Bristol City v Middlesbrough

ROB NS 

2021/22 OFFICIAL BRISTOL CITY DIGITAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME 

v MIDDLESBROUGH 

SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP 

ASHTON GATE | SAT FEB 19 | 3PM 

PRINCIPAL 

PARTNER 

MATCH 

SPONSOR

In a UK-first for a sporting 

group, Bristol Sport is 

delighted to announce 

that eCommerce 

fulfilment company Huboo will 

become the Principal Partner 

for all FIVE of its professional 

sporting teams from the start of 

the 2022/23 season. 

The groundbreaking deal sees 

Bristol-based Huboo become 

Principal Partner for Bristol City 

men and women, Bristol Bears 

men and women and Bristol 

Flyers. Huboo will feature on 

the front of our shirts for the 

2022/23 season and on the 

front of the shirts for each club 

within the Bristol Sport group. 

Bristol Sport Founder and City 

Owner Steve Lansdown CBE 

said: “It’s what we’ve been 

aspiring to ever since we formed 

Bristol Sport back in 2014. We 

are now able to work with a local 

company that has grown rapidly 

itself and looking to improve its 

own standing in the marketplace. 

Bristol Sport offers a unique 

opportunity to associate with 

all different types of sports, 

fanbases and communities. 

“We’ve always said sport will 

support the city and the city 

should support sport. Here we 

have a local business supporting 

all of our sports and that is 

fantastic and I’m really looking 

forward to us working together 

over the next few years to take 

us both forward.” 

Bristol-headquartered Huboo 

was founded in 2017 by Martin 

Bysh and Paul Dodd. In the last 

four years the company has 

expanded its operations from 

one warehouse to operating 

four fulfilment centres across 

the UK, along with a head office 

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centres in the Netherlands and 

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next 12 months, the decision to 

partner with Bristol Sport and 

its teams was a strategic one 

to promote the brand across 

multiple platforms and markets. 

Mark Kelly, Managing Director 

of Bristol Sport, added: “We 

are really excited to be able to 

welcome Huboo to the sporting 

group. As we’ve got to know each 

other we’ve all been struck by 

the similarities between our two 

organisations. The values and 

the ambition that we both share.” 

THE ROB NS Middlesbrough | 3

THE 

GAFFER 

G 

ood afternoon and a 

special welcome to you 

all as we get ready to 

host Middlesbrough 

for Saturday’s Sky Bet 

Championship match. 

As you will no doubt be aware, today is a very 

special day in the calendar of this football club, as 

we mark the 40th anniversary since the events of 

February 1982. The Ashton Gate Eight were asked 

to tear up their contracts to save the club from 

financial disaster. They were players who gave 

everything for Bristol City 

and were faced with the 

most unfair ultimatum. 

Their selfless sacrifice 

40 years ago this month 

ensured the club could 

bounce back and without 

them we would not be 

heading down to Ashton 

Gate for football this 

Saturday afternoon. 

Please give the warmest 

of receptions when we 

welcome the Ashton 

Gate Eight to the pitch 

before kick-off: Peter 

Aitken, Chris Garland, 

Jimmy Mann, Julian Marshall, Geoff Merrick, David 

Rodgers, Gerry Sweeney and Trevor Tainton. Season 

Card holders will be receiving a special brochure 

dedicated to the aforementioned players so I do 

hope you enjoy it – it’s certainly worth a read. 

Our opponents today also went through a similar 

financial disaster back in 1986 and, despite the 

death of the club being announced on Tyne Tees 

Television, they were saved with just ten minutes 

TODAY IS A DAY 

WHERE WE CAN 

TAKE A MOMENT 

TO APPRECIATE 

THE SACRIFICES 

PEOPLE HAVE 

MADE TO KEEP 

BOTH CLUBS 

AFLOAT. 

left of the registration deadline. Steve Gibson, 

a member of the Board at the time and current 

chairman, brought together a consortium, and with 

time running out they completed their registration 

with the Football League for the 1986/87 season. 

Today is a day where we can take a moment to 

appreciate what people have been through and the 

sacrifices they have made to keep both clubs afloat. 

Turning my attentions to the pitch, we need to 

be on the front foot today and show what we are 

capable of against an in-form Boro side. Chris 

Wilder has been a great 

influence since he joined 

as manager in November 

and I have a lot of respect 

for both him and Alan 

Knill, even if myself and 

Chris did play for different 

sides in Sheffield at the 

same time! We extend 

that respect to his staff, 

players and supporters 

but from the first whistle 

we need to be ready. 

Again, we’re looking to 

bounce back after defeat 

at Swansea City last time 

out. The game was there 

to be won. We showed that with the chances we 

created, we made Swansea work but in the end 

our own costly mistakes proved to be the downfall. 

Today we are playing in front of our loyal fanbase 

and legends of this club who, quite rightly, demand 

a performance of commitment. 

Enjoy the game! 

Nige 

NIGEL 

PEARSON 

4 | THE ROB NSMiddlesbrough 


HERE’S 

A ST AT 

I BET 

YOU 

DIDN’T 

KN W 

OVER HALF A MILLION 

SKY BET CUSTOMERS USE DEPOSIT LIMITS 

TO MANAGE THEIR BETTING BUDGET. 

THAT’S ENOUGH TO FILL: 

6 WEMBLEYS. 

201 ALLY PALLYS. 

OR 8 CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP DAYS. 

(THAT’S A LOT OF TWEED) 

ALL GOOD BOOKMAKERS 

HAVE DEPOSIT LIMITS. 

SO WHOEVER YOU BET WITH, 

SET AN APPROPRIATE ONE FOR YOU 

AND THEN ENJOY THE SPORT. 

DEPOSIT LIMITS 

THAT’S BETTING BETTER.

MIDDLESBROUGH 

CLUB FACTS 

GROUND 

THE RIVERSIDE 

STADIUM 

CAN CITY HALT A BORO 

SIDE BEATEN ONLY ONCE IN 

THEIR LAST 13 GAMES IN ALL 

COMPETITIONS? 

Today's two sides have shared 

just one goalless draw – away 

at Teesside in January 2010 – 

in 24 matches since December 

1993. City last beat Boro at 

home in December 2017. The 

reverse fixture this season 

ended in a 2-1 win for Boro. 

V 

HEAD TO HEAD 

84 

MATCHES PLAYED 

Best victory: 4-1, November 1977 / 

September 1909 

Worst defeat: 3-6, February 1960 

2021/22 IN NUMBERS 

W 

27 

CITY v BORO 

32.1 % 

WIN RATE 

D 22 

L 

35 

FORMED 

1876 

MANAGER 

CHRIS WILDER 

44 

GOALS 

SCORED 

61 

GOALS 

CONCEDED 

LEAGUE 

POSITION 

R3 

17 TH 

R1 

42 

GOALS 

SCORED 

34 

GOALS 

CONCEDED 

POSITION 

R5 

v TOTTENHAM, 

MARCH 2022 

6 TH 

R1 

NICKNAME 

BORO 

HONOURS 

1 

15 

TOP SCORER 

ANDI 

WEIMANN 

YELLOW 

63 1 

CARDS 

RED 

CARDS 

7 

MOST 

ASSISTS 

ANTOINE 

SEMENYO 

8TOP SCORER 

MATT 

CROOKS 

YELLOW 

73 2 

CARDS 

8 

MOST 

ASSISTS 

ISAIAH 

JONES 

RED 

CARDS 

Highest league finish 

Third in Division One, 1913/14 

League Cup winners 

2003/04 

FA Cup runners-up 

1996/97 

UEFA Cup runners up 

2005/06 

Anglo-Scottish Cup winners 

1976 

Second tier winners 

1926/27, 1928/29, 1973/74, 1994/95 

Clockwise from top: Manager Chris Wilder; Slovenian international 

striker Andraž Šporar, on loan Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun and 

experienced defender Sol Bamba. 

POSSESSION 

44.2 % 

PASSING PERCENTAGE 

68.6 % 

TACKLE SUCCESS 

LEAGUE ONE CHAMPIONSHIP 

68.2 % 

AVERAGE AERIAL 

DUELS WON 

25.4 

7.01 

BEST AVERAGE 

RATING (OPTA) 

ANTOINE 

SEMENYO 

7.15 

BEST AVERAGE 

RATING (OPTA) 

MATT 

CROOKS 

POSSESSION 

47.3 % 

PASSING PERCENTAGE 

72.3 % 

TACKLE SUCCESS 

71 % 

AVERAGE AERIAL 

DUELS WON 

21.2 

8 | THE ROB NS Middlesbrough 


MIDDLESBROUGH 

DID YOU 

KNOW? 

Tomas Kalas helped Middlesbrough reach the 

Premier League, after featuring 26 times in the 

Championship during the 2015/16 season. His 

efforts ensured a second-placed finish as Boro 

clinched promotion as runners-up. 

KEY PLAYER 

35 

ISAIAH JONES 

The Lambeth-born youngster has 

impressed on Teesside since he first 

joined the development squad from 

Tooting & Mitcham in May 2019. 

He was introduced to the first team, 

making one FA Cup appearance 

in 2020/21, however it’s been a 

breakthrough season for him this time 

around, with 30 appearances in all 

competitions which has included eight 

assists, three Man of the Match awards 

and one Championship goal. 

MIDDLESBROUGH HEAD TO BS3 

AS THE CHAMPIONSHIP'S 

IN-FORM SIDE, HAVING LOST ONLY 

TWICE SINCE CHRIS WILDER TOOK 

CHARGE IN NOVEMBER. 

The former Sheffield United 

manager replaced Neil Warnock 

after Boro’s slow start to the 

2021/22 campaign; they had 

won six, lost eight (including 

a Round One Carabao Cup 

exit) and drawn five prior to 

Warnock’s sacking. 

Now, thanks to an unbeaten run 

of eight games between late 

November-mid January, they 

have positioned themselves 

in the play-off hunt. They head 

into the weekend’s fixtures in 

sixth place – a single point 

behind Huddersfield Town with 

two games in hand. 

Chris Martin is challenged by Boro defender Anfernee Dijksteel during 

City's trip to the Riverside Stadium in August which ended in a 2-1 defeat. 

The 22-year-old’s league debut came on 

the opening day, as he assisted Marc 

Bola’s equaliser against Fulham, before 

his first league start against Bristol City 

later in August. 

Jones, who can play between the forward 

and midfield lines, has previously spent 

spells on loan at St Johnstone and Queen 

of the South. 

He was awarded a new long-term deal 

with Boro in November 2021, extending 

his stay with the club until 2025. 

Wilder's side are currently four 

unbeaten in all competitions, 

which included a decisive 

penalty shoot-out victory over 

Manchester United in the FA 

Cup just two weeks ago. 

Meanwhile Matt Crooks 

scored his eighth goal in all 

competitions last time out, as 

the Teessiders claimed a 4-1 

win over troubled Derby County. 

With plenty at stake as they 

look to maintain their claim for 

a top-six finish, Wilder – who 

took Sheffield United into the 

Premier League in his previous 

managerial spell – is keen for 

the focus to remain on the 

pitch, despite several out-ofcontract 

stars wondering what 

their futures will hold at the end 

of the season. 

Club captain Jonny Howson, 

Sol Bamba and Lee Peltier all 

conclude their current deals 

in the summer. They are free 

to begin conversations with 

other clubs, but the manager 

has confirmed there will be 

no discussions over potential 

extensions until the season is 

completed. 

Boro have, however, moved 

to tie down rising young stars 

Josh Coburn and Isaiah Jones 

at the Riverside until 2025; and 

the January transfer window 

saw the permanent arrivals of 

midfielders Caolan Boyd-Munce 

and Riley McGree, and the 

loan signing of Arsenal striker 

Folarin Balogun. 



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BRISTOL CITY 

WOMEN 

City Women's 

club record 

league goalscorer 

Abi Harrison 

ABI DAYS! 

SCOTTISH STRIKER SETS CLUB RECORD 

Football is a game of many opinions, but 

there is one that we must all share. There is 

no place for discrimination in our game. If 

you do not agree, then you are not welcome. 

If you see or hear discrimination in this 

stadium, please report it to the nearest 

steward or via the Kick it Out App. 

Because we are all 

Abi Harrison 

has become 

City’s all-time 

leading 

league goalscorer in a 3-0 win 

over Durham. 

She opened the scoring in the 

10th minute when she cooly 

lobbed the keeper after Melissa 

Johnson played a looping ball 

over the top. Harrison then 

doubled City's lead with her 

record 14th league goal for the 

club as she smashed home from 

close range after a wicked ball 

into the box from Ella Powell. 

Aggie Beever-Jones put the 

game to bed in the second 

half to cap a pleasing all-round 

performance for Head Coach 

Lauren Smith. 

Commenting on striker Harrison’s 

accolades, Smith said: “She 

does it week-in, week-out. She’ll 

score the goal and then clears 

the lines. 

"She battles hard, she deserves 

this for her work-rate, her 

leadership and everything she 

does. I’m sure there are many 

more goals to come from her.” 

Harrison commented: "I go 

into most games knowing 

the opportunities are going to 

come because I play with great 

players so it's up to me to take 

those opportunities and I have 

managed to do that.” 

The squad are currently on 

international break, with call-ups 

for Harrison (Scotland), Chloe 

Bull and Ffion Morgan (Wales), 

Fran Bentley (England U23s), 

Beever-Jones (England U-19s), 

Brooke Aspin (England U17s) 

and Naomi Layzell (England 

Development Phase Camp). 

#TogetherAgainstDiscrimination 

BUY BRISTOL CITY WOMEN TICKETS 

Download the Kick it Out app for free from your app store. 

EFL.com 


THIS AFTERNOON WE MARK THE 40TH 

ANNIVERSARY SINCE THE DAY CITY WAS 

SAVED BY THE ASHTON GATE EIGHT. 

JAMES CRAWLEY TELLS THEIR STORY... 

EIGHT 

MEN HAD 

A DREAM... 

At the end of the 1975/76 

season, City were enjoying 

promotion to the top tier 

of English football under 

Manager Alan Dicks. 

An exhilarating and impressive 1-0 win over Arsenal 

at Highbury on the opening day of the 1976/77 

campaign, followed by an early run of form, gave 

supporters much to cheer. Few would have been 

forgiven for wondering what the club could go on 

to achieve after a 65-year absence from the First 

Division. 

The signings of the late Norman ‘Bet Yer Legs’ Hunter, 

Peter Cormack and Chris Garland helped the Robins 

compete; but survival was only ensured on the final 

day of the season in a tense but ultimately baffling 2-2 

draw at Coventry City. Dicks’ side battled back from 

2-0 down in a match remembered for the scoreboard 

indicating Sunderland’s early defeat elsewhere. With 

the scores as they now were, both Coventry and City 

were safe from relegation and the two sides were 

more than happy to play keep ball in their own half for 

the remainder of the match. 

But the club couldn’t ignore the fact that immediate 

relegation had been on the cards and further 

investment was seen as a way of taking the club 

forward. City narrowly avoided the drop again the 

following year. 

NEED FOR MORE MONEY 

By 1978 player contracts had changed. Previously, 

players were tied to their clubs, even after the 

expiration of the contract, but now the footballing 

picture had shifted allowing players the freedom to 

leave their clubs once their contract had 

expired. 

The loss of Gary Collier was one example where he 

exercised his right under Freedom Of Contract in 1979. 

He became the first British player to make use of the 

new legislation, ending his seven-year association with 

the Robins. Dicks approached the Board asking for 

the club to reward loyalty, which soon led to improved, 

longer-term contracts for players. Clive Whitehead 

received an 11-year-deal, though he subsequently left 

the club prior to the 1982 financial crisis. 

SLIDE FROM GRACE 

After a 13th place finish in 1978/79, City – who had 

been as high as sixth early in the campaign – were 

relegated back to the second tier the following season, 

bringing their top-flight run to an end after four years. 

By 1980, there were rumours of discontent at Board 

level. Dicks was relieved of his duties in September and 

Stephen Kew stood down from his role as Chairman. 

A second successive relegation meant City were 

playing in the third tier for the first time in 16 years, 

but it went from bad to worse with a third-successive 

relegation seeing City slide into the Fourth Division in 

1982 under the brief management of Roy Hodgson. 

This meant City were the first club to drop from the 

top flight to the fourth tier in successive seasons, but 

at least the club was still going, as had very nearly not 

been the case just a few months before the end of the 

campaign…. 

SOARING DEBTS 

It wasn’t just the on-field decline which brought City 

to its knees. While the club’s move to award players 

improved, longer-term deals was seen as a way of 

keeping their best players, in the years of relegation 

and declining gate receipts it was a financial problem 

that caused near doom. 4 



INTERVIEW GEOFF MERRICK 

Perhaps in 

the thick of 

it more than 

any other was 

captain Geoff Merrick. At the 

club since a boy, he went to 

become a proud club captain 

but recalls well the difficult 

and emotional time of 1982. 

It actually started with names on a piece of paper, which 

Merrick received from Jimmy Mann after Merrick turned up at 

the ground after playing in a reserve game against Arsenal. 

“It was a wonderfully small piece of paper, I wish I’d kept it,” 

Merrick recalls. “It didn’t allude to anything . That’s when it all 

started and we all went to that first meeting.” 

“It was there we were told we had to be out of the club in a 

week (an extension was agreed) that we were to accept the 

offer on the table and leave in order to save the club.” 

"THE OVERALL 

EMOTION THAT 

NEVER LEFT ME 

WAS...BRISTOL CITY 

WAS MY LIFE" 

Merrick went on to describe “intense” pressure with players 

needing to go back and reveal the news to their families. 

“For myself, like some of the Eight, we were being given a 

week or so to plan our futures to save our families. So, it was 

pressurised, right up to the end of those discussions.” 

In the end, Merrick had to say farewell to the club he had long 

supported but his love for the Robins remains true to this 

day: “The whole thing made me bitter to an extent but the 

overall emotion that never left me was the fact that Bristol 

City was my life,” he said. “I had been there since 13, a fan 

from seven. I knew I wanted the club to carry on and have 

success after us." 

Merrick went on to play in Hong Kong along with teammate 

Chris Garland before returning to the West Country to play 

at the likes of Bridgwater Town and Bath City. He now runs a 

farm near Nailsea. 

The eight wait in the lounge at 

the Dragonara Hotel prior to the 

announcement. 

4The club was reported to have been in £850,000 

worth of debt and owed the Inland Revenue £100,000, 

alongside making thousands of pounds worth of weekly 

losses – not forgetting transfer fees still to be paid. 

Falling attendances might have been noticed by 

the players but they were not aware of the financial 

landscape behind closed doors. Daily questions were 

being asked just how much longer the club could go on 

and, at the turn of the calendar year in 1982, it was in 

dire straits. 

CRUNCH MEETINGS 

The club was in a position where income was not 

covering player wages. The idea of a rescue package had 

been touted and two Bristol businessmen, Deryn Coller 

and Ken Sage, led the way in the form of a new Board. 

The Monday after City’s cup clash with Aston Villa on 

January 23rd, the eight players were called to Ashton 

Gate. There they were greeted by the club’s directors 

and solicitors and told they would need to tear up their 

contracts. The players and club sought further advice 

and the Players’ Football Association were called in. 

While discussions continued, action continued on the 

pitch with City holding Newport County a 1-1 draw. That 

fixture could well have been the club’s last-ever game. 

Supporters rallied and one director was said to have 

even remortgaged the family home to raise funds but 

the club remained in financial crisis. Then, on February 

3rd 1982 with the deadline fast approaching, the eight 

INTERVIEW GERRY SWEENEY 

It might have been the 

Ashton Gate Seven but 

for Gerry Sweeney’s 

name added to the list 

late on. The Scot had been 

out washing his car when the 

phone rang summoning him 

to the ground and it was there 

the club’s financial ruin was 

laid out. 

“We were told we had half-an-hour to tear up our contracts. 

Even then I thought it was a joke but Geoff said we won’t be 

giving you half-an-hour’s notice and he phoned the PFA. I 

knew it was serious then,” he recalled. 

“The advice was to do nothing, not to accept anything 

at that stage and the next thing we had the PFA down to 

support us, who were absolutely brilliant.” 

players knew they had no choice but to agree to the 

termination of their contracts. They knew that by not 

doing so the club would go bust and other people would 

lose their jobs. 

They all accepted £10,000 compensation plus a share 

of £82,750 (agreed between the PFA and the new Board) 

which was raised at a special, commemorative fixture at 

Ashton Gate between Ipswich Town and Southampton. 

BACK FROM THE BRINK 

There was a sense of new beginnings for the club, now 

run by a Board split in two – one for selling assets and 

the other for financial stability. It was a rebuilding project 

indeed but City rode the wave, notably enjoying success 

under the management of former player Terry Cooper. 

Future Wembley successes, memorable giant killings 

in the cups and a double-winning promotion campaign 

would never have been possible but for the players’ 

selfless action all those years ago, and everyone 

connected with the club today salutes them for that. 

"I SAID TO MAUREEN: 'THIS WAS IT, THIS 

COULD BE THE END OF BRISTOL CITY." 

He was also thankful to the support of his late wife, who 

stood by his side throughout. Gerry continued: “I said to 

Maureen that this was it, this could be the end of Bristol 

City. We were both thinking of the supporters and the people 

who work at the club. I knew we couldn’t let the club go 

down so we had no choice but to accept small portions to 

leave and help the club survive. Maureen said: 'If it's right, 

then tear up your contract. We will get by because you have 

always been a trier and we’ll just have to watch our pennies 

a bit more.' 

“All the boys were in similar positions but we all agreed the 

club needed to be saved." 

Sweeney went on to play at York City where he retired. He 

was also a security guard before entering the print trade. He 

later returned to football in a coaching capacity alongside 

his job as a postperson in nearby Portishead, where he lives 

to this day. 



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WHO WERE 

THE EIGHT? 

PETER AITKEN 

Born: 

Cardiff, 

30.06.1954 

Appearances: 

55 

The former Bristol Rovers captain 

was into his second year with 

the Robins when the club nearly 

collapsed. The defender signed 

for York City and went on to play 

non-league at Bath City. He was later 

a coach at Bristol Rovers, where he 

made over 200 appearances prior to 

joining City in 1980. 

JULIAN MARSHALL 

Born: 

Swansea 

06.07.1957 

Appearances: 

36 

The youngest of the Eight, Marshall 

made 32 appearances in his first 

season after being signed from 

Hereford United but struggled 

for game time in 1981/82. The 

tall defender later had spells with 

Blackburn and Walsall as well as 

representing non-League outfits 

Worcester City and Stourbridge. 

CHRIS GARLAND 

Born: 

Bristol, 

24.04.1949 

Appearances: 

248 

He first joined the club aged 15 in 

1964, scoring 31 goals from 143 

league appearances before a move 

to Chelsea. He came back to City 

in 1976 before his departure in 

February 1982. A brief spell in Hong 

Kong followed but he did make a 

temporary return to the Robins until 

his retirement in February 1983. 

JIMMY MANN 

Born: 

Goole, 

15.12.1952 

Appearances: 

283 

Recruited from Leeds United, the 

Yorkshire-born midfielder with a 

rocket shot went on to score 31 

goals from 231 league appearances 

for City before a move back north 

to Barnsley. He had brief spells at 

Scunthorpe United and Doncaster 

Rovers, before retiring with his 

hometown club Goole Town. 

GEOFF MERRICK 

Born: 


29.04.1951 

Appearances: 

434 

The man who led City into the 

First Division as captain in 1976 

represented Bristol Boys and 

England Schoolboys before joining 

his hometown club. After his long 

and illustrious City career ended, the 

defender had a spell playing in Hong 

Kong before returning to play non- 

League football in the West Country. 

DAVID RODGERS 

GERRY SWEENEY 

TREVOR TAINTON 

Born: 


28.02.1952 

Appearances: 

235 

Born: 

Glasgow, 

10.07.1945 

Appearances: 

490 

Born: 


08.06.1948 

Appearances: 

593 

Buy or finance a car online and we’ll deliver it to 

your door with a 7-Day Money Back Guarantee. 

The son of former Robins striker 

Arnold Rodgers, he won England 

Schoolboy honours before signing his 

first professional contract at Ashton 

Gate in July 1969. An old-fashioned 

central defender, he later moved 

to Torquay United and Lincoln City 

before joining non-league Forest 

Green Rovers. 

Sweeney was the oldest of the Eight 

aged 36, with 18 months remaining 

on his contract. A right-back, who 

also played in midfield for the club, 

after February 1982 he and Aitken 

joined York City before a spell with 

Gloucester City. He went on to coach 

at Walsall and later returned to City 

as assistant to Joe Jordan. 

The third highest appearance-maker 

for the club after Louis Carey and 

John Atyeo, he had signed for City 

on leaving school at the age of 15 

in 1962. The central midfielder later 

moved to Torquay United alongside 

Rodgers, making 19 appearances 

before joining non-league Trowbridge 

Town in 1983. 


894189418941894 

CITY 

ARCHIVES 

894189418941894 

894 HALL 1894 OF 1894 FAME 1894 

PAUL GAINEY PROFILES LONG-SERVING GERRY SWEENEY 

894189418941894 

Versatile 

The amiable Scotsman was 

full-back 

the fastest man on the training 

Gerry 

ground. His performances on the 

894Sweeney 

1894 1894 

pitch won the fans 1894 

over with his 

was an influential figure 

vision for a pass, tackling ability 

in Bristol City's 1975/76 

and limitless stamina. His superb 

promotion campaign. 

fitness could leave players 

89418941894 

standing in his slipstream 1894 

and 

Initially with Celtic, he 

he had a real ability to read the 

competed in the Scottish 

game and be composed under 

League during five years at 

pressure. 

894189418941894 

Morton before Alan Dicks paid 

£22,000 for him in August 1971. 

In the spring of 1976, manager Alan Dicks 

pushed Gerry up from right-back into midfield. 

894 

He helped City reach the 1894 

FA Cup sixth round He 1894 

responded with a succession of stirring 1894 

in 1973/74 and win the Anglo-Scottish Cup in performances, displaying both vision and strength, 

1977/78. He had played 490 games and netted scoring three goals in four games to keep City’s 

29 goals until the 'Ashton Gate Eight' crisis forced promotion challenge alive. His winner against 

894 

his release in 1982. The 1894 

tough Scot recovered and West 1894 

Bromwich Albion was superb, bettered 1894 

only 

had a spell at York City before ending his playing by his thumping volley to secure a point against 

career in the non-league. 

Sunderland, the eventual champions. 

8941894After 1894 

a short spell as assistant at Walsall 

1894 

and 

Sweeney in action 

working as a postman in Portishead, he finally 

at Ashton Gate in 

January 1981 

returned to his beloved Bristol City as part of Joe 

8941894Jordan's 1894 

coaching staff during the Scot’s 

1894 

second 

term, spending a short spell in caretaker charge 

before John Ward's arrival as manager. He was 

later a familiar face in the Ashton Gate press box, 

8941894working 1894 

for the Press Association at City 1894 

matches. 

He gave hundred per cent commitment to our club 

and it is a tribute to his phenomenal fitness – he 

8941894was 1894 

nicknamed ‘Yifter the Shifter' after 1894 

the great 

Ethiopian long-distance runner – that he played 

league football until he was nearly 37. 

894189418941894 

28 | T HE ROB NS Middlesbrough 

1894 

1894 

1894 

MIKE ADAMS CONTINUES 

1894 

HIS LOOK BACK AT 

TERRY COOPER'S SPELL IN 

CHARGE OF THE ROBINS 

1894 

BOOKIES 1894 

Despite finishing 

16 points short of 

the play-offs the 

previous season, 

the bookies not only made City 6/4 

favourites for promotion but 6/1 

favourites for the title in 1986/87. 

City had lost winger Howard 

Pritchard and bustling forward 

Steve Johnson over the summer 

but manager Terry Cooper was 

confident he had strengthened 

his City squad by bringing in 

Paul Fitzpatrick from Bolton, 

Gary Hamson from Leeds, John 

MacPhail from York and – at the 

last moment – winger Gordon 

Owen from Barnsley. 

The six-foot, four-inch tall 

Fitzpatrick had impressed Cooper 

playing against City during the 

previous season. As per Alan 

1894 

1894 

MacPhail. 

1894 

1894 

1894 

1894 

his worth – both City goals 

1894 

1894 

Walsh, Cooper exploited the 

League Tribunal System to broker 

a good deal for central defender 

The two opening games promised 

on paper contrasting opposition. 

City would open the season at 

Ashton Gate against Bury, who had 

only narrowly avoided relegation the 

previous season, before travelling 

to Pritchard’s new club Gillingham, 

who had missed out on promotion 

by just five points. Both games 

were destined to end in a draw. 

Against Bury Owen soon showed 

coming from his corners. Bobby 

Hutchinson headed home City’s 

first on 32 minutes but the 

euphoria lasted barely one minute 

before Alan Taylor equalised. 

David Moyes then restored City’s 

Bobby Hutchinson heads 

CIty's opening goal of the 

season against Bury; top left 

new signing Gary Hamson 

FAVOURITES 

189 

189 

189 

189 

189 

189 

189 

189 

189 

189 

189 

189 

189 

lead with another header just after 

the hour mark only for Greenwood 

to level again for the visitors and 

there was no further score. 

It was a similar scenario at the 

Priestfield Stadium where new boy 

Hamson opened the scoring just 

after the half-hour. Half-time was 

imminent (reached according to 

Cooper) when that man Pritchard 

took the corner from which David 

Shearer fired in the Gills’ equaliser 

from close range. 

Later in the month, along with 

Rovers manager Bobby Gould, 

Cooper voiced his backing for 

Luton Town, whom the League had 

eliminated from the Littlewoods 

Cup. Luton’s ‘crime’ was to ban 

away fans following serious 

damage to Kenilworth Road by 

Millwall fans. 


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8941894189418941894189418941894 

894 CITY 1894 IN CARTOONS 1894 1894 1894 YOU 1894 CAN 1894 1894 

with club historian David Woods 

QUOTE ME 

8941894189418941894 

ON THAT 1894 1894 1894 

The 40th anniversary of the ‘Ashton Gate Eight’ makes this an appropriate time to reproduce one 

of the few sports-related cartoons to appear in the local press after Bob Bennett’s retirement. 

His last in connection with a City match appeared in the ‘Bristol Evening Post’ on March 15th 

894 

1965, but his penmanship 1894 

continued with a couple of Rovers 1894 

matches until his final sports 1894 

offering, which 1894 

STEVE SMITH 1894 

LOOKS BACK 1894 1894 

appeared on the April 12th 1965; this for Bristol Rugby’s Memorial Ground meeting with Llanelli. 

AT AN INTERVIEW WITH 

FORMER CITY CAPTAIN, AND 

MEMBER OF THE ASHTON 

8941894189418941894189418941894 

GATE EIGHT, GEOFF MERRICK 

1 0 

Ford 74 (pen) 

The 40th anniversary of 

Saturday, March 13th 1965 | Division Three 

8941894189418941894the 1894 

Ashton Gate Eight is With 1894 

a group of players virtually unknown 1894 

in what is 

Promotion jitters almost cost City this game. Struggling 

to get into their stride, City are saved by the fortunate 

remembered today – a group now the Premier League, will that also hinder their 

award of a penalty when Gordon Fincham’s header spins 

which includes former club cause for staying up? 

towards goal and strikes Ken Barnes on the arm. Tony 

captain Geoff Merrick. 

894 

Ford maintained his perfect 1894 

spot-kick record by firing the 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 

When Bristol City returned “We have some excellent players and I’m sure quite a 

ball past Colin Tinsley. . 

to the top-flight of English few are going to make their mark at this level.” 

City: Gibson; Ford, Briggs; Parr, Connor, Low; Savino, 

Atyeo, Bush, Clark, Hooper. 

football for the 1976/77 

894 

Luton: Tinsley; Barton, Jardine; 1894 

Gibson, Fincham, Reid; 1894 1894 1894 

season, the August 21st 1894 

1976 edition of Shoot! It 1894 

wasn’t that long ago that 25-year-old 1894 

Geoff was a 

Pleat, McKechnie, O’Rourke, Phillips, Rioch. 

magazine interviewed Geoff to ask him how the club target for Arsenal at a price tag of £250,000, along 

Referee: HG New (Portsmouth) 

would approach the new campaign after a 65-year with striker Tom Ritchie. 

Attendance: 11,001 (£1,974.1s.0d) 

wait for First Division football. 

89418941894189418941894“The 1894 

story got around that I had not asked 1894 

to be 

“We would hate to be relegated straight away and we transferred, but that isn’t quite true. It was all settled 

must bear in mind what happened to other clubs like at board level and, to be frank, I was a little unsettled 

Luton Town and Carlisle United in recent seasons.” for a couple of weeks when the bid was made public. 

894 

With the club being saved when eight players agreed to sacrifice their contracts on 

February 3rd 1982, it was a young City team that took the field against promotion 

chasers Fulham three days later and the ‘Bristol Evening Post’, perhaps not 

knowingly, revived the 

1894 

City’s ‘Babes’ nickname in their 

1894 

cartoon which appeared on the eve 

1894 

of the game. 

1894 1894 1894 1894 

Both these clubs went down after one season in 

Division One in 1974/75. 

“After all, I wanted First Division football as much as 

the next man and Arsenal are a big club. But the way 

89418941894 

0 1894 0 1894 

“So I think the best thing 1894 

for us is to aim as high as things 1894 

have turned out, I’m delighted 1894 

I stayed. 

Saturday, February 6th 1982 | Division Three 

possible and not just think in ‘safety-first’ terms. We 

A triumph for City, who had been given up for dead earlier 

must have confidence from the start – and show the “I’ve been with Bristol City for ten years, joining them 

in the week. Denuded by the departure of the Ashton Gate 

same sort of determination that won us promotion,” straight from school, and I love playing for them. I’m 

Eight, they never looked in danger of losing against highriding 

Fulham. The Bristol Babes matched 

89418941894 

1894 

their opponents 

1894 

says the City skipper. But 1894 

does he feel a run of only 1894 

too pleased I’ve satisfied my ambition 1894 

to play 

for skill and with their enthusiasm often outplayed them. 

injuries will be a threat to survival? 

in Division One – and with the club I’ve always been 

City: Moller; Stevens, Hay; Newman (Smith), Williams, 

with, too. 

Nicholls; Musker, Bray, Chandler, Harford, Economou. 

“I would like to see us sign one or two more 

89418941894 

Fulham: Peyton; Lock, Strong; O’Driscoll, 1894 

Brown, Gale; 1894 

experienced players, to give 

1894 

us cover. But that is up “It 

1894 

certainly seems to be going for us 

1894 

now. And I don’t 

Tempest, Wilson, Coney, O’Sullivan, Lewington. 

Referee: MJ Heath (Stoke-on-Trent) 

to the manager, Alan Dicks, and I’m sure he is already think we will let anyone down now we are up with 

Attendance: 9,312 (£12,272.50) 

planning ahead.” 

the best.” 

8941894189418941894189418941894 

32 | T HE ROB NS Middlesbrough THE ROB NS Middlesbrough | 33

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TODAY'S 

SQUADS 

Saturday February 19th, 3pm kick-off | Ashton Gate | Sky Bet Championship 

v 

TODAY'S 

FIXTURES 

Fulham v Huddersfield 

Blackburn v Millwall 

City v Middlesbrough 

Cardiff v Blackpool 

Coventry v Barnsley 

Derby v Peterborough 

Luton v West Brom 

Preston v Reading 

QPR v Hull 

Sheff Utd v Swansea 

Stoke v Birmingham 

BRISTOL CITY 

MIDDLESBROUGH 

Played yesterday 

Bournemouth v N Forest 

MANAGER 

Nigel PEARSON 

1 Dan BENTLEY 

2 Danny SIMPSON 

3 Jay DAS I LVA 

5 Rob ATKINSON 

6 Matty JAMES 

8 Joe WILLIAMS 

9 Chris MARTIN 

10 Andy KING 

11 Callum O’DOWDA 

12 Max O'LEARY 

14 Andreas WEIMANN 

16 Cameron PRING 

17 Nathan BAKER 

18 Antoine SEMENYO 

19 George TANNER 

21 Nahki WELLS 

22 Tomas KALAS 

24 Robbie CUNDY 

25 Timm KLOSE 

26 Zak VYNER 

31 Duncan IDEHEN 

33 Sam BELL 

34 Ryley TOWLER 

36 Alex SCOTT 

HOME 

KIT 

37 Tommy CONWAY 

38 Ayman BENAROUS 

42 Han-Noah MASSENGO 

45 Kasey PALMER 

MANAGER 

Chris WILDER 

1 Joe LUMLEY 

2 Anfernee DIJKSTEEL 

3 Neil TAYLOR 

4 Grant HALL 

6 Dael FRY 

7 Marcus TAVERNIER 

10 Martín PAYE RO 

11 Andraž ŠPORAR 

13 Toyosi OLUSANYA 

14 Lee PELTIER 

15 Nathan WOOD 

16 Jonny HOWSON 

17 Paddy McNAIR 

18 Duncan WATMORE 

20 Darnell FISHER 

21 Sammy AMEOBI 

22 Sol BAMBA 

23 James Léa SILIKI 

25 Matt CROOKS 

26 Aaron CONNOLLY 

27 Marc BOLA 

28 Luke DANIELS 

31 Sol BRYNN 

35 Isaiah JONES 

37 Josh COBURN 

47 Folarin BALOGUN 

48 Riley McGREE 

AWAY 

KIT 

50 Caolan BOYD-MUNCE 

MATCH OFFICIALS 

LEAGUE 

TABL E 

Not including 

yesterday's game 

P GD Pts 

Fulham 30 52 64 

Bournemouth 30 23 58 

Blackburn 32 12 54 

QPR 31 10 52 

Huddersfield 32 6 50 

Middlesbro 30 9 49 

N Forest 31 10 47 

Sheff Utd 30 6 47 

West Brom 31 8 46 

Luton 30 5 45 

Preston 32 0 45 

Coventry 30 3 44 

Stoke 30 6 43 

Millwall 31 0 43 

Blackpool 31 -3 41 

Swansea 30 -7 38 

CITY 32 -16 37 

Birmingham 32 -12 36 

Cardiff 31 -12 35 

Hull 32 -10 33 

Reading* 31 -24 23 

Peterboro 30 -37 21 

Derby** 31 -3 18 

Barnsley 30 -26 17 

*deducted six points 

**deducted 21 points 

N EXT AT 

ASHTON 

G ATE 

Match 

Referee 

Leigh 

DOUGHTY 

Assistant 

Referee 

Nick 

GREENHALGH 

Assistant 

Referee 

Adrian 

WATERS 

Goalkeeper Defender Midfielder Forward 

Fourth 

Official 

Christopher 

SARGINSON 

COVENTRY 

CITY 

Ashton Gate 

Tuesday February 22nd, 

7.45pm kick-off 

Sky Bet Championship 

IF YOU SEE OR HEAR ANY RACIST, HOMOPHOBIC OR ANY OTHER ABUSE 

PLEASE REPORT IT TO OUR TEXT LINE 07770 736 047

Bristol City v Middlesbrough

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