ROB NS 2 0 2 1 / 2 2 O F F I C I A L B R I S T O L C I T Y D I G I TA L M AT C H DAY P R O G R A M M E
GREG GOODRIDGE CELEBRATES WITH LOUIS CAREY 27.08.1996 BRISTOL CITY 5 LUTON TOWN 0
v
LUTON TOWN
SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP ASHTON GATE | WED SEP 15 | 7.45PM
PR I N CI PAL PART N ER
ROBINS IN
FOCUS
42
HAN-NOAH MASSENGO
AGE: 20 POSITION: Midfield JOINED: August 2019
DID YOU KNOW? Massengo holds the record as the first player born in the 21st century to play in the UEFA Champions League. Aged just 17, he was handed his debut with AS Monaco when he was summoned from the bench for the final 22 minutes against Club Brugge. He would make three appearances for the French side in Europe’s biggest cup competition, featuring against Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the 2018/19 group stage. That was his breakthrough season in the AS Monaco first team, before he completed his move to City the following summer.
LOOK OUT FOR THE RED BUTTON Click on the red button when it appears in this programme for additional video content from the Robins' YouTube channel
THE GAFFER
I
t’s great to be able to play at Ashton Gate for a second successive game and it’s another chance for the players to put in a repeat performance and give their all in front of our home supporters.
ourselves, that we play our own way and dominate the game by causing them problems. That will come down to us performing how we’d expect. We are aware that the home win is still eluding us but we’re confident it will come, we just have to make sure that we put in the kind of display we are looking for.
The players were down after the 0-0 draw against Preston on Saturday, perhaps more than myself. There were plenty of positives, we got a first clean WE NEED TO sheet of the season, but we need to FIND THAT find that cutting CUTTING edge to be able to get the results EDGE TO BE that those types of performances have ABLE TO GET deserved. The players know they are applying themselves in the right way, but it’s now making sure we are physically and mentally right for the next game on Wednesday night.
THE RESULTS THAT OUR PERFORMANCES HAVE DESERVED.
After the Luton game we have a quick turnaround for a difficult game against QPR at the weekend. Whoever you play against there are always challenges to your opponents, but I think the fact we have three games in the space of a week means that physically the turnaround is quick. We have to make sure the players can deal with it, but I know the players are fit enough.
We extend our welcome to Nathan Jones, his players, staff and supporters who are making the midweek journey. It will be a tough game and looking back at them last year they liked to get the ball down and play a bit. They can play direct too and are certainly a fit team, but all Championship games tend to be demanding in terms of the physicality.
It’s a shift from where we were last season and now it’s about the performance. When we take to the field on Wednesday it’s about doing the job and that’s getting the three points… enjoy the game!
That’s something we have to make sure of
Nige
4 | T H E R O B N S Luton Town
Cheers
NIGEL PEARSON T H E R O B N S Luton Town | 5
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ALL GOOD BOOKMAKERS HAVE DEPOSIT LIMITS. SO WHOEVER YOU BET WITH, SET AN APPROPRIATE ONE FOR YOU AND THEN ENJOY THE SPORT. DEPOSIT LIMITS
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LUTON TOWN CLUB FACTS
GROUND
KENILWORTH ROAD FORMED
1885
LUTON TOWN ARE BIDDING TO ESTABLISH THEMSELVES AS A CHAMPIONSHIP SIDE AFTER THEIR 12-SEASON SPELL OUTSIDE OF THE SECOND TIER. THEIR FIRST CAMPAIGN BACK ENDED THREE POINTS FROM RELEGATION, AND THEY ROSE TO EARN A MID-TABLE SPOT LAST TERM AS THEY LOOK TO CONTINUE THAT UPWARD TREND IN 2021/22...
FIRST TEAM MANAGER
NATHAN JONES NICKNAMES
THE HATTERS HONOURS 1
Best league finish 7th, First Division 1986/87 League Cup winners 1987/88 FA Cup runners-up 1958/59 Second tier winners 1981/82 Third tier winners 1936/37 (South), 2004/05, 2018/19 Fourth tier winners 1967/68
8 | T H E R O B N S Luton Town
Clockwise from top: First Team Manager Nathan Jones; Henri Lansbury; Kelly-Ruddock Mpanzu; Allan Campbell and Harry Cornick.
V HEAD TO HEAD We met for the first time 99 years ago, a 1-1 draw witnessed by 12,000 fans in a chilly Division Three (South) encounter at Kenilworth Road. City wouldn’t secure a first away win until 1963. We have met only once outside of the domestic competitions, a 1-1 draw in an Anglo-Italian Cup clash in September 1992.
LEAGUE
9
GOALS SCORED
9
POSITION*
12
YELLOW CARDS
4
46.3
%
PASSING PERCENTAGE
71.6
%
LEAGUE ONE
AVERAGE AERIAL DUELS WON
30 * not including fixtures played on Tuesday, September 14th
D 17
2021/22 IN NUMBERS
11TH R1
0
BEST AVERAGE RATING (OPTA) CHRIS MARTIN
TACKLE SUCCESS CHAMPIONSHIP
Last match: 2-3, April 2021
10 12 GOALS SCORED
YELLOW CARDS
2
0
RED CARDS
2
MOST ASSISTS ONYEDINMA, JEROME
TOP SCORER BERRY, CORNICK
BEST AVERAGE RATING (OPTA) AMARI’I BELL
R1
JAN 2022
17
7.22
12TH
POSITION*
GOALS CONCEDED
RED CARDS
7.21
68
WIN RATE
Worst defeat: 0-5, March 2005
2
%
36%
Best victory: 6-0 April 1927
MOST ASSISTS CHRIS MARTIN
TOP SCORER ANDI WEIMANN
L 22
W 22
MATCHES PLAYED
JAN 2022
GOALS CONCEDED
POSSESSION
61
CITY v LUTON
POSSESSION
45.1% PASSING PERCENTAGE
66.6% TACKLE SUCCESS
75.6% AVERAGE AERIAL DUELS WON
25
T H E R O B N S Luton Town | 9
LUTON TOWN KEY PLAYER
29 AMARI'I BELL
The 27-year-old left-back had played every minute of Championship football prior to a knock keeping him absent against his former club Blackburn Rovers on Saturday. The Birmingham City youth product had scored the only goal in a Man of the Match display against Barnsley and helped earn clean sheets in the opening day win against Peterborough United (3-0) and a goalless draw with Sheffield United. Overall, it’s been an impressive start for the former Fleetwood Town and Blackburn Rovers defender, who made the switch to the Hatters in June. A teammate of Kasey Palmer with the Jamaican national side, Bell has also represented six other sides on loan while he was contracted with Birmingham.
10 | T H E R O B N S Luton Town
DID YOU KNOW?
L
There are plans for the Hatters to move from their Kenilworth Road home of 116 years. With an increased capacity of 23,000 (starting at 17,500), the new ground has a target opening date for 2024. Planning permission was initially granted by Luton Borough Council in January 2019.
UTON TOWN ARE NOW INTO THEIR THIRD CONSECUTIVE CHAMPIONSHIP CAMPAIGN WITH NATHAN JONES AT THE HELM FOR A SECOND TIME.
The Hatters have finished higher up the Football League every season since 2015/16, winning two promotions – including winning a League One title in 2018/19 – to get back to the Championship in that time. Relegation was narrowly avoided at the end of the 2019/20 campaign before a midtable finish last term which was their highest league finish since they competed in the former top-flight, from which they were relegated at the end of the 1991/92 season meaning they missed out on becoming founder members of the new Premier League. Fast forward to the present and Luton enjoyed an opening day win, beating newly-promoted Peterborough United 3-0 at home. Like their hosts tonight, they’ve won, lost and drawn in equal measure from their first six league games – but have won only once away at Barnsley before a crushing 5-0 home defeat to Birmingham City. “I'm a little bit embarrassed by the performance…we just have
Luke Berry celebrates his late equaliser against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, as the Hatters came back from 2-0 down to rescue a point
to make sure we learn from that and bounce back,” Jones revealed after the final whistle. They’ve drawn twice since then, with Luke Berry scoring a double on his first season start to snatch a 98th-minute equaliser in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Blackburn Rovers. Full-back Amari’i Bell was absent for the game due to a knock and so missed out on a return to face his former side. Former Robins midfielder Joe
Morrell left BS3 for Kenilworth Road in October 2020 but joined Portsmouth in August off the back of eight other players leaving Luton at the end of their contracts, such as George Moncur, Ryan Tunnicliffe and Kazenga LuaLua. However, Jones saw his squad bolstered with eight arrivals including Fred Onyadinma (Wycombe Wanderers) as well as free signings Bell, Reece Burke, and former City midfielder Henri Lansbury.
T H E R O B N S Luton Town | 11
2021/22 HOME KIT
JU ST £2
MEMBERSHIP
£5 OFF HOME LEAGUE MATCHES TWO FREE TICKETS FOR U19S & U12S $£5 REWARDS BALANCE BCFC.CO.UK/MEMBERSHIP * Does not include booking fee
*
5
BRISTOL CITY
THANK YOU TO OUR
PARTNERS PRINCIPAL
ELITE
SUPPORTING
Sam Pearson celebrates his goal during the 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday
ACADEMY: UNDER-23S
100% RECORD
T
he Under23s have made a winning start in the Professional Development League South with a 100% start from their first four games. The young Robins have scored 15 goals and conceded four in that time, beating Sheffield Wednesday (2-0), Wigan Athletic (3-0), Hull City (6-2) and Sheffield United (4-2). Tommy Conway and Sam Pearson got off the mark in the opening day win over the Owls, which also saw Antoine Semenyo earn a run-out after recovering from injury.
A brace from Sam Bell helped the young Robins ease past the Latics, while Nahki Wells got minutes under the belt with a return of four goals as City put six past Hull at Ashton Gate. Saikou Janneh went on to score a stunning volley in the 4-2 win over the Blades last time out, which was aided by a double from Louis Britton. The team went on to end the 2020/21 campaign top of the PDL South, leading them to the play-offs where they eventually lost 2-1 to Birmingham City. Now they hope to keep up momentum and repeat last year’s division win, but go one step further in the play-offs.
UNDER-23 RESULTS
2
0
0
3
Conway Pearson
6
Bell 2, Britton
2
Wells 4, Janneh, Bell
Snelgrove, Curtis
2
4
Lankshear 2
Britton 2, Janneh, OG
T H E R O B N S Luton Town | 15
MATCH REVIEW
Bentley OG
Weimann (2)
1 2
Saturday, August 28th 2021 Cardiff City Stadium City headed into the international break on a wave of three points as Andreas Weimann's double secured bragging rights in the Severnside derby. His near-post finish gave City a half-time lead before Dan Bentley’s unfortunate own goal saw Cardiff level the scores. But Weimann was the hero of the occasion with a rocket of a volley from Antoine Semenyo's cross and he raced to celebrate in front of the 2,453 travelling supporters.
16 | T H E R O B N S Luton Town
Weimann nets the opener after turning past ex-City defender Aden Flint. Below: On the volley: Weimann lashes home the winner. Enjoying the celebrations in front of the packed away end.
0 0 Saturday, September 11th 2021 Ashton Gate Stadium City shared the points in an entertaining goalless draw with Preston North End at Ashton Gate. Han-Noah Massengo went closest with a thunderous effort from distance which was only matched by a fine stop from Daniel Iversen, with the young Frenchman seeking his first goal for the club.
From top: Han-Noah Massengo drives forward with the ball. Rob Atkinson impressed as he completed another 90 minutes of Championship football. Tomas Kalas puts his now trademark long throw to use. Chris Martin shoots for goal but is unable to break the deadlock.
Sean Maguire had hit the bar for the Lilywhites but their chances were largely limited, while the Robins pressed valiantly but to no avail in the second half.
T H E R O B N S Luton Town | 17
PLAYER INTERVIEW
'I THRIVE
OFF THE RESPONSIBILI CAPTAIN BENTLEY
OUR NO.1 HAS TAKEN THE ARMBAND WITH BOTH HANDS AND REVEALS TO THE ROBINS HOW HE’S ENJOYING THE HONOUR OF BEING CAPTAIN.
F
rom speaking to Dan Bentley for only a short while, it quickly became clear how much being captain means to him. A natural leader on and off the pitch, Bentley quickly became a popular figure in the dressing room after arriving at the club from Brentford in 2019. He was appointed captain at the beginning of the current campaign following an informal discussion with Nigel Pearson
20 | T H E R O B N S Luton Town
and the goalkeeper has taken his new responsibilities in his stride.
comes with it. I’m really happy and I thrive off being captain.”
“It’s a huge privilege and honour. I take it very seriously and I absolutely thrive off it,” he said. “I haven’t changed anything I have done on the pitch, those near me in the stands know I’m always vocal anyway!
Tomas Kalas was previously our skipper but the Czech Republic international had nothing but praise for his teammate upon finding out Bentley was to lead out the team for the 2021/22 season.
“But there’s more to being captain and I think that can get a bit lost in translation, or it’s viewed as just an armband or a meaningless gesture but it’s so much more. There’s a great responsibility and honour which
Bentley said: “I’m very close to Tomas and we spoke about it at the time. I completely respect him as both a captain and as a person, he was delighted to hear I was being given the captaincy and he told me how much it 4
Words James Crawley
E
ITY'
T H E R O B N S Luton Town | 21
“I AM VERY HUMBLED AND HONOURED TO BE CAPTAIN AND I TRY TO REPRESENT THE CLUB IN EVERYTHING I DO.” 4would suit me. For him to act like that after no longer having the captaincy shows he is such a top gentleman. “I am very humbled and honoured to be captain of the football club and I try to represent the club in everything I do.” A change in captaincy is not the only thing different about the campaign, with Bentley explaining how there has been a mindset shift within the Robins camp. The team are on the hunt for more wins, yet nobody can argue recent performances have warranted better results, and there is a sense that the tables could soon turn in the search for consistency. Bentley said: “We’re not expecting the start we had last year where we won our first four games, we would rather build into it through 22 | T H E R O B N S Luton Town
good performances and pick up those good results, and if we must endure some indifferent results on that journey to gaining some consistency, then so be it. “Our mentality has changed. I always look at that first because it is easy to say shape and tactics. I always look at the mentality and mindset of the group, which is the most important thing with regards to how you approach games and therefore get a result. “What we have in common is that drive and there’s an expectancy on ourselves and we know we have a good group who believe in each other and the way we play. Everyone is on the same page and we’re trying to achieve the same goal so that is certainly aiding us in trying to find consistency. “The gaffer has spoken about how this is not an
CAREER HIGHS MAY 2015
Wins promotion from League Two via play-off final win with Southend United MAY 2015
Wins all of Southend’s end of season accolades: Supporters' Player, Players' Player and Community Player of the Year MAY 2015
Named in the 2014/15 PFA League Two Team of the Year OCTOBER 2019
Makes his milestone 300th professional career appearance (v Wigan Athletic)
PLAYER PROFILE
1
SQUAD NUMBER
DOB: July 13th 1993 Birthplace: Basildon Position: Goalkeeper Joined: July 2019
2021/22 STATS
6
APPEARANCES
overnight job,” the goalkeeper continued, referring to Pearson’s three-year plan. “Obviously we want results here and now, it’s a resultsbased business but to get things right we have to go through trial and error. “Overall, performances have been consistently positive, and I don’t think we deserved to lose the two which we have. “The Blackpool draw was very snatch and grab so without going through every moment from every game I think on balance we should be sitting here with more points.
Above City's new skipper in training at the Robins High Performance Centre Left Leading the team out in the first league game of the season at Ashton Gate
SAVES
15
MINUTES PLAYED
PASS COMPLETION
46%
BEST OPTA RATING
7.19
540
v Cardiff City, away
CAREER PATH
2009-2016 Signed
2011 Loan
2016-2019 Signed
2019-present Signed
“We’re starting to see the wheels in motion of the gaffer’s plan and he has the buy-in from the players. Their clarity and character in the squad, and I see this daily. Everyone knows their roles whether they’re in the team or not so I would say we’re heading in the right direction. We all want more and we’re hungry for it.” T H E R O B N S Luton Town | 23
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9/11 TRIBUTE
F
ire fighters raised more than £4,500, all of which will be donated to The Fire Fighters Charity, after a charity climbing challenge at Ashton Gate.
Over 30 members of staff volunteered to take part in the challenge, with each volunteer donning full fire kit representing the kit worn by those who responded to the terror attacks 20 years ago, weighing approximately 25kg.
Saturday, September 11th marked the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the United States, an event which took the lives of 3,000 people including 343 emergency responders.
The team started their climb at 8:46am, the time the first hijacked aircraft hit the North Tower and finished 102 minutes later at 10:28am – the time the second tower collapsed on 9/11.
To honour those lives lost, staff from across the Service came together to take part in a charity challenge climbing the equivalent height of 110 stories of the World Trade Centre for 102 minutes, the length of time between the first crash and the last tower collapsing.
Watch Manager & AF&RS Charity Lead Rich Wheeler said: “We all remember the awful events which occurred on 9/11, and this year marked the 20th anniversary. As a Service we wanted to do something special to honour and remember the 343 members of the firefighting family who lost their lives in the emergency response
and all others who sadly lost their lives. “I wanted to thank those who took part. What a challenge it was to climb those stairs for 102 minutes in full fire kit was truly something and I know it wasn’t easy, but we did it, and we raised a huge amount of money for a fantastic charity while honouring those lives lost on 9/11 – so thank you. “I’d also like to thank those who gave so generously, we’ve managed to raise just over £4,500 which will go to a fantastic cause.” Cllr Brenda Massey, Chair of the Avon Fire Authority, added: “On behalf of the Fire Authority, I’d like to say a huge congratulations to all those involved, for taking the challenge in their stride and raising money for the worthy Firefighters’ Charity.”
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE FIRE FIGHTERS CHARITY
T H E R O B N S Luton Town | 27
1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 HALL OF1894 FAME 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 CITY ARCHIVES
PAUL GAINEY PROFILES PROMOTION-WINNER BRIAN DRYSDALE
L
made up for with his tenacious tackling, pace, ability to overlap down the left wing and provide pin-point crosses.
ong-serving left-back Brian Drysdale was a key figure in Bristol City's 1975/76 promotion success but is probably the forgotten man of that campaign; an unsung hero, who added pace, grit and guile to the City line-up. City fan Paul Gainey remembers meeting Brian at an anniversary dinner at Ashton Gate to celebrate that promotion:
“Brian was a quiet, modest, charming man, standing at the back of the room with his healthy mop of white hair. He almost passed unnoticed until Gerry Sweeney and Clive Whitehead forced him to step forward, saying: ‘Without this player, we would never have been promoted.’ With typical modesty, he shook his head, laughed but also looked proud and slightly embarrassed. He then spent hours signing books and programmes. I have a treasured caricature of him drawn by a local artist, which he signed with a chuckle. ‘Is that really me?’ he quipped.
28 | T H E R O B N S Luton Town
“Initially a Lincoln City junior, Brian made his League debut prior to signing professional in September 1960 and joined Hartlepool United on a free transfer in July 1963 where he played under Brian Clough. Alan Dicks paid £10,000 for him in May 1969. "Known as 'Speedy' to his team-mates, he replaced the long-serving Alec Briggs in the number three shirt. For his first three seasons Brian was ever-present and Player-of-theYear in 1970/71. He featured in the 1970/71 League Cup and 1973/74 FA Cup runs. “What he lacked in height he
"But having played a major role in getting City into the top flight, Brian's place in the team came under threat. The signing of Norman Hunter and the repositioning of captain Geoff Merrick to left-back meant it was time for Brian to start looking elsewhere for first-team football. He had scored three goals in 282 League outings when, after a loan spell at Reading, he joined Oxford United in July 1977.”
4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 TERRY 1894 189 4 1894 1894 COOPER HOW ARD'S 1894 189 1894 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 THAT?! 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 OBITUARY
MIKE ADAMS CONTINUES HIS LOOK BACK AT TERRY COOPER'S SPELL IN CHARGE OF THE ROBINS
T
erry’s attacking style with liberal use of wingers was illustrated by his re-signing of Howard Pritchard for the 1983/84 season.
Pritchard had spent two seasons at Swindon Town and would be a revelation and Player-of-the-Year. In contrast, John Kerr – a 23-year-old striker who joined from Tranmere Rovers – would be gone before the season was out. Elsewhere, central defender Bruce Halliday arrived from Bury and Gary Marshall from the Western League’s Shepton Mallet.
A convincing 4-0 home win over Mansfield Town set the right tone for the season. A loss at Bury and a draw at Colchester United followed, but then a 2-0 home win over Hartlepool started a run of of six wins in eight. The purple patch propelled City to top spot with a 1-0 win at York on October 18th. But the loss at Aldershot in the next game was the first of four, which plummeted City down to seventh. A 1-0 away win at Darlington stopped the rot mid-November – future City great Alan Walsh was their number 10 that day, and would join
Above: Player-ofthe-year Howard Pritchard (inset) scores his third goal against Corinthian Casuals
City at the end of the season. FA Cup exploits were an agreeable diversion as City drew the famous amateur side Corinthian Casuals away in the first round. The match was played at Dulwich Hamlet’s Champion Hill ground. The dull goalless game was soon forgotten when City pulled rank in the replay; overwhelming the would-be giant killers 4-0 largely due to a Howard Pritchard hat-trick. Good form continued in the league as the Darlington win proved to be the first of five in seven games to leave City nicely poised in the top three going into the New Year. Back in the FA Cup second round, City were drawn away at Bristol Rovers, a match which would go down as an epic in their historic rivalry…
T H E R O B N S Luton Town | 29
CITY 1894 CITY 1894 CITY 1894 CITY 1894 CITY 1894 CITY 1894 SUN SEPTCITY 26 12PM KO 1894 CITY 1894
TICKETS ON SALE NOW | BCFC.CO.UK/TICKETS ROBINS HIGH PERFORMANCE CENTRE
Y CITY 4 1894 Y CITY 4 1894 Y CITY 1894 4 CITY Y 1894 4 CITY Y 1894 4 CITY Y 1894 4 CITY Y SEPT1894 25 4 SAT 3PM KO CITY Y 1894 4 TICKETS ON SALE NOW | BCFC.CO.UK/TICKETS
1894 1894 1894 1894 CITY1894 IN CARTOONS 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1 3 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 1894 with club historian David Woods
I
n the early days football cartoons were a regular feature of the sports coverage in many newspapers. In Bristol the earliest appeared in the ‘Bristol Magpie’ in 1897, but this week we include these examples from the October 19th 1906 edition of the ‘Kentish Independent’ which reported on Woolwich Arsenal prior to their move to Highbury in 1913.
MATCH REPORT
Wedlock 77
Ducat 11 Bidgen 22 Neave 62
Saturday, October 13th 1906 Football League Division One
registered on three occasions thanks to Ducat, Bigden and Neave. The very last action of the game saw time added on for ‘Cocky’ Bennett to fire his spot-kick straight at the Arsenal keeper.
In front of a record 22,000 Ashton Gate crowd, that generated receipts of £621.14s.8d, this game saw Arsenal’s scientific approach overcome City’s dash.
For City fans the unusual thing was the fact that Arsenal turned out in their change white shirts, rather than insisting, as hitherto, on their right as the older club, to retain their normal red strip.
Billy Wedlock fired in one of his rare goals 13 minutes from time, but by then the visitors had
This win saw Arsenal at the top of the table, but by the end of the season they had fallen away
32 | T H E R O B N S Luton Town
to seventh which saw City, as runners-up, becoming the only southern club pre-World War One to finish in the top two. Adding to City’s woes on this afternoon, the reserves lost their Western League Division Two fixture versus the Rovers 3-1 in front of a 2,500 crowd at Stapleton Road. City: Clay; Annan, Cottle; Marr, Wedlock, Hanlin; Staniforth, Bennett, Gilligan, Burton, Hilton. Arsenal: Ashcroft; Gray, Sharp; Bigden, Theobald, McEachrane; Bellamy, Ducat, Kyle, Satterthwaite, Neave. Referee: F Gardner (Leicester)
4 1894 1894 1894 189 1894 1894 189 4 1894 YOU CAN QUOTE ME 1894 189 1894 4 1894 ON THAT 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 4 1894 1894 1894 189 STEVE SMITH LOOKS BACK AT AN EARLY INTERVIEW WITH FORMER CITY NUMBER ONE RAY CASHLEY
O
ne of the first things to ponder over when you play football is what position? That was the case for local lad Ray Cashley whose idea of being No.1 was not his first thought. Here’s what he revealed in Shoot!’s Memorable Football Firsts booklet from 1976:
“I joined Bristol City from Hengrove Grammar School after an Ashton Gate scout spotted me…as a full-back. In fact, it was as a defender that I aimed to make my mark in the game, but my first-team debut for City was as …a goalkeeper! “It was a third round FA Cup-tie against Southampton. Regular goalkeeper, Mike Gibson, was injured and we had a bit of a crisis.” That was in January 1971 where the Robins bowed out with a 3-0 defeat at The Dell. Gibson had been injured at Middlesbrough the week before, so Cashley got his big chance in goal. This was due to a couple of matches in the Youth Cup against Tottenham Hotspur as fellow keeper Len Bond was another casualty. From there Cashley was encouraged to pursue his career between the sticks.
This interview first appeared in the Shoot! magazine of January 25th 1975 where Ray, with around 200 appearances to his name at the time, elaborated a little more information when he signed professional terms. A more truncated version of the interview was used in a version of the Shoot! 17-week cut-out booklet called ‘Memorable Football Firsts’ on September 18th 1976. In the original version (printed in Shoot! magazine, 1975) Cashley also spoke about Gibson’s influence when he started out.
Cashley said: “Mike Gibson, the goalkeeper in possession at the time, was a tremendous help. Not for a moment did he resent the fact that an outfield player was being coached as his understudy.
“Mike is now with Gillingham and he knows that I appreciate what he did for me. I owe him a lot – and so do City, for he played more than 400 times for them. “One thing is certain; I have no intention of returning to full-back. It would be far too big a risk for City. Just think of all the penalties I would give away.”
T H E R O B N S Luton Town | 33
Giving Football Back to Small Business At eBay, we know small business and football clubs used to be like chips and gravy, two peas in a pod – a match made in community heaven. Ironmongers, ship workers, spring makers and cobblers, all formed clubs which decades later are still prospering. But nowadays, you’d think it was all eyewatering transfers, Super Leagues and mega sponsors, detached from the humble origins of our historic clubs.
That’s why eBay are proud to support 300,000 small businesses who help power EFL clubs nationwide. We’ll be donating our advertising space to a lot of these businesses – on match day hoardings, around grounds and beyond – throughout the coming season, to ensure they can continue to thrive in our local communities. So, join us in giving your support to Small Business Power, because today, they need us more than ever.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
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 #TogetherAgainstDiscrimination Download the Kick it Out app for free from your app store.
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TONIGHT'S SQUADS Wednesday, September 15th, 7.45pm kick-off | Ashton Gate | Sky Bet Championship
BRISTOL CITY MANAGER Nigel PEARSON
HOME KIT
LUTON TOWN
TONIGHT'S FIXTURES Birmingham v Fulham CITY v LUTON Coventry v Cardiff N Forest v Middlesbro Stoke v Barnsley Swansea v Millwall Played yesterday Blackburn v Hull Blackpool v Huddersfield Bournemouth v QPR Sheff Utd v Preston Reading v Peterboro West Brom v Derby
THIRD KIT
MANAGER Nathan JONES
LEAGUE TABLE Dan BENTLEY
1
James SHEA
2
Danny SIMPSON
2
James BREE
3
Jay DASILVA
3
Dan POTTS
5
Rob ATKINSON
4
Kal NAISMITH
6
Matty JAMES
5
Sonny BRADLEY
8
Joe WILLIAMS
6
Glen REA
9
Chris MARTIN
7
Harry CORNICK
10
Andy KING
8
Luke BERRY
11
Callum O’DOWDA
9
Danny HYLTON
12
Max O'LEARY
11
Elijah ADEBAYO
14
Andreas WEIMANN
12
Simon SLUGA
15
Tyreeq BAKINSON
14
Carlos Mendes GOMES
16
Cameron PRING
15
Tom LOCKYER
17
Nathan BAKER
16
Reece BURKE
18
Antoine SEMENYO
17
Pelly RUDDOCK-MPANZU
19
George TANNER
18
Jordan CLARK
21
Nahki WELLS
19
Dion PEREIRA
22
Tomas KALAS
21
Harry ISTED
26
Zak VYNER
22
Allan CAMPBELL
36
Alex SCOTT
23
Henri LANSBURY
37
Tommy CONWAY
24
Fred ONYEDINMA
42
Han-Noah MASSENGO
26
Admiral MUSKWE
45
Kasey PALMER
29
Amari’i BELL
32
Gabriel OSHO
35
Cameron JEROME
1
MATCH OFFICIALS Match Referee
Assistant Referee
Assistant Referee
Fourth Official
Jeremy SIMPSON
Graham KANE
Daniel LEACH
Brett HUXTABLE
IF YOU SEE OR HEAR ANY RACIST, HOMOPHOBIC OR ANY OTHER ABUSE PLEASE REPORT IT TODefender OUR TEXT LINE Forward 07770 736 047 Goalkeeper Midfielder
Correct as at 13.09.21 West Brom Fulham Stoke QPR Bournemouth Coventry Birmingham Cardiff Huddersfield Blackburn CITY Luton Preston Millwall Middlesbro Derby Barnsley Sheff Utd Blackpool Hull Swansea Reading Peterborough N Forest
P 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
GD 7 9 2 6 6 2 6 4 1 1 0 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -3 -2 -3 -3 -4 -6 -8 -5
Pts 14 13 13 12 12 12 11 11 10 9 8 8 7 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 1
NEXT AT ASHTON GATE
FULHAM Ashton Gate Saturday, September 25th, 3pm kick-off Sky Bet Championship