 friendly draw with Swedish side IFK Gothenburg. His first win as manager was an 11–1 win against Swedish fourth division side Vallens IF on the same pre-season tour.

It was announced on 12 August 2010 that Coppell had resigned as manager with immediate effect saying that he would retire from football management altogether citing a lack of passion for the job. This followed his only two competitive games at the club, a 0–3 home defeat by Millwall in the opening game of the 2010–11 Football League Championship and a 2–3 loss at League Two Southend United in the Football League Cup.

Keith Millen (2010 – October 2011)

Keith Millen was announced as manager of Bristol City on a three year deal after Coppell stepped down.

Bristol City parted company with manager Keith Millen on 3 October 2011. City struggled to find form at the start of the 2011–12 Championship season picking up just 6 points from 10 games. His sacking came after their 5–0 defeat by Blackpool on 1 October 2011. Millen's last game in charge was his heaviest loss since his appointment the previous year. The club installed Steve Wigley as caretaker manager following Millen's exit and stated that they would take their time in finding a new manager.

Derek McInnes (October 2011 – January 2013)

On Wednesday, 19 October 2011, Scotsman Derek McInnes was appointed Bristol City manager after Keith Millen's departure. The 40-year-old joined from Scottish Premier League side St Johnstone on a contract until the summer of 2014. McInnes was highly respected at St Johnstone after his 2008/09 season triumph when St Johnstone finished at the top of the First Division taking them up into the SPL; McInnes arrived at Ashton Gate with a 40 per cent win percentage, with 53 victories, 41 draws and 38 defeats in his 130 games in charge at McDiarmid Park.

On 29 November 2011, the club announced a loss of £11.45 million.

After a promising start with only a single loss in seven games and a goalless draw at West Ham, City, between 3 December 2011 and 3 March 2012, managed only three wins, scored nine goals in total and lost eleven games including an FA Cup tie with then-League Two club Crawley Town; a 3–2 home win against Leicester City served only as a break in City's fall into the relegation zone. Punctuating the period was a David James own-goal from a botched punch during a home loss to Watford, an action that served to be the final straw as he did not feature until City's last game of 2011–12 away at Burnley – a game he only played one quarter of due to injury.

The Watford loss, however, was the final one of the season as – partly due to Dean Gerken's return and the loan signings of Andre Amougou (Burnley) and Hogan Ephraim (QPR) – City resurged and came out of the Easter weekend with two victories over Nottingham Forest – City's first win at Forest's City Ground since 1956 – and Coventry City, putting themselves four points distant of the relegation zone. The second draw against West Ham of the season effectively ended the latter club's automatic promotion hopes, and losses by Coventry and Portsmouth put Bristol City further out of reach.

A 2–0 home win against Barnsley on 21 April 2012 secured safety for City and relegation for their rivals.

After a poor start to the 2012/13 campaign, which included only three home wins, McInnes was sacked on 12 January 2013 after a 4–0 home defeat to Leicester City, which left them in bottom place in the Championship.

Although McInnes has been heavily criticized, he has put an awful lot of work into the youth squad, and in 5–10 years the first team will hopefully include young rising stars. A few of these promising young players have already been included in the first team by McInnes, including defensive/midfielder Joe Bryan and striker Wes Burns.

Sean O'Driscoll (14 January 2013–present)

After the sacking of Derek McInnes on 12 January 2013, former Nottingham Forest manager Sean O'Driscoll, also known as Sean O'Dismal or Sean of the Dead - was appointed head coach on a 12-month rolling contract. At the end of the 2012–13 season City were relegated to League One, ending a six-year stay in the Championship, the second highest behind fellow relegation contenders Barnsley.

League history

• 1901–06: Football League Second Division
• 1906–11: Football League First Division
• 1911–22: Football League Second Division
• 1922–23: Football League Third Division
• 1923–24: Football League Second Division
• 1924–27: Football League Third Division
• 1927–32: Football League Second Division
• 1932–55: Football League Third Division
• 1955–60: Football League Second Division
• 1960–65: Football League Third Division
• 1965–76: Football League Second Division
• 1976–80: Football League First Division
• 1980–81: Football League Second Division
• 1981–82: Football League Third Division
• 1982–84: Football League Fourth Division
• 1984–90: Football League Third Division
• 1990–92: Football League Second Division
• 1992–95: Football League First Division
• 1995–98: Football League Second Division
• 1998–99: Football League First Division
• 1999–04: Football League Second Division
• 2004–07: Football League One
• 2007–13: Football League Championship
• 2013-14 Football League One

Honours

Football League Honours

• The Football League (Premier League) runners-up: 1906–07

• Second Division (Football League Championship) champions: 1905–06, runners-up: 1975–76

• Third Division South (Football League One) champions: 1922–23, 1926–27, 1954–55

• Third Division (Football League One) runners-up: 1964–65, 1989–90

• Football League One runners-up: 1997–98, 2006–07

• FA Cup finalists: 1909

• League Cup semi-finalists: 1970–71, 1988–89

• Football League Trophy winners: 1985–86, 2002–03, finalists: 1986–87, 1999–00

Other Honours

• Welsh Cup winners: 1933–34

• Anglo-Scottish Cup winners: 1977–78

Awards

Player of the season

Year Winner Position 1970–71 Gerry Sharpe Striker 1971–72 Geoff Merrick Defender 1972–73 John Emanuel Midfielder 1973–74 Gerry Gow Midfielder 1974–75 Gary Collier Defender 1975–76 The Whole Team Team 1976–77 Norman Hunter Defender 1977–78 Norman Hunter Defender 1978–79 Gerry Gow Midfielder 1979–80 Geoff Merrick Defender 1980–81 Kevin Mabbutt Striker 1981–82 No award No award 1982–83 Glyn Riley Striker 1983–84 Howard Pritchard Midfielder 1984–85 Alan Walsh Striker 1985–86 Bobby Hutchinson Midfielder 1986–87 Rob Newman Defender 1987–88 Alan Walsh Striker 1988–89 Keith Waugh Goalkeeper 1989–90 Bob Taylor Striker 1990–91 Andy Llewellyn Defender 1991–92 Martin Scott Defender 1992–93 Keith Welch Goalkeeper 1993–94 Wayne Allison Striker 1994–95 Matt Bryant Defender 1995–96 Martin Kuhl Midfielder 1996–97 Shaun Taylor Defender 2004–05 Leroy Lita Striker 2005–06 Steve Brooker Striker 2006–07 Jamie McCombe Defender 2007–08 Adriano Basso Goalkeeper 2008–09 Dele Adebola Striker 2009–10 Cole Skuse Midfielder 2010–11 Albert Adomah Midfielder 2011–12 Jon Stead Striker

Source for 1970s winners:

Top league scorer

Year Winner Starts Sub Goals 2004–05 Leroy Lita 42 2 24 2005–06 Steve Brooker 34 3 16 2006–07 Phil Jevons 31 10 11 2007–08 Darren Byfield 17 16 8 2008–09 Nicky Maynard 34 9 11 2009–10 Nicky Maynard 40 2 20 2010–11 Brett Pitman 21 18 13 2011–12 Nicky Maynard 26 1 8 Colours, crest, mascot and anthem Scrumpy, Bristol City FC mascot Bristol City have played in red and white since the 1890s, occasionally also including black. The 2010–2011 season's kit is made by Adidas - the first year of a four year deal. The club's crest is a simplified version of the coat of arms of the city of Bristol. The club's mascot is Scrumpy the Robin who has been the club's mascot since 2005. The club's official anthem is One For The Bristol City by The Wurzels. First released in 1976, it is the tune the team run out to at home matches. A newly-recorded version of the song reached number 66 in the UK charts in September 2007. Bounce around the ground About half way through the 2007–08 season Bristol City manager Gary Johnson said in an interview that he hoped the team could get the whole ground bouncing. City supporters took this rallying cry on board and began to sing "Johnson says bounce around the ground" to the tune of Yellow Submarine, whilst continually bouncing up and down. The first game at which it was sung was in an away match against Southampton at St Mary's Stadium, and it was also sung at away at Queen's Park Rangers in February. When Bristol City fans travelled to London to play Charlton Athletic on 4 March 2008, the visiting fans, using the rail network to return home, adapted the song to "Bounce Around the Train". Since then, it has become an often used chant at Ashton Gate by the fans, and City manager Gary Johnson has even joined in with the bouncing himself. It is was also sometimes used by supporters of Gary Johnson's former side Northampton Town, primarily at away matches. Rivalries Further information: Bristol Derby Further information: Severnside Derby Further information: Westcountry Derby Bristol City's traditional and biggest rivals are Bristol Rovers. The clubs have met 105 times, with the first meeting in 1897. Bristol City have the most wins on 43. However, the clubs have not been in the same league for a number of years, they were last in the same division in the 2000–01 Season. Since then, they have only met twice, in the two-legged southern final of the 2006–07 Football League Trophy. City's other main rivals are Cardiff City, who play in nearby Cardiff. Despite being a local derby, it crosses the Wales-England border, making it one of the few international derbies in the United Kingdom. Both clubs have been at similar levels over the past 10 years, except between 2003 and 2007 when Cardiff were a division above. This has meant frequent meetings in the league including in the semi-finals of the 2003 Second Division play-offs. Both clubs are in the championship with Cardiff City winning their most recent encounter 2–1 on 16 February 2013. Other clubs have been seen as 'third rivals' by the fans and media. Swindon Town are seen by many as rivals, being nicknamed 'Swindle' by City fans. Plymouth Argyle have also been considered rivals despite a distance of over 100 miles. The rivalry has developed in recent years as the two clubs were the highest ranking West Country clubs for a number of years, and meetings were seen as a decider of the 'Best in the west'. Swansea City and even Yeovil Town have previously been mentioned as rivals, but very rarely. Shirt sponsors Period Kit supplier Kit sponsor 1976–1981 Umbro None 1981–1982 Coffer Sports Park Furnishers Feb 1982 Hire-Rite 1982–1983 Lynx Aug–Dec 1983 Umbro Dec 1983–1990 Bukta 1990–1992 Thorn Security 1992–1993 Nibor 1993–1994 Dry Blackthorn Cider 1994–1996 Auto Windscreens 1996–1997 Lotto Sanderson 1997–1998 1998–1999 Uhlsport 1999–2000 DAS 2000–2001 Admiral 2001–2002 2002–2003 TFG Sports 2003–2004 2004–2005 2005–2006 Bristol Trade Centre 2006–2007 Puma 2007–2008 2008–2009 DAS 2009–2010 2010–2011 Adidas 2011–2012 RSG (Home) Bristol City Community Trust (Away) 2012–2013 Blackthorn Management Position Name Nationality Manager: Sean O'Driscoll English Assistant Manager: Richard O'Kelly English Head of Recruitment: Russ Richardson English Goalkeeping Coach: Nigel Spink English First Team Head Physio: Michael McBride Scottish Academy Head Coach: Willie McStay Scottish Players First-team squad As of 8 March 2013 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK ENG Tom Heaton 2 DF SCO Richard Foster 3 DF SCO Mark Wilson 4 DF ENG Liam Fontaine (captain) 5 DF WAL Lewin Nyatanga 6 DF SCO Louis Carey 7 FW ENG Sam Baldock 8 MF AUS Neil Kilkenny 9 FW ENG Jon Stead 10 MF SCO Liam Kelly 11 MF ENG Brian Howard 12 DF WAL James Wilson 14 MF ENG Cole Skuse No. Pos. Nation Player 15 MF SCO Stephen Pearson 16 FW ENG Steve Davies 17 DF EIR Greg Cunningham 18 FW ENG Ryan Taylor 19 DF IRL Brendan Moloney 21 MF ENG Paul Anderson 22 GK ENG Dean Gerken 25 MF JAM Marvin Elliott 27 MF GHA Albert Adomah 28 DF WAL Aaron Amadi-Holloway TBA DF ENG Jack Batten TBA MF ENG Lewis Hall Out on loan Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. No. Pos. Nation Player 24 MF ENG Bobby Reid (at Oldham Athletic until 30 June 2013) 26 MF ENG Joe Bryan (at Plymouth Argyle until 30 June 2013) 29 FW WAL Wes Burns (at Forest Green Rovers until 30 June 2013) 32 GK ENG Lewis Carey (at Weston-super-Mare until 30 June 2013) Development squad As of 20 November 2012 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. No. Pos. Nation Player 38 GK USA Dylan Castanheira -- DF ENG Nathan Battersby -- DF ENG Curtis Jones -- DF AUS Tom King No. Pos. Nation Player -- MF ENG Luke Dobie -- MF NZL Rhys Jordan -- MF ENG Toby Ajala 31 FW FRA Kevin Krans Notable former players For a list of notable Bristol City players in sortable-list format where the criteria for inclusion is set out as 100 appearances for the club see List of Bristol City F.C. players. Managerial history Name Period Sam Hollis 1897–1899 Robert Campbell 1899–1901 Sam Hollis 1901–1905 Harry Thickett 1905–1910 Frank Bacon 1910–1911 Sam Hollis 1911–1913 George Hedley 1913–1917 Jock Hamilton 1917–1919 Joe Palmer 1919–1921 Alex Raisbeck 1921–1929 Joe Bradshaw 1929–1932 Bob Hewison 1932–1949 Bob Wright 1949–1950 Pat Beasley 1950–1958 Peter Doherty 1958–1960 Fred Ford 1960–1967 Alan Dicks 1967–1980 Bobby Houghton 1980–1982 Roy Hodgson 1982 Terry Cooper 1982–1988 Joe Jordan 1988–1990 Jimmy Lumsden 1990–1992 Denis Smith 1992–1993 Russell Osman 1993–1994 Joe Jordan 1994–1997 John Ward 1997–1998 Benny Lennartsson 1998–1999 Tony Pulis 1999 Tony Fawthrop & David Burnside 2000 Danny Wilson 2000–2004 Brian Tinnion 2004–2005 Gary Johnson 2005–2010 Steve Coppell 2010 Keith Millen 2010–2011 Derek McInnes 2011–2013 Sean O'Driscoll 2013– Stadium Main article: Ashton Gate stadium Bristol City play at Ashton Gate in the south-west of Bristol, just south of the River Avon. The ground has an all-seated capacity of about 21,500, with an effective capacity (depending on how many away tickets are allocated, and how they are segregated) of around 19,100. It was the home of Bedminster until the 1900 merger, and the merged team played some games there the following season, but it did not become the permanent home of Bristol City until 1904. In the past plans were considered for expansion work to be carried out at Ashton Gate. There were also proposals to build a new 36,000-seat stadium at Hengrove Park. This was turned down in a local referendum in December 2000. In 2002, the local council was looking at possible sites for a new 40,000-seat stadium which would house both City, Rovers and Bristol Rugby, but these plans were scrapped and it is widely accepted that this would not have been welcomed by the majority of supporters from all clubs. Ashton Gate's current capacity is an average size for Championship grounds, however in November 2007 the club announced plans to relocate to a new 30,000 capacity stadium in Ashton Vale plans were also in place to increase capacity to 42,000 had the England 2018 World Cup bid been successful. Gallery The Atyeo Stand Bristol City v. Cardiff City – 15 March 2009 Ashton Gate with Clifton Suspension Bridge in the background An example of the flags used by the "Ultras" in the Wedlock Stand (The Eastend) View from the home section of the Wedlock Stand Inside the Wedlock Stand against fierce rivals, Cardiff City The ground lying empty prior to hosting a concert. Bristol City Women's FC The women's team was formed in 1990 supported by the club's community officer. Their greatest achievement was reaching the semi-finals of the FA Women's Cup in 1994 and winning promotion to the Premier League in 2004. Following the decision by the FA to fund only one centre of excellence in Bristol, the two senior teams were disbanded in June 2008 and the girls youth side merged with the Bristol Academy W.F.C.. The majority of the senior players, with coach Will Roberts, moved to the University of Bath in summer 2008 and now play as AFC TeamBath Ladies in the South West Combination Women's Football League. Notable fans Notable fans of Bristol City include: John Cleese – actor, comedian and former Python Jenson Button – Formula One driver and World Champion in 2009 with Brawn GP Glyn Stone – Professor of International History, University of the West of England. Russell Crowe – actor Records Record League victory – 9–0 v. Aldershot F.C. (28 December 1946) Record FA Cup victory – 11–0 v. Chichester City (5 November 1960) Record League defeat – 0–9 v. Coventry City F.C. (28 April 1934) Highest attendance – 43,335 v. Preston North End (16 February 1935) Highest attendance (at any ground) – 86,703 v. Hull City Championship Play-Off Final – Wembley Stadium – (24 May 2008) Most League appearances – 597, John Atyeo (1951–66) Most League goals scored – 314, John Atyeo (1951–66) Most goals scored (overall) – 351, John Atyeo (1951–66) Most goals scored in a season – 36, Don Clark (1946–47) Record transfer fee paid – £2.25 million to Crewe Alexandra for Nicky Maynard (July 2008) Record transfer fee received – £3.5 million from Wolverhampton Wanderers for Ade Akinbiyi (July 1999) Record sequence of League wins – 14; 9 September 1905 – 2 December 1905 – This is a joint league record. Most appearances # Name Career Appearances 1 John Atyeo 1951–1966 645 2 Louis Carey 1995–2004; 2005–present 644 3 Trevor Tainton 1967–1982 581 4 Brian Tinnion 1993–2005 551 5 Tom Ritchie 1972–1981; 1983–1985 504 6 Gerry Sweeney 1971–1981 490 7 Rob Newman 1981–1991 483 8 Gerry Gow 1969–1981 445 (446th in testimonial match) 9 Geoff Merrick 1967–1982 433 10 Scott Murray 1997–2003; 2004–2009 427 Most club appearances including substitute appearances in all competitions (excluding Gloucestershire Cup). Updated 30 January 2013. Note: On 29 January 2013, Carey has moved into only 1 place of tying with John Ateyo, he is due to level with him on 2 February 2013. References Woods, David M. (1994). The Bristol Babe: The First 100 Years of Bristol City F.C. Harefield, Middlesex: Yore Publications. ISBN 1-874427-95-X. External links Official website Bristol City Supporters Trust