A south-Bristol club shaped by Ashton Gate, survival in 1982 and a terrace culture of robins, cider and The Wurzels, with top-flight hopes repeatedly coming tantalisingly close.
City's story begins in south Bristol and runs through a ground supporters have helped fund, defend and fill with their own songs and displays. Top-flight ambitions have survived severe falls, above all the near-collapse of 1982. The robin, red shirts, The Wurzels, the East End and the Ashton Gate Eight each recall a different part of that history.
City won the Second Division in 1905/06, finished second in the top flight in 1906/07 and reached the FA Cup final in 1909. More than a century later, that league…
Clive Whitehead's goal against Portsmouth on 20 April 1976 ended a 65-year absence from the top flight. For supporters old enough to have been there, that date carries the weight…
With the club close to ceasing to trade in 1982, eight senior players cancelled their contracts. Supporters remember the Ashton Gate Eight as the men who helped save City. Participants…
Ashton Gate is now a polished multi-sport stadium. Supporters have kept older City traditions alive there through West Country songs, consultation that restored the robin, help funding the Atyeo statue and campaigns for standing and atmosphere. The memory of nearly losing the club remains close.
Adriano Basso's 'Always Believe' motto escaped the goalkeeper's own ritual and became supporter language, complete with foam hands distributed by the Trust in the 2006/07 promotion period.
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