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Bristol City v West Bromwich Albion

The Robins Matchday Programme: Bristol City v West Bromwich Albion. Goalkeeper Max O'Leary looks back at his City debut against the Baggies six years ago, plus a look back at a memorable win against West Brom in 2019. Manager Nigel Pearson shares his thoughts ahead of the game, plus there's a detailed look at the opposition and more from our guest history writers.

The Robins Matchday Programme: Bristol City v West Bromwich Albion. Goalkeeper Max O'Leary looks back at his City debut against the Baggies six years ago, plus a look back at a memorable win against West Brom in 2019. Manager Nigel Pearson shares his thoughts ahead of the game, plus there's a detailed look at the opposition and more from our guest history writers.

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ROB NS<br />

2021/22 OFFICIAL BRISTOL CITY DIGITAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME<br />

MAX<br />

O'LEARY<br />

#12<br />

v WEST BROMWICH<br />

ALBION<br />

SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP<br />

ASHTON GATE | SAT MAR 19 | 3PM<br />

MATCH<br />

SPONSOR


ROBINS IN<br />

FOCUS<br />

8<br />

JOE<br />

WILLIAMS<br />

AGE: 25 | POSITION: Midfielder<br />

SIGNED: August 2020<br />

Joe Williams became our first signing<br />

ahead of the 2020/21 season when he<br />

arrived in BS3 from Wigan Athletic for an<br />

undisclosed fee.<br />

Unfortunately, the Liverpool-born<br />

midfielder’s game time was limited to just<br />

two appearances in 2020/21 as injury<br />

setbacks made it a slow start in a <strong>City</strong><br />

shirt.<br />

However, as fans returned to stadiums<br />

across the country for the start of the<br />

2021/22 campaign, so too did the former<br />

Latics man, who came off the bench in the<br />

opening day draw against Blackpool.<br />

He’s featured 19 times in all this season<br />

and while Williams is yet to score for the<br />

Robins, he has two assists to his name so<br />

far, including last weekend’s outside-ofthe-boot<br />

pass to set up Andi Weimann’s<br />

volleyed winner against Blackburn Rovers.<br />

Williams is a graduate of the Everton<br />

Academy and has one youth cap to his<br />

name, having represented England<br />

Under-20s in 2016.<br />

#FulfillingAmbitions


THE<br />

GAFFER<br />

Good afternoon<br />

and a warm<br />

welcome back<br />

to Ashton<br />

Gate where<br />

I hope you<br />

will be entertained with a strong and<br />

positive performance against <strong>West</strong><br />

<strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong>.<br />

It’s a chance for us to bounce back after<br />

the midweek disappointment at Barnsley<br />

and I, as much as the fans who travelled<br />

to Oakwell or watched on Robins TV, was<br />

incredibly frustrated by what happened.<br />

We didn’t match recent performances and<br />

we won’t make significant progress by<br />

being so inconsistent.<br />

On the night we lacked both concentration<br />

and application, we caused our own<br />

problems and, at 2-0 down in the first half,<br />

the damage was done early.<br />

We need one of our better performances<br />

on Saturday and to show we have the<br />

character to bounce back.<br />

We heard the frustrations after the game.<br />

I appreciate all of you who follow us up<br />

WE HEARD THE FRUSTRATIONS<br />

AFTER THE BARNSLEY GAME. I<br />

APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU WHO<br />

FOLLOW US UP AND DOWN THE<br />

COUNTRY, YOU SPEND A LOT OF<br />

MONEY TO WATCH US AND<br />

WE APPRECIATE THIS.<br />

NIGEL<br />

PEARSON<br />

By contrast, <strong>West</strong> Brom enjoyed a<br />

midweek win against Fulham so I’m sure<br />

they will come here with confidence. I<br />

look forward to welcoming Steve Bruce,<br />

his players and fans and I hope we can<br />

give them a stern test.<br />

To do that, we have to perform much<br />

better than we did at Barnsley. We simply<br />

didn’t back up our performance against<br />

Blackburn Rovers and that inconsistency<br />

has been our Achilles heel.<br />

and down the country, you spend a lot of<br />

money to watch us and we appreciate this.<br />

There will be ups and downs of course,<br />

but after a step back I want us to move<br />

forward as we go again on Saturday.<br />

Enjoy the game.<br />

Cheers,<br />

Nige<br />

4 | THE ROB NS <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong><br />

THE ROB NS <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong> | 5


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SET AN APPROPRIATE ONE FOR YOU<br />

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THAT’S BETTING BETTER.


WEST BROMWICH ALBION<br />

CLUB FACTS<br />

GROUND<br />

THE HAWTHORNS<br />

FORMED<br />

1878<br />

MANAGER<br />

STEVE BRUCE<br />

NICKNAME<br />

THE BAGGIES<br />

HONOURS<br />

1 5 1<br />

Football League champions<br />

1919/20<br />

FA Cup winners<br />

1887/88, 1891/92, 1930/31,<br />

1953/54, 1967/68<br />

League Cup winners<br />

1965/66<br />

FA Charity Shield winners<br />

1920, 1954 (shared with Wolves)<br />

Second tier winners<br />

1901/02, 1910/11, 2007/08<br />

CITY SEEK TO GET BACK TO<br />

WINNING WAYS AT HOME<br />

AS STEVE BRUCE’S WEST<br />

BROMWICH ALBION ARRIVE<br />

IN BS3<br />

Clockwise from top: Steve Bruce, who has overseen 1,008 games<br />

in his managerial career; former Robins loanee Callum Robinson;<br />

left-back Conor Townsend and Andy Carroll – who became<br />

Britain's then most-expensive footballer when he moved from<br />

Newcastle United to Liverpool for £35 million in January 2011.<br />

An emphatic 3-2 win in April 2019<br />

has proved our most recent victory<br />

against today’s visitors. We raced<br />

into a 3-0 lead through goals from<br />

Josh Brownhill, Andreas Weimann<br />

and Jack Hunt in front of 20,581<br />

supporters at Ashton Gate, while<br />

strikes from Dwight Gayle and Jay<br />

Rodriguez made it a nervy finale. See<br />

page 17 to relive the win.<br />

LEAGUE ONE CHAMPIONSHIP<br />

49<br />

GOALS<br />

SCORED<br />

70<br />

GOALS<br />

CONCEDED<br />

17<br />

TOP SCORER<br />

ANDI<br />

WEIMANN<br />

POSSESSION<br />

45.2 %<br />

PASSING PERCENTAGE<br />

69.7 %<br />

TACKLE SUCCESS<br />

67.2 %<br />

AVERAGE AERIAL<br />

DUELS WON<br />

24.5<br />

V<br />

HEAD TO HEAD<br />

LEAGUE<br />

POSITION<br />

R3<br />

YELLOW<br />

75 1<br />

CARDS<br />

53<br />

MATCHES PLAYED<br />

Best victory: 3-1 twice, in 1906 and 1977<br />

Worst defeat: 1-4 four times,<br />

in 1926, 2007, 2009 and 2019<br />

Last time out: 0-3, October 2021<br />

2021/22 IN NUMBERS<br />

18 TH<br />

6.93<br />

BEST AVERAGE<br />

RATING (OPTA)<br />

ANTOINE<br />

SEMENYO<br />

R1<br />

RED<br />

CARDS<br />

8<br />

MOST<br />

ASSISTS<br />

ANTOINE SEMENYO /<br />

ANDI WEIMANN<br />

41<br />

GOALS<br />

SCORED<br />

13<br />

TOP SCORER<br />

KARLAN<br />

GRANT<br />

W<br />

15<br />

D<br />

15<br />

42<br />

GOALS<br />

CONCEDED<br />

7.28<br />

BEST AVERAGE<br />

RATING (OPTA)<br />

DARA<br />

O'SHEA<br />

CITY v BAGGIES<br />

28 %<br />

WIN RATE<br />

POSITION<br />

R3<br />

12 TH<br />

YELLOW<br />

71 7<br />

CARDS<br />

POSSESSION<br />

50.5 %<br />

8<br />

MOST<br />

ASSISTS<br />

CALLUM<br />

ROBINSON<br />

PASSING PERCENTAGE<br />

68.4 %<br />

TACKLE SUCCESS<br />

65.8 %<br />

AVERAGE AERIAL<br />

DUELS WON<br />

27.4<br />

R2<br />

L<br />

23<br />

RED<br />

CARDS<br />

8 | THE ROB NS <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong><br />

THE ROB NS <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong> | 9


WEST BROMWICH ALBION<br />

DID YOU<br />

KNOW?<br />

The club spent 24 years in the top flight between<br />

1949-1973 – its longest continuous period in the<br />

First Division and from 1986-2002 the Baggies endured<br />

its longest ever spell out of the top division.<br />

KEY PLAYER<br />

18<br />

KARLAN<br />

GRANT<br />

Grant's 84th-minute penalty – his 13th<br />

goal of the season – helped <strong>West</strong> Brom<br />

earn a 2-2 draw against his former club<br />

Huddersfield Town last weekend.<br />

After arriving from the Terriers for a<br />

reported £15 million fee in October 2020<br />

the 24-year-old marksman returned just<br />

one goal in <strong>Albion</strong>'s 2020/21 top-flight<br />

relegation campaign before reigniting<br />

his Baggies career this season.<br />

“He’s come back into form at a time<br />

when Steve (Bruce) is looking for<br />

results,” former club striker Kevin Phillips<br />

told <strong>West</strong> Brom News. “It will be a<br />

massive boost for Bruce and the lads if<br />

they have any aspirations of getting in<br />

the play-offs, someone has got to step<br />

up and he’s certainly a player that can<br />

do that."<br />

The London-born forward began his<br />

career at Charlton Athletic – scoring 21<br />

goals in all competitions, whilst also<br />

spending time on loan at Cambridge<br />

United and Crawley Town – before a<br />

move to Huddersfield in January 2019.<br />

WEST BROM HEAD TO ASHTON<br />

GATE THREE UNBEATEN AND<br />

OFF THE BACK OF VICTORY<br />

OVER TABLE-TOPPERS<br />

FULHAM.<br />

Former Robins loanee Callum<br />

Robinson’s second-half finish<br />

sealed a 1-0 home win on<br />

Tuesday night, while the clean<br />

sheet was boosted by the fact<br />

they stopped Fulham from<br />

registering a shot on goal in the<br />

opening 45 minutes.<br />

Prior to a 2-0 victory over Hull<br />

<strong>City</strong> at the start of the month,<br />

the Baggies had won just once<br />

in 12 games (W1, D3, L8) – a<br />

run of form that saw some<br />

supporters chant <strong>Albion</strong>'s<br />

players were “not fit to wear the<br />

shirt” and led to the departure<br />

of manager Valerian Ismael.<br />

But new boss Steve Bruce,<br />

who was handed an 18-month<br />

contract in early February, has<br />

finally guided his squad out of<br />

their rocky road. The victory over<br />

Hull was followed by a draw with<br />

Huddersfield, before Tuesday<br />

night's defeat of Fulham.<br />

Bruce told the BBC it had been<br />

difficult “in terms of the players'<br />

confidence, but let's hope we<br />

can now really get started –<br />

and let's see if we can make a<br />

charge.” Although <strong>West</strong> Brom<br />

find themselves slap bang in the<br />

Matty James challenges <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong> forward Karlan Grant<br />

during the Robins' 3-0 defeat at The Hawthorns in October.<br />

middle of the Championship in<br />

12th position, they are just six<br />

points outside the play-offs with<br />

eight games left to play.<br />

Following relegation from the<br />

Premier League, the club waved<br />

goodbye to a host of players<br />

last summer including Charlie<br />

Austin, Kamil Grosicki, Hal<br />

Robson-Kanu, Matheus Pereira<br />

and Robert Snodgrass.<br />

Andy Carroll joined in January,<br />

reuniting with his former<br />

Newcastle United manager<br />

Bruce. The 33-year-old<br />

veteran has endured a career<br />

of injuries but scored a late<br />

equaliser against Huddersfield<br />

last Saturday. He said it is a<br />

“privilege” to play in a recent<br />

interview with BBC Radio WM.<br />

But fellow striker signing Daryl<br />

Dike, who got injured on his<br />

debut in January, could miss<br />

out today. Bruce has confirmed<br />

the US international, along with<br />

winger Matty Phillips, will likely<br />

instead earn minutes with the<br />

Under-23s on Monday.<br />

10 | THE ROB NS <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong><br />

THE ROB NS <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong> | 11


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ACTION<br />

REPLAY<br />

BAGGIES<br />

BLITZED<br />

3<br />

Brownhill 2, Weimann 16, Hunt 19<br />

2<br />

Gayle 47, Rodriguez 74<br />

Tuesday, April 9th 2019<br />

Ashton Gate<br />

Three goals in an electric opening 20 minutes stretched <strong>City</strong>’s<br />

unbeaten run to five matches.<br />

Josh Brownhill scored the first inside two minutes, while<br />

Andreas Weimann doubled the lead with a close-range finish.<br />

Jack Hunt got off the mark in <strong>City</strong> colours with a back-post<br />

header with Ashton Gate rocking at half-time.<br />

<strong>West</strong> Brom pulled two goals back courtesy of their dangerous<br />

duo Dwight Gayle and Jay Rodriguez to set up a nervy finale but<br />

<strong>City</strong> held on to secure their first win over the Baggies since 2010.<br />

The visitors – under the caretaker management of James Shan<br />

– went on to lose a play-off semi-final against Aston Villa.<br />

2 mins<br />

1-0, Brownhill<br />

16 mins<br />

2-0, Weimann<br />

19 mins<br />

3-0, Hunt<br />

CLICK HERE FOR MATCH HIGHLIGHTS<br />

THE ROB NS <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong> | 17


PLAYER<br />

INTERVIEW<br />

Words James Crawley<br />

MAX O'LEARY REFLECTS ON HIS<br />

FIRST-TEAM DEBUT FOR BRISTOL CITY –<br />

AGAINST WEST BROM IN JANUARY 2016…<br />

MAX<br />

EFFECT<br />

It’s six years since<br />

Max O’Leary made<br />

his debut between<br />

the sticks against<br />

then-Premier League<br />

opponents <strong>West</strong><br />

<strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong>.<br />

An injury to Frank Fielding<br />

ensured the 19-year-old<br />

goalkeeper would get his chance<br />

as a half-time substitute in the<br />

Emirates FA Cup tie on January<br />

9th 2016.<br />

Time has flown past since those<br />

days with Max now still pushing<br />

to be in contention for the<br />

keeper jersey in BS3.<br />

He looks back at that allimportant<br />

debut, which ended<br />

a 2-2 draw, as <strong>City</strong> prepare<br />

for its latest fixture against<br />

the Baggies in the Sky Bet<br />

Championship.<br />

“I remember seeing Frankie<br />

struggling a bit before half-time<br />

and I got a few looks from the<br />

lads,” O’Leary recalls. "I was<br />

told to get ready just in case<br />

and at half-time I was told I was<br />

coming on. I had to quickly get<br />

my tape on and my shin pads<br />

and I went straight into it.<br />

“I was really nervous but excited<br />

as well. Between those two<br />

emotions they helped me get<br />

through it, especially with the<br />

adrenaline rush at the beginning.<br />

It was a big game, they were a<br />

Premier League side at the time<br />

and it was a lot to take in.<br />

“It was also the FA Cup and<br />

that’s a special occasion so<br />

it was a big game. Anytime<br />

you can get on the pitch is<br />

something to look forward to<br />

and ultimately I just had to enjoy<br />

it. I got a good luck message<br />

before going on, I’d been seen<br />

in training and trusted so I just<br />

had to go out there, enjoy it and<br />

replicate what I do day in, day<br />

out. 4<br />

20 | THE ROB NS <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong><br />

THE ROB NS <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong> | 21


PLAYER PROFILE<br />

YOU CAN GET<br />

A CHANCE AT<br />

ANY TIME SO IT'S<br />

ABOUT PREPARING<br />

PROPERLY, TRAINING<br />

HARD AND TAKING<br />

THE OPPORTUNITY<br />

WHEN IT COMES.<br />

4“It was a great occasion<br />

and we’ve all seen the<br />

videos of the packed away<br />

end when Kieran Agard<br />

scored. Those moments<br />

will live with me for a long<br />

time and it was even more<br />

special being my first game.”<br />

O’Leary was able to play in<br />

front of a few of his mates<br />

in the away end that night,<br />

but also share the pitch with<br />

England international Ben<br />

Foster in the opponent’s goal.<br />

“I saw him after the game<br />

and shook his hand,” O’Leary<br />

recalled. “Kindly Alby (Aaran<br />

Wilbraham) actually got<br />

his shirt and gave it to me<br />

afterwards. It was signed<br />

with a nice message on it<br />

and that stayed up in my<br />

room for a long time. So I<br />

kept that and gave my<br />

worn shirt to my dad.”<br />

O’Leary went on to make his<br />

league debut in the 2018/19<br />

season, a 1-0 win over<br />

Brentford, and has long been<br />

a part of <strong>City</strong>’s progress in<br />

the last few seasons. He did<br />

go on loan at Shrewsbury<br />

Town in the 2019/20<br />

campaign, where he featured<br />

against would-be Premier<br />

League Champions Liverpool<br />

in the FA Cup Fourth Round.<br />

The Shrews held Jurgen<br />

Klopp’s side 2-2, only to lose<br />

1-0 in the replay at Anfield.<br />

But it’s moments like those<br />

which will live long in the<br />

memory for O’Leary, who<br />

knows all too well the need<br />

for patience as he competes<br />

with others for one spot in<br />

the starting XI.<br />

He said: “It’s the same for<br />

everyone, you can get a<br />

chance at any time so it’s<br />

about preparing properly,<br />

training hard and taking the<br />

opportunity when it comes<br />

along. I sit down with the<br />

goalkeeping coach at the<br />

start of the season, work<br />

on things that need working<br />

CAREER HIGHS<br />

JANUARY 2016<br />

Makes his <strong>Bristol</strong> <strong>City</strong> debut against <strong>West</strong><br />

Brom in the FA Cup Third Round, earning his<br />

full debut in the replay following a 2-2 draw<br />

OCTOBER 2018<br />

Makes his league debut with <strong>City</strong>, a 1-0 win<br />

away at Brentford<br />

MAY 2019<br />

Earns a call-up to the Republic of Ireland<br />

national squad, qualifying through his<br />

Kerry-born grandfather<br />

JANUARY 2020<br />

Helps Shrewsbury Town earn a<br />

FA Cup replay against Liverpool<br />

SEPTEMBER 2020<br />

Awarded a new three-year deal<br />

with the Robins<br />

on and look at what I do<br />

well, and reassess as we go<br />

throughout the season.”<br />

And six years after his first<br />

game against <strong>West</strong> Brom,<br />

the squad are now preparing<br />

for another test against<br />

them as <strong>City</strong> look to end<br />

the season as strongly as<br />

possible in these final eight<br />

games.<br />

O’Leary said: “It should be<br />

a good game, they’ve had<br />

some good results and we’re<br />

looking to bounce back.<br />

“These last games are a<br />

building block for us, it’s<br />

a chance to build towards<br />

next season and create a<br />

statement of intent.<br />

"The lads are buying into it,<br />

we’ve talked a lot and now<br />

we have to go and deliver.<br />

There is belief, but we have<br />

to show everyone – the<br />

manager and the fans – we<br />

mean what we say.”<br />

Above left<br />

Max in action<br />

against Forest<br />

Green Rovers<br />

earlier in the<br />

season<br />

Above<br />

Celebrating<br />

<strong>City</strong>'s 3-2 win<br />

over Cardiff<br />

<strong>City</strong> during his<br />

10-game run in<br />

the first team at<br />

the start of the<br />

New Year<br />

Bottom left<br />

Nineteen-yearold<br />

Max on<br />

his full <strong>Bristol</strong><br />

<strong>City</strong> debut in<br />

January 2016<br />

Bottom right<br />

Max pictured in<br />

October 2013 –<br />

shortly after his<br />

17th birthday<br />

– when he was<br />

named in the<br />

senior squad<br />

for the very first<br />

time.<br />

APPEARANCES<br />

11<br />

MINUTES<br />

PLAYED<br />

1,024<br />

<strong>Bristol</strong> <strong>City</strong><br />

Present<br />

Turned pro 2015<br />

2021/22 STATS<br />

SAVES *<br />

17<br />

CAREER PATH<br />

Solihull Moors<br />

2017/18<br />

Loan<br />

PASS<br />

SUCCESS<br />

RATE<br />

* Championship only<br />

Kidderminster Harriers<br />

2016<br />

Loan<br />

SQUAD NUMBER<br />

12<br />

DOB: October 10th 1996<br />

Birthplace: Bath<br />

Position: Goalkeeper<br />

Joined: Academy<br />

58.9 %<br />

Shrewsbury Town<br />

2019/20<br />

Loan<br />

BEST OPTA<br />

RATING<br />

6.97<br />

v READING<br />

AVERAGE<br />

PASSES<br />

PER GAME<br />

33.2<br />

Bath <strong>City</strong><br />

2016/17<br />

Loan<br />

22 | THE ROB NS <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong><br />

THE ROB NS <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong> | 23


supporting grassroots<br />

and grass roots<br />

We support the women on the field<br />

and the soil under it.<br />

Proud sponsor of <strong>Bristol</strong> <strong>City</strong> W.F.C.


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BRISTOL CITY<br />

WOMEN<br />

<strong>City</strong> Women<br />

secured their<br />

fifth successive<br />

victory with<br />

a 3-1 win over Watford at the<br />

Robins High Performance Centre.<br />

<strong>City</strong> Women's club record<br />

goalscorer Abi Harrison<br />

Below: Chloe Bull in action<br />

FIVE STAR<br />

CITY WOMEN EXTEND WINNING RUN<br />

Chloe Bull bagged a brace to put<br />

the Robins in the driving seat<br />

with 10 minutes to play, before<br />

Rosie Kmita picked out the top<br />

corner to make it a tense end to<br />

proceedings in BS8.<br />

However, the inevitable Abi<br />

Harrison popped up with an<br />

injury-time header to seal<br />

the points and become <strong>City</strong><br />

Women’s all-time top goalscorer<br />

with 23 goals.<br />

“I’ll take it, I’m happy and I’m not<br />

stopping there and hopefully<br />

there is plenty more to come,”<br />

said the Scotland striker.<br />

Bull was a standout performer<br />

in BS8 with the midfielder<br />

bagging a brace as well as<br />

picking out Harrison for her<br />

record moment.<br />

Bull said: “It's great to get on the<br />

scoresheet but also I'm doing<br />

it for the team and whoever<br />

scores it's about the three<br />

points at the end of the day.<br />

"The first goal was a bit of a<br />

fluke but the second goal was a<br />

great ball by Ella (Powell), on her<br />

left foot as well and luckily I was<br />

able to finish it.<br />

“The back four had the ball quite<br />

a lot, they (Watford) sat in really<br />

deep and made it hard for us to<br />

play and it did work for them to<br />

be fair. Our class did show when<br />

we popped it around them to get<br />

the goals."<br />

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THE ROB NS <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong> | 27


894189418941894<br />

CITY<br />

ARCHIVES<br />

894189418941894<br />

894 HALL 1894 OF 1894 FAME 1894<br />

PAUL GAINEY PROFILES WINGER CLIVE WHITEHEAD<br />

894189418941894<br />

Former England youth winger Skilful and fast, Birmingham-born Clive Whitehead<br />

Clive Whitehead netted the goal was one of those young wingers to truly earn the<br />

that beat Portsmouth 1-0 in tag 'exciting.' Signed by Alan Dicks in August 1973,<br />

894April 1976 1894<br />

to clinch <strong>Bristol</strong> <strong>City</strong>'s he 1894<br />

scored on his league debut at Millwall 1894<br />

and went<br />

promotion to the First Division.<br />

on to complete 11 starts that season. After 1976/77<br />

he was ever-present on the wing. When Geert Meijer<br />

His precision cross also allowed Paul Cheesley to was brought in as a left winger, Dicks moved him<br />

894<br />

score the only goal of 1894<br />

the game in their opening to 1894<br />

left-back and he adapted effortlessly 1894<br />

to his new<br />

fixture back in League One at Arsenal.<br />

role.<br />

I loved watching him as a young supporter. Once<br />

894189418941894<br />

found by a full-back’s ball down the line, or galloping<br />

to a centre-midfielder's ranging pass, he became a<br />

sight to behold. As he flashed down the line, seated<br />

8941894supporters 1894<br />

would rise in an impromptu 1894<br />

Mexican<br />

wave. With head down, he would torture opponents<br />

his way through with a mix of cunning and pace,<br />

dropping a shoulder to skin by or tapping the ball<br />

8941894onwards 1894<br />

and bolting beyond them. Most 1894<br />

famous<br />

in his armoury was the dribble, but he had other<br />

brushes with which to paint. The nutmeg was his<br />

impudent, cherished and ornamental tool – a splash<br />

8941894of 1894<br />

art.<br />

1894<br />

As an aspiring journalist, my first published piece<br />

8941894was 1894<br />

a letter to the Evening Post calling<br />

1894<br />

on England<br />

manager Ron Greenwood to pick Clive for the<br />

national side. Sports editor Peter Godsiff wrote<br />

back saying: “Let's hope so ...”<br />

894189418941894<br />

With <strong>Bristol</strong> <strong>City</strong> in deep financial trouble, Whitehead<br />

moved to <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong> for a £100,000<br />

fee in November 1981. He subsequently played for<br />

8941894Wolves 1894<br />

(loan), Portsmouth and Exeter 1894<br />

<strong>City</strong> before<br />

ending his career as Yeovil Town player-manager<br />

prior to re-joining <strong>Bristol</strong> <strong>City</strong> as coach in the 1990s.<br />

894189418941894<br />

28 | T HE ROB NS <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong><br />

Gordon Owen's<br />

penalty miss<br />

versus Swindon<br />

With midfield<br />

pocket dynamo<br />

Steve Galliers<br />

making his debut in a scintillating<br />

2-0 win over eventual champions<br />

Bournemouth in February<br />

1987, and big Joe Jordan on<br />

board upfront, a reinvigorated<br />

<strong>City</strong> continued their drive for<br />

promotion.<br />

The play-off spots in 1986/87 were<br />

filled by the teams finishing thirdfifth,<br />

plus the bottom-placed side<br />

in Division Two. Yet, although <strong>City</strong><br />

would be no lower than seventh<br />

for the rest of the season, they<br />

struggled to put a winning run<br />

together.<br />

The Robins did manage back-toback<br />

wins on two occasions, but<br />

1894<br />

1894<br />

1894<br />

1894<br />

1894<br />

1894<br />

1894<br />

MISSING<br />

THE SPOT<br />

MIKE ADAMS CONTINUES HIS LOOK BACK AT<br />

1894<br />

1894<br />

1894<br />

1894<br />

1894<br />

1894<br />

1894<br />

TERRY COOPER'S SPELL IN CHARGE OF THE ROBINS<br />

picked up just three victories in<br />

their last 10 games. In the 3-1<br />

home win over Notts County on<br />

May 2nd they regained fifth place,<br />

which they preserved by the skin<br />

of their teeth two days later in<br />

a 1-1 draw at Walsall – Trevor<br />

Morgan equalising on 88 minutes<br />

after <strong>City</strong> had laid siege on the<br />

Saddlers’ goal. They now needed<br />

to win their final match, at home<br />

to local rivals Swindon Town, who<br />

were already in the play-offs.<br />

A 19,000-plus crowd, including over<br />

4,000 visiting fans – the highest<br />

attendance since the 1982 crisis<br />

– packed the Gate for this crucial<br />

match. They saw that man Morgan<br />

give <strong>City</strong> a dream start after 12<br />

minutes with a glancing header, as<br />

<strong>City</strong> went on the attack with Gary<br />

189<br />

189<br />

189<br />

189<br />

189<br />

189<br />

189<br />

189<br />

189<br />

189<br />

189<br />

189<br />

189<br />

Marshall hitting the bar and Rob<br />

Newman bringing out a great save<br />

from keeper Fraser Digby. Cooper’s<br />

side proved masters of their own<br />

downfall, however, when they gave<br />

away an unnecessary free-kick<br />

on 66 minutes. A poor clearance<br />

fell for the unmarked Peter Coyne<br />

whose mis-hit shot went in off a<br />

post to level the scores.<br />

<strong>City</strong> continued to take the game<br />

to Swindon and were awarded a<br />

controversial penalty. After the<br />

hubbub and delays subsided,<br />

Gordon Owen stepped up only to<br />

agonisingly place his spot-kick<br />

wide. In vain, <strong>City</strong> continued to<br />

throw everything at the away<br />

goal but their play-off dreams<br />

evaporated for want of a single<br />

point.<br />

THE ROB NS <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong> | 29


1894<br />

CITY<br />

1894<br />

CITY<br />

1894<br />

CITY<br />

1894<br />

CITY<br />

1894<br />

CITY<br />

1894<br />

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1894<br />

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1894<br />

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8941894189418941894189418941894<br />

894 CITY 1894 IN CARTOONS 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894<br />

with club historian David Woods<br />

8941894189418941894189418941894<br />

Many assume that today’s cartoon of the Ashton<br />

MATCH REPORT<br />

Gate action on Guy Fawkes Day in 1960 is<br />

when <strong>City</strong> achieved their highest competitive<br />

8941894189418941894189418941894<br />

894<br />

11<br />

match score.<br />

YOU CAN<br />

They are, however, incorrect as the Club’s biggest first-team victory<br />

Adrian Williams 5, 42, 50, Tait 10,<br />

was achieved more than 60 years earlier when Eastleigh were<br />

1894 1894 1894 1894 QUOTE 1894 ME 1894 1894<br />

Bailey 21 (og), Atyeo 25, 30, 37, 54, 74 beaten 14-1 in front of barely 1,000 spectators at St John’s Lane in a<br />

Bobby Williams 44<br />

<strong>West</strong>ern League fixture on January 26th 1898.<br />

ON THAT<br />

8941894<br />

If friendly games 1894<br />

are considered then the 20-1 mauling 1894<br />

of the 1894 1894 1894 1894<br />

8941894<br />

0<br />

R.A.S.C. from the nearby White <strong>City</strong> barracks on April 29th 1916<br />

“Nowadays, it seems to me, the team plan comes<br />

takes pride of place.<br />

STEVE SMITH LOOKS BACK first, and all the time. The young player is allowed to<br />

AT AN INTERVIEW WITH CITY develop his own individual ability only if it conforms<br />

Incidentally, Eastleigh 1894<br />

were so fearful of the prospect 1894<br />

of facing <strong>City</strong> 1894<br />

GREAT BILLY 1894<br />

WEDLOCK<br />

to 1894<br />

the general plan. This is surprising 1894<br />

when you<br />

Saturday, November 5th 1960<br />

again that they scratched from their home fixture on March 2nd<br />

FA Cup, 1st Round<br />

consider the great advance made in the status of<br />

1898.<br />

In the second of two interviews the professional player. Nowadays, his wage, and<br />

Chichester are heavily punished for<br />

8941894189418941894that 1894<br />

our first superstar, Billy the conditions in which he plays, is almost princely<br />

1894 1894<br />

surrendering home advantage, as <strong>City</strong> were awarded the points and finished the season as champions<br />

Wedlock had published in compared with the good old days.”<br />

<strong>City</strong> piled on the goals. It was good with the following record: P14 W11 D1 L2 F51 A16 Pts 23.<br />

Charles Buchan’s Football<br />

entertainment for the fans, but many<br />

Monthly, dated January 1952, Billy goes on to name star players from his playing<br />

were disappointed as with an 8-0<br />

8941894189418941894we 1894<br />

find he was not impressed days 1894<br />

(1900-1920) such as Steve Bloomer, 1894<br />

Charlie<br />

half-time lead the prospect of a really<br />

at the standards of 1950s Roberts and Bob Crompton. These must have been<br />

massive score evaporated after the<br />

football.<br />

fine footballers when you consider the likes of<br />

break as many good opportunities<br />

Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney and Billy Wright were<br />

were spurned in a forlorn quest to<br />

8941894189418941894189418941894<br />

get Jantzen Derrick on the score<br />

“Football has undergone a vast change since I was a established England internationals in the early-1950s<br />

sheet. John Atyeo’s lob into the net<br />

young man in the early part of the century. I cannot<br />

for his second goal is the best of the<br />

say it is for the better," states the 72-year-old. “From Here are Billy’s thoughts for the future of the game:<br />

afternoon.<br />

what I have seen, the present-day players fall far “Walking through the <strong>Bristol</strong> streets today, I rarely<br />

8941894189418941894189418941894<br />

below the standard of 50 years ago, in skill and come across youngsters kicking a ball about in any<br />

<strong>City</strong>: Cook; Collinson, Thresher;<br />

adaptability. Even making allowances for the change odd place. Yet I am certain that is where the player<br />

Connor, Alan Williams, Etheridge;<br />

in the offside law and the speed of the modern acquires his natural ability. It also hardens him to<br />

Tait, Bobby Williams, Atyeo, Adrian<br />

894<br />

Williams, Derrick.<br />

1894 1894 1894 1894<br />

game, I still think the teams 1894<br />

of my day were greatly take 1894<br />

part in many rough and tumbles 1894<br />

on makeshift<br />

superior.”<br />

grounds. I am convinced that roughing it in all<br />

Chichester: Thomas; Cunningham,<br />

conditions does a youngster far more good than all<br />

Knotts; Rumsey, Bailey, Aburrow;<br />

Green, Hillier, Gilfillan, Blythman,<br />

To put this into context, the 1951/52 league<br />

modern coaching, nursing and grooming to stardom.<br />

894<br />

Harris. 1894 1894 1894 1894<br />

champions were Matt Busby’s 1894<br />

Manchester United, We 1894<br />

trained hard and played hard early 1894<br />

in the century.”<br />

Referee: R Reddaway (Kettering)<br />

with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur – with their<br />

Bob Bennett's cartoon reviewing <strong>City</strong>'s 11-0 FA Cup win over Chichester which<br />

Attendance: 12,588 (£2,074.10s.0d)<br />

appeared in the <strong>Bristol</strong> Evening Post on November 7th 1960.<br />

“push and run” side that had landed them the league “When you think of it, perhaps this is one of the<br />

title in 1950/51 – second and third respectively. reasons for the decline."<br />

8941894189418941894189418941894<br />

32 | T HE ROB NS <strong>West</strong> <strong>Bromwich</strong> <strong>Albion</strong>


Football is a game of many opinions, but<br />

there is one that we must all share. There is<br />

no place for discrimination in our game. If<br />

you do not agree, then you are not welcome.<br />

If you see or hear discrimination in this<br />

stadium, please report it to the nearest<br />

steward or via the Kick it Out App.<br />

Because we are all<br />

#TogetherAgainstDiscrimination<br />

Download the Kick it Out app for free from your app store.<br />

EFL.com


TODAY'S<br />

SQUADS<br />

Saturday March 19th, 3pm kick-off | Ashton Gate | Sky Bet Championship<br />

MANAGER<br />

Nigel PEARSON<br />

BRISTOL<br />

CITY<br />

1 Dan BENTLEY<br />

2 Danny SIMPSON<br />

3 Jay DAS I LVA<br />

5 Rob ATKINSON<br />

6 Matty JAMES<br />

8 Joe WILLIAMS<br />

9 Chris MARTIN<br />

10 Andy KING<br />

11 Callum O’DOWDA<br />

12 Max O'LEARY<br />

14 Andreas WEIMANN<br />

16 Cameron PRING<br />

17 Nathan BAKER<br />

18 Antoine SEMENYO<br />

19 George TANNER<br />

21 Nahki WELLS<br />

22 Tomas KALAS<br />

24 Robbie CUNDY<br />

25 Timm KLOSE<br />

26 Zak VYNER<br />

31 Duncan IDEHEN<br />

33 Sam BELL<br />

34 Ryley TOWLER<br />

36 Alex SCOTT<br />

37 Tommy CONWAY<br />

38 Ayman BENAROUS<br />

42 Han-Noah MASSENGO<br />

45 Kasey PALMER<br />

Match<br />

Referee<br />

Leigh<br />

DOUGHTY<br />

HOME<br />

KIT<br />

v<br />

WEST BROMWICH<br />

ALBION<br />

MANAGER<br />

Steve BRUCE<br />

1 Sam JOHNSTONE<br />

2 Darnell FURLONG<br />

3 Conor TOWNSEND<br />

4 Dara O'SHEA<br />

5 Kyle BARTLEY<br />

6 Semi AJAYI<br />

7 Callum ROBINSON<br />

8 Jake LIVERMORE<br />

9 Kenneth ZOHORE<br />

10 Matt PHILLIPS<br />

11 Grady DIANGANA<br />

12 Daryl DIKE<br />

14 Jayson MOLUMBY<br />

15 Andy CARROLL<br />

16 Matt CLARKE<br />

18 Karlan GRANT<br />

20 Adam REACH<br />

21 Cedric KIPRIE<br />

22 Kea nBRYAN<br />

25 David BUTTON<br />

27 Alex MOWATT<br />

28 Rayhaan TULLOCH<br />

29 Taylor GARDNER-HICKMAN<br />

32 Quevin CASTRO<br />

Goalkeeper Defender Midfielder Forward<br />

HOME<br />

KIT<br />

MATCH OFFICIALS<br />

Assistant<br />

Referee<br />

Craig<br />

TAYLO R<br />

Assistant<br />

Referee<br />

Adrian<br />

WATERS<br />

Fourth<br />

Official<br />

Ollie<br />

YATE S<br />

TODAY'S<br />

FIXTURES<br />

Derby v Coventry<br />

Sheff Utd v Barnsley<br />

<strong>City</strong> v <strong>West</strong> Brom<br />

Huddersfield v Bournemouth<br />

Hull v Luton<br />

Reading v Blackburn<br />

Stoke v Millwall<br />

Swansea v Birmingham<br />

Playing tomorrow<br />

QPR v Peterboro<br />

LEAGUE<br />

TABL E<br />

P GD Pts<br />

Fulham 37 58 77<br />

Bournemouth 35 25 66<br />

Huddersfield 38 11 63<br />

Blackburn 38 11 61<br />

Luton 37 12 60<br />

QPR 37 8 59<br />

Middlesbro 37 8 59<br />

N Forest 36 18 58<br />

Sheff Utd 37 10 58<br />

Millwall 37 5 57<br />

Coventry 37 3 54<br />

<strong>West</strong> Brom 37 6 53<br />

Blackpool 37 1 52<br />

Preston 38 -4 51<br />

Swansea 36 -11 47<br />

Stoke 37 2 46<br />

Cardiff 38 -11 46<br />

CITY 38 -20 43<br />

Hull 38 -9 41<br />

Birmingham 38 -16 41<br />

Reading* 37 -30 30<br />

Barnsley 37 -24 28<br />

Derby** 38 -7 24<br />

Peterboro 37 -46 23<br />

*deducted six points<br />

**deducted 21 points<br />

N EXT AT<br />

ASHTON<br />

G ATE<br />

PETERBOROUGH<br />

UNITED<br />

Ashton Gate<br />

Saturday April 9th,<br />

3pm kick-off<br />

Sky Bet Championship<br />

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