JACK fm: Bristol's Sport

Trego Named Captain Of Royals

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:16:43 +0000

Somerset all rounder set to star in T20 in Bangladesh.

Peter Trego has been appointed as captain of the Sylhet Royals in the inaugural Bangaldesh Premier League Twenty 20 competition that gets underway later on this month.

The 30 year old from Weston super Mare, who is a very firm favourite with the crowds at the County Ground said: "It is a great honour and a challenge to be named as captain for the Royals.”

He added:"I just can’t wait to get the team together to start our campaign in what looks to be a great cricketing event to be involved in.”

Pete has been out in Bangladesh playing for Abahani in the domestic 50 over competition since just after Christmas.

New Date For Bristol Rugby

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:07:16 +0000

The match was called off on Friday, but postponed due to frozen pitch.

Bristol Rugby's RFU Championship fixture at home to Moseley has been rearranged for Sunday 12 February (3pm KO).

The game was scheduled to take place on Friday evening, but was postponed after an RFU qualified referee deemed the Memorial Stadium pitch unplayable due to the freezing weather conditions.

The club says any tickets purchased can be used for the rescheduled fixture.

Bristol City 0 - 3 Leeds

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:18:59 +0000

Manager said refereeing decisions had a huge impact on game.

Derek McInnes admitted refereeing decisions had a huge impact on a nightmare day for his side, but refused to blame defeat on the officials.

James Wilson and Yannick Bolasie were sent off either side of the interval, as nine-man City were beaten 3-0 at Ashton Gate by a Leeds United team who were second best for much of the first half.

McInnes was left aggrieved by the approach of the visitors, who he believes were not shy in going to ground.

"James Wilson got a slight touch and we got ourselves in a poor position," Derek said: "He was possibly the last man so I can understand that one."

"With Yannick, the same boy was involved in both bookings. For the first one, Yannick hasn't touched him.

"The second one was just a coming together. It was really harsh. We can't point the finger at the referee, but once you go down to nine men, it's damage limitation to be honest.

"There's a lot of frustration there, because I felt there was a lot of rolling about today from a few Leeds players making a meal of things. There were a lot of worse challenges than that which went unpunished."

"It was a game that ran away from us and it would be wrong to say it was just down to officials."

Derek admitted he was concerned by the two red cards, following Louis Carey's dismissal at Reading last weekend, but still took heart from aspects of his team's play.

He said: "Naivety has cost us today. Two red cards in the last three games doesn't reflect well on us.

"We were the better side. There was a lot to be pleased about with the first-half performance, but it was a game that ran away from us and it would be wrong to say it was just down to officials. I'm sure the younger lads will learn from it."

Derek revealed defender Lewin Nyatanga was absent due to an ankle injury, while Marvin Elliott could return for next Saturday's trip to Hull.

The manager also reiterated his desire to add to his defensive ranks looking ahead to the opening of the loan window on Tuesday, but reserved his final words for the City groundstaff.

Derek said: "Sometimes we just expect games to be on, but they worked extremely hard and we thank them for that. They've done their bit but unfortunately we haven't done ours."

Aldershot v Bristol Rovers - POSTPONED

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:04:10 +0000

Game off because of overnight frost.

This afternoon's game against Aldershot has been called off because of the cold weather.

Aldershot had frost covers over the playing surface but the overnight frost was extremely heavy and proved to be too much.

The vast majority of the pitch was fine and playable but there were small patches that were not deemed to be match fit.

A new date for the game will be announced as soon as it is rearranged.

Bristol City v Leeds

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:01:59 +0000

Game goes ahead at Ashton Gate despite freezing conditions.

Derek McInnes doesn't see the sacking of Simon Grayson as Leeds boss making much difference to today's Championship match at Ashton Gate.

Following the midweek 4-1 home defeat to Birmingham City, Leeds chairman Ken Bates acted by sacking Grayson and his coaching staff, before placing Neil Redfearn in caretaker charge for the trip to Ashton Gate.

Derek says he was sad to see Grayson depart Elland Road - citing the high expectation levels at the Yorkshire club as a key factor - but insists the job will be tough tomorrow nonetheless.

He said: "Neil Redfearn may make a few changes and in that sense it could be a little bit difficult to predict what Leeds will do with their team selection.

"But we'll get the teams in at 2pm and look at it then. To be honest it's about what Bristol City does on the day. We won't underestimate them because they've lost their manager, we've seen enough them to know it will be tough.

"So many times a new manager or caretaker can come in and steer a team towards a good run of form, and we have to make sure if they are to get their season going again that they do it another Saturday."

The recent cold snap in the South West saw City prepare for the Leeds fixture by training out at Filton College on the 3G pitches.

But the Ashton Gate surface has been covered during the week and should present no problem for the big kick-off at 3pm.

City are without Louis Carey through suspension but could have Marvin Elliott and Liam Fontaine back - the pair having gone through their paces in training this week. James Wilson is also waiting on the sidelines for a recall.

West Ham Sign City's Nicky Maynard

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:22:47 +0000

It's been confirmed that Bristol City's Star Striker, Nicky Maynard has been signed with West Ham United.

It's not been announced how much the contract is worth, but it's reported to be in the region of 2 million pounds.

The 25-year-old's contract was due to expire in the Summer, but he was put up for sale at the start of the month after negotiations to extend his contract with Bristol City fell through.

Biggest Season Win For Bristol Rugby

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:19:54 +0000

Bristol Rugby have managed their biggest win of the season, after a five try 37-3 victory over Rotherham Titans at the Memorial Stadium.

The win puts Bristol nine points clear at the top of the RFU Championship and guarantees a top-four finish ahead of the end-of-season play-offs.

Reading 1 - 0 Bristol City

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:19:06 +0000

Derek McInnes admitted to feeling 'a real sense of injustice' after his side were beaten by a single goal at the Madejski Stadium.

Reading debutant Jason Roberts did the damage, following up his own penalty saved by David James, to score the only goal of the game.

James later saved another penalty, from Jobi McAnuff, but McInnes was left needled by Roberts' role in the decisive incident, which also saw City's Louis Carey shown a straight red card.

"The wrong decision has been made and it's a real sense of injustice for us." Derek said. "Jason went down far too easily and made the referee make a decision. It was a bit of a theme to be honest.

"With ten men we're really struggling. There was a lot to feel aggrieved about today but also a lot to be proud of. They gave everything and on another day we get something from that game.

"For long spells we looked like we could pick up all three points, but today we've been harshly treated. If we keep that togetherness and spirit to keep doing all we can for the club then we'll be okay.

"There were enough good things about that performance to deserve more than we got. We made them work hard to hold on to a goal that shouldn't have been allowed to stand."

Derek added he might look to strengthen his defensive options before the January transfer window slams shut on Tuesday, with captain Louis now facing a one-match ban.

Bristol Rovers 2 - 1 Bradford

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:16:07 +0000

McGhee says he was proud of the way his team dug in and defended to take all three points in their first home win for three months.

After going 2-0 up Rovers were put under pressure as Bradford brought it back to 2-1, but the side defended well until the very end.

The manager was pleased with the resolve shown by his side, especially as they were so short on numbers.

He said: "It was hard in the end, but given the squad available to us we just had to dig in, and the way we dug in was tremendous.

"We had a little fortune near the end, there was a good claim for a Bradford penalty, though we felt the one in the first half with Eliot Richards was a penalty, so it balanced itself out.

"I thought it was a tremendous effort in the second half and I am delighted.

"We couldn't get hold of the ball in that last half hour of the game and we had to defend, but we defended well."

The manager lost Danny Woodards early to injury and felt that he was unable to make the changes he would have liked to have made.

This meant that Matt Gill was forced to play a full game on his first appearance back from injury.

Mark said: "You want to be able to make changes, like for like, but we did not have the ability to do that so Matt Gill had to play the whole game, and things like that caused us to get a little bit deeper.

"There is no way Matt would have started apart from the problems we have had.

"He said he would be able to play an hour, but in the circumstance we couldn't get him off because of the early change.

"The early injury tested us, Danny felt it before the game yesterday, but felt he was ok, but felt it as soon as the game started, so we had to pull him.

"But we had a right back on the pitch and we were able to shuffle it around a bit, although it was not ideal."

The manager is known for instilling discipline in his sides, and will be trying to educate the team.

"I spoke to them about how well I thought they did with their discipline last week and not giving away unnecessary free kicks and not getting booked.

"Chris Zebroski got booked today, we will live with it.

"It is something I major on, in my second year at Motherwell we won the Fair Play award and got into Europe for it.

"I will be trying to educate them on that, and hopefully it will stop.

"You cannot fault the Chris for his effort and he has been a tremendous part of what I have seen in the last two games."

The manager is hoping to do some deals before the window closes, but he is also hoping to be boosted by some of his injured players returning to training.

He said: "We have got several players back in training next week, and hopefully by Saturday we will be a little bit stronger and then we can start to build on that on the back of four tremendous results we have had.

"We are in good form, and if we can add the ones coming back to that and maybe we can add one or two in addition we can start to be more comfortable in games like this."

And the manager is pleased with the way his relationship with Shaun North is developing. He said: "We have hit the ground running and results have helped things.

"I have a lot of respect for what Shaun has brought to things, and training has been excellent."

Bristol Rovers v Bradford

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:03:15 +0000

Selection struggle for Mark McGhee.

The new boss said: "We are down to the bare bones, we are tossing around options this morning as to who can play where, and looking at who can do different jobs, but are going to have to get through this little period until we start getting one or two back to give us more strength in depth.

"We are a squad at the very minimum at the moment, this week we need to dig deeper to make sure we fill holes. We are going to have to improvise a bit.

I have been looking at bringing someone in all week, but we are not just going to bring in a player for tomorrow, anything strengthening we do will be with the season in mind.

"We are not going to be pressurised into making signings just for the sake of it. I am still learning about the squad, who can cross over and improvise, before I really understand fully what I need to add to the squad.

"I have done what I can in the week we have had, and I am satisfied that we have had a good week.

"I am not standing here saying it is all doom and gloom because we have one or two players missing, I am really excited about the game tomorrow and I remain very positive about it."

Bradford are another well supported side who have ambitions to be out of League Two.

Mark said: "They have got a man in charge now who will eventually get them out of this division.

"Like ourselves they have ambition to get out of this division and into higher leagues, but at the moment they are in the same fight that we are in.

"They will be difficult opposition and we will have to approach the game the same as we did the Cheltenham game last week."

And the new manager is looking forward to his first home game in charge of Bristol Rovers.

He said: "Walking out in front of the home crowd for the first time is something to look forward to.

"It makes it a little bit easier that we won last week and everyone is in a positive frame of mind. But we have got to live up to that and prove ourselves again. My task now is to win my first game at home as manager."

And the manager is keeping things realistic and is not entertaining thoughts of a play off push.

He said: "I think that is totally unrealistic. They say 12 points is four games, but if you chart it properly, 12 points is 12 games, and if we want to catch the team in 7th place we are going to have to win the next 12 games.

"That is not likely considering what we have seen already this season; why should we suddenly do it now just because I am here."

Bristol City Away At Reading

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:13:42 +0000

Since both sides are out of the FA Cup, the tie has been brought forward by three days.

Boss Derek McInnes says they're expecting this afternoon's opponents to be tough as they're on the verge of a £40million take over by Thames Sports Investments and according to the club's website a bumper crowd is expected at Madejski Stadium.

After lots of rumours about a possible move to Wigan Athletic from Nicky Maynard he's been included in today's squad.

The 25-year-old has held talks with the Premier League side but there have been not further developments as of yet about a transfer.

Marvin Elliot will be missing though as he's still having problems with his hamstring but Cole Skuse should be back.

Nicky Maynard Not In 2 Million Pound Talks

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:03:57 +0000

Bristol City's star striker Nicky Maynard isn't quite so far forward in talks with Wigan Athletic as first thought.

According to Wigan Athletic's website, they've enquired into the availability of Maynard, but nothing more.

In a statement they said: "Wigan Athletic have confirmed that, contrary to heavy media speculation, no official bid has been made to Bristol City for striker Nicky Maynard and there have been no official talks with the player or the club.

Jonathan Jackson, Chief Executive, said: "An informal enquiry was made as to the player's availability last week, but that really is as far as it goes at this stage.

"We are therefore disappointed by suggestions that talks are in an advanced stage. Some reports even suggest the player has turned down a move to Wigan Athletic, when in fact, no bid has been lodged.

"It is normal for clubs to communicate with each other to ascertain the availability of players - especially during a transfer window. However, we believe these conversations should remain confidential, otherwise, as we have seen in this instance, it can lead to exaggerated speculation."

It is a very different statement to the one on Bristol City's website, which claims "Discussions to finalise a transfer fee with the Premier League club are at an advanced stage."

Funeral Of Denis Dunford Held In Keynsham Today

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:22:23 +0000

The Funeral of Ex-Bristol Rovers Chairman, Denis Dunford is being held at St John's Church in Keynsham, today.

The service starts at 12:45pm and members of the public have been invited, but they are encouraged to wear club colours.

The service will be followed by a family only cremation at Haycombe Crematorium Bath and afterwards refreshments at The Memorial Stadium, Bristol from 2pm onwards.

Denis passed away last week, after a short term illness.

He was 64 years old at the time, a lifelong Rovers supporter and Chairman of his own company, Dunford Dairies.

He stepped down as chairman in 2004 and became Club president until quite recently.

Bristol City 2 - 1 Doncaster

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:27:33 +0000

Robins pull off win over fellow strugglers Doncaster Rovers.

Chris Wood marked his home debut with the opening goal at Ashton Gate, before Habib Beye was sent off for the visitors on the half-hour.

When Kalifa Cisse headed home Neil Kilkenny's resulting free-kick, City were sitting pretty with a 2-0 lead against ten men.

But despite dominating after the interval, they were pegged back by El-Hadji Diouf's 75th minute header, leading to a tense finish for over 14,000 home fans.

The win moves McInnes' side seven points clear of Doncaster and six ahead of Nottingham Forest, who occupy the final Championship relegation place.

"It's nothing but a positive result for the team," Derek said. "It's a much-needed result that keeps our home run going.

"We wanted to make sure it was far more comfortable, but the players should be proud of their efforts. It's a great day for Bristol City and a good three points.

"We said about the importance of the game, it was result over performance, but I thought we managed to get both.

"The league table looks a bit easier now than it did prior to three o'clock."

"We had to get the crowd into it and they did, so I thank them for that."

The manager was full of praise for man of the match Yannick Bolasie, who was a constant threat down the City left on his first start since November - much to the delight of the City supporters.

"He did great," said Derek. "The fans' interpretation of Yannick is what I think of him as well. He plays the game with a smile and generates a pace and enthusiasm just with his body language.

"He's an entertainer and on his day can be such a handful. I'm delighted with his performance, he continued where he left off last week when he came on as sub.

"We had to get the crowd into it and they did, so I thank them for that - first half especially."

Meanwhile, McInnes insists his decision to withdraw Cole Skuse in the second half was just a precaution.

The right-back was suffering from a dead leg, but is expected to be fit for next week's trip to Reading.

Cheltenham Town 0 - 2 Bristol Rovers

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:23:51 +0000

Perfect start for new manager Mark McGhee at Whaddon Road.

Mark McGhee's reign as manager began in style as recorded an excellent 2-0 win at Cheltenham courtesy of goals from Chris Zebroski and Eliot Richards.

It was a thoroughly deserved win and achieved with a well organised defensive display and a team performance that saw everyone determined, committed, and fighting for the cause.

The manager named an unchanged starting lineup for his first game in charge, though there was a change on the bench, where skipper Matt Gill returned after injury.

There were few chances for either side in a fairly even first half.

Both sides closed down opponents quickly, denying space at every opportunity and the best chance of the half fell to Rovers a minute before half time when a Chris Zebroski header grazed the outside of the post.

The first chance of the game, though, fell to the home side but Jimmy Spencer's left foot shot carried little power and Michael Poke was able to gather comfortably.

Andy Dorman lashed a shot high and wide of the target for Rovers, while former Rovers striker Darryl Duffy curled a shot wide at the other end.

Joe Anyinsah saw a shot deflected behind for a corner and then Rovers were almost gifted a goal when a bizarre clearance by Marlon Pack, from Zebroski's cross, hit Sido Jombati and was hacked away by a flustered home defence.

Zebroski went close when running on to a through ball from Dorman, but could get no power on his shot and Scott Brown saved comfortably.

Pack fired an ambitious 35 yard free kick over the bar before Kaid Mohamed hit a low effort wide of the target and then volleyed over.

Then came Zebroski's late chance, from Gary Sawyer's cross, to round off a frantic and frenetic opening half.

Rovers bossed the second half against a side that were in second place going into the game.

The game continued to be played at a high tempo and while there were half chances for either side early on, once Rovers opened the scoring, on the hour mark, they assumed control of the game.

The goal came after Scott McGleish played in Zebroski down the right and he cut inside before hitting a low shot beyond the dive of Scott Brown and into the corner of the net.

Three minutes later Zebroski tested the keeper with a fierce drive and he could only parry it up into the air.

Defender Alan Bennett tried to chest it back to his keeper, but Richards reacted quicker than the shot stopper and nipped in to knock the ball into the net from close range.

Brown almost gifted Rovers a third goal when he flapped at the ball and succeeded only in palming it to McGleish but his header drifted just wide of an open goal.

Cheltenham threatened only rarely after that and disappointed their highest crowd of the season by slipping to only their third home defeat of the campaign.

Team: Michael Poke, Danny Woodards, Cian Bolger, Aaron Downes, Gary Sawyer, Eliot Richards, Craig Stanley, Andy Dorman, Lee Brown, Joe Anyinsah (Scott McGleish, 52), Chris Zebroski

Substitutes: Michael Smith, Matt Gill, Byron Anthony, Lance Cronin

Yellow card: Poke

Cheltenham Town: Scott Brown, Sido Jombati, Keith Lowe, Alan Bennett, Luke Garbutt, Marlon Pack, Luke Summerfield, Russell Penn (Jermaine McGlashan, 59), Jimmy Spencer, Darryl Duffy (Jeff Goulding, 59), Kaid Mohamed (Brian Smikle, 82)

Substitutes: Josh Low, Harry Hooman

Yellow card: Spencer

Referee: David Phillips

Attendance: 5,288

Rovers fans: 1,467

Cheltenham v Bristol Rovers

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:06:04 +0000

Bristol Rovers travel the short journey to Cheltenham under new boss Mark McGhee.

The Gas take on Mark Yates' side who have won 12 and drawn two of their last 15 League Two fixtures and only goal difference is keeping them behind leaders Southend United.

Cheltenham were expected to be fighting a relegation battle this term, but the Whaddon Road club have conjured up a remarkable run of results based on raw talent and excellent team spirit.

Rovers record at Whaddon Road since the Robins have achieved League status is excellent with 2 wins and 2 draws in the 6 games played there.

The two matches since Paul Buckle's departure has seen a tightening up of the Rovers defence and the four valuable points collected has halted the slide.

With Mark McGhee now in place it is to be hoped that the improvement in both results and performances will continue.

Bristol City v Doncaster Rovers

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:24:17 +0000

Crucial match for the Robins against fellow relegation strugglers.

City host Doncaster Rovers on Saturday and the squad are well aware of the importance of the game.

Midfielder Cole Skuse has targeted big-spending Doncaster as a must-win game for Derek McInnes' side.

Skuse believes the influence of the home fans will play a huge part in getting City back on the winning path.

"I think we owe Doncaster one" Skuse said. "They battered us at our own place not so long ago and we want to put that right. Every game at the moment for both sides is a massive.

"Once you are playing those teams in and around you in the table, it gives you that chance to build a little gap or pull away from the relegation zone which makes it vital.

"It's a massive game. It has gone past that Christmas period so we are into the last bit of the season now. Some people might say it's a six-pointer but every game at the minute is big for us as we are still in and around that area and we don't want to be."

Cole cannot wait to get back out in front of the home crowd after two disappointing results away from Ashton Gate.

He said: "Our fans always play a big part. Especially the East Enders, they are always very vocal so it will be interesting to see how many fans Doncaster bring down, but it will be up to us to generate our own atmosphere.

"It will be great to be back at Ashton Gate. It feels like a lifetime since we have played here and our form and performances have picked up at home.

"Early part of the season we were performing a bit better away from home but we are trying to make it a bit of a fortress here."

Bristol Trio Sign New Contracts

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:16:24 +0000

Key players commit to stay at the club until at least 2014.

Three key figures in Bristol’s league revival this season have committed their futures to the Club.

Head Coach Liam Middleton, captain Iain Grieve and prop Jason Hobson all extend their contracts ahead of the end-of-season play-offs.

Chairman Chris Booy said: "We’re really delighted that the Liam, Iain and Jason have signed up to stay with us.

"Liam has proved a fantastic appointment as Head Coach and we know what huge respect he is held in by the players, staff and supporters.

"Iain and Jason are two of the most talented and committed members of the squad.

"It’s a clear indication of the Club’s ambitions. The trio can see that we are building for the future and they all want to play their part in it.”

Middleton, who took over the helm during the summer, has overseen a dramatic turnaround in fortunes with Bristol currently sitting top of the RFU Championship and unbeaten in the league at the Memorial Stadium this season.

The Zimbabwean, who boasts an impressive win record in his tenure as Head Coach, has instilled an attacking philosophy in his squad with Bristol playing some of their most exciting rugby in years. He agrees a new two-year deal.

"It’s a privilege to be Head Coach of Bristol Rugby,” said Middleton. "It comes with a huge amount of responsibility.

"I'm passionately driven to make the vision we have for the Club a reality in years to come."

London Welsh 23 - 17 Bristol Rugby

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:21:51 +0000

Bristol Rugby’s seven-game winning streak came to an end with a defeat to London Welsh at Old Deer Park.

Liam Middleton’s men, who led 11-3 at half-time, secured a losing bonus point in an error-strewn affair.

Will Helu opened the scoring for the visitors during the first half, but tries from Hudson Tonga’uiha and Saul Nelson after the break condemned Bristol to their first defeat of 2012.

London Welsh controlled possession in the opening five minutes and promptly earned a penalty after Mariano Sambucetti was penalized at the breakdown. Full-back Alex Davies saw his penalty attempt sail wide, so the score remained 0-0.

Minutes later, Tristan Roberts had an opportunity to break the deadlock, but his effort drifted left of the upright. In virtually their first attack of the game, Bristol opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Will Helu crossed for his first try for the Club.

The centre capitalized on fine handling to collect Josh Ovens’ offload and race in under the posts for an unconverted try and a 0-5 lead. London Welsh came close to an immediate response when Hudson Tonga’uiha scooped up a stray pass and galloped clear, only to be dragged down by Tristan Roberts ten metres from the line.

In a first half played at breakneck speed, the Exiles reduced the deficit courtesy of Alex Davies’ well-struck penalty. Tristan Roberts had a chance to extend Bristol’s lead but the kick faded just short. The fly-half made amends soon after with a fine forty metre effort to move the score to 3-8.

With the first period drawing to a close, Roberts added another three points from the angle as Bristol went in at half-time with a 3-11 advantage.

The Exiles came out in determined fashion after the interval and, within a minute of the restart, Alex Davies closed the gap to 6-11 with a penalty goal.

London Welsh turned the game on its head with their first try of the afternoon shortly after. Liam Gibson sliced through the defence and, after several phases on the Bristol tryline, Hudson Tonga’uiha burrowed over for a converted try. Alex Davies added the extras as the hosts took a narrow 13-11 lead.

Spurred by the introduction of fresh legs, the visitors upped the tempo and could have regained the lead when James Merriman burst clear, only for the flanker to be crowded out by a sea of red shirts.

Former Bristol hooker Saul Nelson gave the visitors a mountain to climb when he capitalized on a strong spell of pressure to crash over for London Welsh. Alex Davies slotted the conversion to put his side 20-11 up.

Replacement fly-half Matty James could have reduced the arrears only to see his effort fly wide. Bristol spurned a gilt-edged opportunity moments later when George Watkins carved an opening but, with the try-line gaping, the ball was knocked on.

With time running out, James struck two penalties to secure the losing bonus point, while three points from the boot of Gordon Ross ensured victory for the home side.

London Welsh:

Alex Davies; Liam Gibson, Hudson Tonga’uiha, Guy Armitage, Joe Ajuwa; Gordon Ross (c); Rob Lewis, Max Lahiff, Saul Nelson, Leo Halavatu, Matt Corker, Martin Purdy, Lee Beach, Mike Denbee, Ed Jackson.

Replacements: Vili Ma’asi (for Saul Nelson, 69 mins), Tom French, Adam Brown (for Matt Corker, 80 mins), Kieran Low (for Mike Denbee, 61 mins), Jack Moates, Will Hurrell, Edd Thrower.

Bristol Rugby:

Sean Marsden; Jack Tovey, Fautua Otto, Will Helu, Jon Goodridge; Tristan Roberts, Ruki Tipuna; Mark Irish, Rhys Lawrence, Wayne Thompson, Mariano Sambucetti, Glen Townson, Josh Ovens, James Merriman (c), Marco Mama.

Replacements: Tom Channon, Jason Hobson (for Wayne Thompson, 54 mins), Roy Winters (for Mariano Sambucetti, 54 mins), Mitch Eadie, Tom Slater (for Ruki Tipuna, 70 mins), Matty James (for Tristan Roberts, 70 mins), George Watkins (for Sean Marsden, 60 mins).

Referee: Dean Richards

Attendance: 2100

Bristol Rovers 0 - 0 Crawley

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:19:42 +0000

Shaun North was "proud" of performance at the Memorial Stadium.

Rovers put in a committed and spirited display to secure a hard fought 0-0 draw and knock Crawley off the top of League Two.

It was a much improved performance for Rovers, who looked solid and picked up their first clean sheet in 13 games.

And Shaun stuck with the formation that also picked up three points away at Hereford.

Shaun said: "It was a performance to be proud of, the boys gave 100%, effort, as they do week in week out.

"The way we are playing it at the moment, it is an attacking formation, we try not to be five at the back, but that depends on what the opposition do to you.

"We changed our system second half, and Crawley changed theirs - which is a credit to us. We knew they would try and be competitive, and they work hard.

"They try to impose themselves physically, and I said to the lads in the week that you have to be able to stand up to them on Saturday, because of you can't then it doesn't matter what you do or how you do it, if you cannot stand up to confrontation it is not going to help you.

"There are good players at this club, and we have three or four injured who would have been in contention.

A couple of decisions went against Rovers this afternoon, with appeals for a penalty turned down and a very marginal offside decision given against Joe Anyinsah.

Shaun said: "I thought it was a penalty, and I thought we had a shout for another one in the second half.

"Also, it was not offside, whether he scores or not, who knows, but we could have been in a better position.

"We are trying to be difficult to beat and break time, but at the other end we want to create a striker force as well. I thought we had more shots if not as many as Crawley today, and they are a very good side."

And Shaun was impressed with the fans who gave great support to the side this afternoon.

He said: "The fans were very good, they were very good against Aston Villa, and the ones that made the journey up to Hereford were very vocal.

"The supporters today got massively behind the team and lifted the boys. And I am sure that helped them in the last five or ten minutes when we cam under a lot of pressure."

And the caretaker boss says that he has enjoyed being in charge but has not put his name forward for the current vacancy.

He said: "I have enjoyed being in charge, it has been good and we will see where we go from here.

"I haven't put my name forward and haven't had chance to think about it, as when you are preparing for a game it is full on.

"I have not applied in any way, shape or form. I believe in myself as a coach, I have not managed at first team level before, but I have managed reserve teams and at youth level.

"Hopefully in the performances to date, you can see we have done some work, not that we haven't been working all year, but everyone has a little slightly different way about how they want to do things."

Brighton & Hove Albion 2 - 0 Bristol City

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:16:47 +0000

A disappointing defeat for the Robins at Brighton's new Amex Stadium.

City were beaten 2-0 by the Seagulls, who scored a goal in each half, but new recruits Richard Foster and Chris Wood did not look out of place on their City debuts.

McInnes also praised the impact of substitutes Yannick Bolasie, Brett Pitman and Kalifa Cisse, who replaced the returning Marvin Elliott in the second half.

"They did fine," Derek said: "Ricky showed he is dependable defensively and tried to get forward. He's fit, strong and athletic, and be well pleased with his debut.

"Chris will probably be disappointed not to have got on the end of a couple of crosses. Second half there was enough for one of our three strikers to get on the end of.

"All three substitutes came on and gave us something. I took a gamble with Marvin today, but he was starting to stiffen up a bit.

"We lost Stephen Pearson and Albert Adomah, and both players have been constant selections for us, but regardless of selection, we have to try and generate a tempo that allows us to win games more often than not."

Inigo Calderon put the hosts in front shortly before half time with a spectacular long range strike, before Will Buckley doubled Brighton's lead amid confusion in the City backline.

Derek said: "We went behind to a wonderstrike from their point of view, but I was disappointed we didn't close the shot down.

"We wanted to try and get a reaction and second half we were on the front foot, but just as we looked like getting back in the game after we passed up a couple of opportunities, we've let a sloppy goal in.

"There was plenty of spirit, the players kept going and deserve credit for that.

Buttler Enjoys England Success

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:10:31 +0000

Jos tops England Lion’s batting averages on their tour in Bangladesh.

After three games of the 50 over series, Buttler currently tops the batting averages.

The 21 year old, who made his full England T20 debut against India in the late summer of 2011, has an average of 46.50 from the first three games in the series with a highest score of 45.

In the most recent game that was played this morning (Friday) in Chittagong Jos kept wicket for the first time in the series and ended up with a stumping , the first of the tour, plus a catch as Bangladesh A scored 218 for 9 off their 50 overs.

In reply the Lions were dismissed for 143 in 34.4 overs, Jos making seven.

The next game between the two sides is on Monday in Sylhet where the game starts at 0300GMT.

London Welsh v Bristol Rugby

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:07:15 +0000

Liam Middleton makes two changes from the side that beat Esher as Bristol Rugby set their sights on an eighth successive RFU Championship victory against London Welsh at Old Deer Park.

The Head Coach keeps faith in the majority of the side that secured a 27-7 win over Esher last weekend.

In an enforced change, Marco Mama replaces injured skipper Iain Grieve at no. 8, while Jack Tovey returns in place of George Watkins on the wing.

Sean Marsden is primed to make his 100th league appearance for the Club after being named at full-back. Fautua Otto, who has notched five tries in the last six games, starts in the midfield alongside Junior Fatialofa.

In the forwards, James Merriman assumes the captaincy in Grieve’s absence and forms a pacy back-row partnership with Josh Ovens and Marco Mama.

Middleton retains a four forwards and three backs split on the replacements bench, with Roy Winters and Tristan Roberts included in the 22-man squad.

Bristol Rugby team to face London Welsh at Old Deer Park on Saturday 14 January (2pm KO):

Sean Marsden; Jack Tovey, Fautua Otto, Junior Fatialofa, Jon Goodridge; Matty James, Ruki Tipuna; Darren Crompton, Rhys Lawrence, Wayne Thompson, Mariano Sambucetti, Glen Townson, Josh Ovens, James Merriman (c), Marco Mama.

Replacements: Ross Johnston, Mark Irish, Roy Winters, Mitch Eadie, Tom Slater, Tristan Roberts, George Watkins.

Bristol Rovers v Crawley Town

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:03:26 +0000

Rovers entertain Crawley Town team sitting on top of the Division and in the 4th Round of the FA Cup.

Having won promotion from the Blue Square league last season the Sussex team are setting the pace in the bottom Division.

When Rovers travelled to Crawley on 3 September they were in 10th place, 2 points behind their 3rd placed opponents. After winning at Hereford in mid-week Rovers are now in 17th spot 24 points behind the Reds.

Whilst Paul Buckle struggled with the task at hand, Steve Evans has had a dream of a season. 10 home wins and 29 goals in 13 games shows where their strength lies but they have only lost twice on the road so far this season also.

Rovers only game against the Reds was that 4-1 thumping back in September. The Red Devils took the lead after just 13 minutes. Tyrone Barnett, tapping home from close range after McFadzean had won a crucial header in the Rovers' area.

It was 2-0 on 26 minutes as Ben Smith met Dean Howell's cross eight yards out and headed past the diving Scott Bevan.

Town had their third with 15 minutes left as Matt Tubbs curled a superb free-kick into the net after Torres had been brought down right on the edge of the area.

With 10 minutes to go Lee Brown pulled one back for Rovers when his cross caught out Michel Kuipers and drifted inside the far post. Barnett swept home his second goal to make it 4-1 after he got on the end of Tubbs clever flick on, just 4 minutes later.

That victory came in the middle of Crawley's worst spell of the season as they lost 5 out of 6 games (including the JPT and Carling Cups). They bounced back in style by then winning 7 League games in a row, a run which took them to the top of the table.

The one concern for the Broadfield Stadium team would be their attendances, currently averaging 3,177 from the 16 home games and that included less than 4,000 for their FA Cup tie with our neighbours last weekend.

With Brighton, just down the road in a new stadium and doing well in the Championship it is difficult to see what else Crawley can do.

In their Cup game it was a second-half goal from Matthew Tubbs that sealed his team's place in the fourth round with a deserved 1-0 win over our neighbours.

The League Two leaders dominated from start to finish. Josh Simpson and Tubbs both hit the post in the first half and with 17 minutes remaining Sergio Torres's ball over the top found Tubbs who produced a cool finish for his 17th goal of the season.

Tubbs scoring feats has attracted the attention of higher placed clubs with both Bournemouth and Ipswich being reported to have made bids for the striker, whose goal on Saturday was his 57th in Crawley colours.

Tubbs has already played for the Cherries, during a 2008 loan spell, but has already attracted a number of offers in this transfer window after scoring 17 goals this season.

Evans' team have drawn to face another Championship side in the 4th Round of the Cup with a trip to Hull. In between, they face games against Rovers and Plymouth and Evans, whose team won the Conference last season on top of reaching the fifth round and narrowly losing at Manchester United, says they will not take their eyes off the main prize.

"Being in the fourth round of the FA Cup is so exciting and we hope we can do ourselves justice on the day," he told the club's official website, "but before then we have two very important league fixtures. The first of those is at Bristol Rovers on Saturday and our preparations for that have started."

There is no doubt that Rovers, buoyed by their midweek victory at Edgar Street, will be anxious to show their home fans that they have tightened up at the back and can start to move away from the threat of relegation.

Match preview courtesy of Bristol Rovers Football Club.

Brighton & Hove Albion v Bristol City

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:58:15 +0000

Over 2,000 Robins fans expected to travel to the south coast to Brighton's new stadium.

Bristol City manager Derek McInnes said: "Brighton had a really good result, 3-0 against Southampton at home a couple of weeks ago, and they've got a few players coming back from injury and suspension that they've been without, so they're getting back to their strongest line-up.

"Any team that gets promoted always have that momentum coming from the season before. They showed they can adjust to playing at Championship level - they're doing very well.

"Hopefully we can go down there and put in a performance away from home that we have shown in the past can get us results."

"There was a bit of shame and embarrassment that we'd been dumped out of the cup. We've got some making up to do, and we share that responsibility."

The Brighton trip represents an opportunity for McInnes' side to get back on track after they were knocked out of the FA Cup by League 2 leaders Crawley Town last weekend, something the manager admits was a major blow.

Derek said: "It's important we move on from it. We could go into it all afternoon about what we could have done better, but our biggest objective was always to be in the league.

"I can't hide the fact that we wanted to have a cup run as well. There was a bit of shame and embarrassment that we'd been dumped out of the cup. We've got some making up to do, and we share that responsibility.

"Crawley deserved to go through, but we lick our wounds and move on to the next game, which happens to be a very important league game and hopefully we can get back to winning ways. "

Bristol Rugby 27 - 7 Esher

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:55:02 +0000

Bristol went eleven points clear at the top of the RFU Championship after a 27-7 win over Esher at the Memorial Stadium.

The hosts scored three tries in a convincing victory with Josh Ovens, Fautua Otto and George Watkins crossing for the league leaders.

Bristol will have been disappointed not to have clinched a bonus point after dominating possession and creating a number of gilt-edged chances.

Bristol started brightly, forcing an early turnover and moving the ball wide. Matty James glimpsed an opening to dash clear but solid defence from Esher captain Tom Cheeseman ensured that the danger was cleared.

The visitors could have opened the scoring after three minutes, but Mark Atkinson saw his penalty attempt drift wide of the upright.

Liam Middleton’s side dominated possession in a lively opening, but couldn’t find a way past a stubborn Esher backline. George Watkins and James Merriman came closest to breaching the defence, while Ross Chisholm almost made Bristol pay with a fine solo counter-attack, only to be bundled into touch.

Josh Ovens broke the deadlock on the twenty-minute mark with a fine solo effort. The flanker accelerated through several challenges on his way to the line. James added the extras to give Bristol a 7-0 lead.

Rhys Lawrence’s high tackle gave Peter Synott an opportunity to reduce the arrears, but the fly-half’s attempt faded short and was punted to safety. Bristol continued to apply pressure in the opposition half and extended their advantage with a penalty goal courtesy of Matty James.

Esher found a way back into the game through Andy Wright’s breakaway try. The winger latched onto Ross Chisholm’s offload to sprint in unchallenged from forty metres. Atkinson slotted the conversion as the score moved to 10-7.

A serious-looking injury to Ian Kench resulted in a lengthy break in play, before Matty James sent a long-range penalty attempt just short. Bristol did push further ahead minutes later when Fautua Otto jinked his way over from twenty metres. James converted from the angle to give his side a 17-7 lead at the break.

The New Zealander added a penalty immediately after the restart to put Bristol in control at 20-7. The home side maintained the pressure and were unfortunate not to grab a third try when James Merriman carved an opening in the Esher 22, only for Andy Wright to intercept and carry upfield.

Bristol came close again when George Watkins sliced through the midfield before feeding the on-rushing Will Helu. But, with the tryline gaping, the hosts couldn’t find the final pass and Esher scrambled clear to relieve the pressure.

Watkins added a third Bristol try when the winger coasted through the gap to score in front of the Blackthorn Terrace. Matty James converted to put the game out of reach at 27-7.

Mitch Eadie had a late opportunity to seal the bonus point but the flanker was dragged down metres from the line after an energetic break.

Bristol Rugby:

Sean Marsden; George Watkins, Fautua Otto, Junior Fatialofa, Jon Goodridge; Matty James, Ruki Tipuna; Darren Crompton, Rhys Lawrence, Wayne Thompson, Mariano Sambucetti, Glen Townson, Josh Ovens, James Merriman, Iain Grieve (c).

Replacements: Tom Channon, Mark Irish (for Darren Crompton, 69 mins), Roy Winters, Mitch Eadie (for Iain Grieve, 70 mins), Tom Slater (for Ruki Tipuna, 55 mins), Tristan Roberts (for Jon Goodridge, 62 mins), Will Helu (for Junior Fatialofa, 54 mins).

Esher:

Ross Chisholm; Andy Wright, Tom Cheeseman (c), Arran Cruickshanks, Charlie Walker; Mark Atkinson, Jamie Mackenzie; Cameron Zeiss, James Campbell, Will Collier, Ian Kench, Charlie Matthews, Tom Alexander, Peter Synnott, Mike Macfarlane.

Replacements: Ricky Nebbett (for Cameron Zeiss, 62 mins), Shawn Renwick (for Ian Kench, 34 mins), Chris Goodman (for Charlie Matthews, 21 mins), Kevin Corrigan (for James Campbell, 70 mins), Geoff Griffiths (for Andy Wright, 60 mins), Nicky Little (for Peter Synnott, 80 mins), Andy Garner (for Jamie Mackenzie, 60 mins).

Referee: Llyr Apgeraint Roberts

Attendance: 4608

Robins Boss Speaks Out After FA Cup Exit

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:00:42 +0000

Derek McInnes admits team set down the club and fans after being knocked out the cup in the third round.

McInnes said he was disappointed with his side's quality in the 1-0 FA Cup third round defeat at Crawley Town.

Matt Tubbs' 73rd minute goal proved the difference between the two sides, sending the League 2 leaders through to the fourth round and causing an upset.

City's chances were few and far between in the tie, whereas Crawley twice hit the woodwork in the first 45.

Derek said: "I'm disappointed that we've lost the game. I think we were committed in the match but in the end we didn't show enough quality.

"We knew exactly how Crawley were going to play and you have to give credit to them for their performance on the day.

"However, with no disrespect meant, we had a strong enough team to beat Crawley Town. I expect us to be going into round four and I wanted a cup run.

"We've let the club down and our supporters down. I'm not going to say we're now concentrating on the league because, although retaining our Championship status is the priority, I wanted to have a good cup run."

Stephen Pearson, on the back of his new City deal until the end of the season, was red carded for a second bookable offence ten minutes from time.

"I thought both his yellow cards were harsh," said Derek. "It's disappointing because I didn't even think the referee was going to bring out the yellow card again for the second one."

The former Derby and Celtic midfielder will now serve a one-match ban.

Former Robins Boss Back With The Glovers?

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:27:32 +0000

There is speculation that Gary Johnson is coming back to the West Country to his former club, Yeovil Town.

Johnson was one of the more colourful characters at Ashton Gate when he was in charge of Bristol City after being targeted by the Robins in 2005 when their manager Brian Tinnion resigned.

Yeovil agreed compensation terms and he became City's manager on 26 September 2005. Despite a long losing streak through October and November, City's fortunes turned around under Johnson and a good run of form in the second half of the season saw them in play-off contention, eventually finishing ninth.

Johnson won the League One Manager of the Month award for April 2006. After an impressive 2006–07 season (including an 18 match unbeaten run), Johnson won the award again in March 2007 after successfully guiding his side to 16 points from seven games the previous month.

In September 2008 Johnson signed a new five-year contract with Bristol City, to keep him at the club until 2013 but he left his post in March 2010 after heavy defeats by Cardiff and Doncaster Rovers.

He went on to manage Northampton Town and left in November 2011 by mutual consent.

Yeovil Town have called a press conference at 2pm on Monday afternoon.

Bristol Rugby v Esher

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:57:30 +0000

Captain Iain Grieve returns to the starting line-up to lead Bristol Rugby against Esher at the Memorial Stadium this afternoon.

The skipper, who suffered a serious-looking thigh injury against Plymouth in December, has missed only three fixtures and replaces the injured Dan Montagu at no. 8.

Liam Middleton makes a total of six changes from the side that secured a bonus-point victory over Nottingham last week.

George Watkins replaces Jack Tovey on the wing, while Matty James starts in the RFU Championship for the first time since Moseley in early November.

Rhys Lawrence and Wayne Thompson come into the front row in place of Ross Johnston and Jason Hobson. In the second row, Mariano Sambucetti is named alongside Glen Townson.

The Head Coach opts for a strong replacements bench that includes Tristan Roberts and Roy Winters. Tongan Will Helu recovers from a knee injury to be included in the 22-man squad.

Bristol Rugby team to face Esher at the Memorial Stadium on Sunday 8 January (3pm KO):

Sean Marsden; George Watkins, Fautua Otto, Junior Fatialofa, Jon Goodridge; Matty James, Ruki Tipuna; Darren Crompton, Rhys Lawrence, Wayne Thompson, Mariano Sambucetti, Glen Townson, Josh Ovens, James Merriman, Iain Grieve (c).

Replacements: Ross Johnston, Mark Irish, Roy Winters, Marco Mama, Tom Slater, Tristan Roberts, Will Helu.

Rovers & City Out Of FA Cup

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:14:08 +0000

Defeats for both Bristol teams in the third round.

Bristol City and Bristol Rovers have both been knocked out of the FA cup.

City lost by one goal away at Crawley Town and Rovers missed out on glory against Premier League side Aston Villa losing by three goals to one.

Bristol Rovers v Crewe

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:33:43 +0000

Paul Buckle looks ahead to the New Year's Eve League Two clash at the Memorial Stadium.

The Gas manager believes that Monday's defeat to Plymouth sums up his side's season so far.

Rovers were in control of the first half, but let their two goal lead slip, with Argyle eventually winning 3-2.

The manager knows that only him and his players can change the club's fortunes, and will be hoping to do so when Crewe visit the Memorial Stadium on New Year's Eve.

He said: "We threw the game away, I have not changed my opinion on that since Monday. We were in total control, but we let the game slip away.

"No one could legislate for that third goal; they reacted quicker than us and scored - which sums up our season.

"It is certainly not down to effort, as the players are giving their all at the moment. We need to keep our heads when we concede, and we have to be stronger."

Rovers will need to play well for the whole game if they want to take the three points from Crewe, who have had an inconsistent season so far.

Buckle said: "We know that only we can change our fortunes, the players have got to step up and go all out for three points on Saturday. We cannot change the past, that has been and gone, we need to be positive going into the next game.

"It is not about Crewe, it is about us; we need to end this bad run. We had a great opportunity to do that on Monday but we threw it away.

"We need to start the game like we did against Plymouth, but carry it on for the whole 90 minutes. We have got to be stronger.

"The whole football club needs to pull together through good, bad and indifferent. I have said that since day one, and I believe it is the only way to move forward. That is how I have had success in the past."

With the transfer window about to reopen, the manager is keen to bring in some new faces to bolster his squad. He will also be making decisions on the three loan players currently with Rovers.

He said: "I need to bring in more players as we currently do not have a big enough squad. We need to try and improve in the window, and that is what I am planning to do.

"We have lots of targets, but it comes down to the money side of things. You need to keep freshening up your team throughout the season, and we need to strengthen what we have here.

"The players whose loan periods with us come to an end shortly will all be dealt with after Saturday's game."

And on a personal note, Buckle says that he can handle the current pressure he is facing.

He said: "There is no added pressure on me, there are a lot of people worse off in this world. I am big enough and strong enough to take the bad results, and I am looking forward to the next game.

"No one is hurting more than me and the players at the moment. Football is not an easy ride, and we understand the frustrations of the supporters as this club has been under achieving for far too long. We have to put that right."

Nottingham v Bristol Rugby

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:27:01 +0000

Liam Middleton names a virtually unchanged side as Bristol Rugby target their sixth successive RFU Championship win against Nottingham.

The Head Coach welcomes back centre Will Helu and gives on-loan Glen Townson his first league start at Meadow Lane.

Jon Goodridge continues at full back, while Fautua Otto â€" who scored twice in the 26-6 victory last weekend â€" is named at outside centre.

George Watkins recovers from a head injury sustained against Bedford Blues to start on the wing.

Middleton makes one change in the pack, with Mariano Sambucetti making way for Glen Townson. James Merriman remains captain in the absence of Iain Grieve.

The replacements bench sees a five forwards and two backs split.

Bristol Rugby team to face Nottingham at Meadow Lane on Friday 30 December (7.45pm KO):

Jon Goodridge; Jack Tovey, Fautua Otto, William Helu, George Watkins; Tristan Roberts, Ruki Tipuna; Mark Irish, Ross Johnston, Jason Hobson, Glen Townson, Roy Winters, Marco Mama, James Merriman (c), Dan Montagu.

Replacements: Rhys Lawrence, Darren Crompton, Wayne Thompson, Mariano Sambucetti, Darren Barry, Matt Keyte, Matty James.

Southampton v Bristol City

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:24:26 +0000

Robins boss keen to end club's five match run without a win against league leaders Southampton.

Derek McInnes wants to see belief from his players at Southampton tonight.

It was just four weeks ago that goals from Nicky Maynard and Albert Adomah upset the odds to record a 2-0 victory over the Saints at Ashton Gate.

Boss Derek said: "Southampton are still on top of the table and have confidence.

"But we need to remember the result we secured against them last month and believe we can go there and get a result.

"Everyone was disappointed with the Boxing Day game (at Coventry, a 1-0 defeat), not so much in the performance but our failure to capitalise on all the chances we created.

"Now is the time for everyone to pull together for the football club."

The club is still waiting on the fitness of Albert Adomah who limped away from the Ricoh Arena.

Liam Fontaine is ruled out, however, with a knee injury.

Bristol Rugby 26 - Bedford Blues 6

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:23:09 +0000

Bristol Rugby have cemented their position at the top of the RFU Championship after playing second-placed Bedford Blues in the West Country on Friday night.

Bristol extended their unbeaten home run in the league, after overcoming Mike Rayer's side in front of a bumper crowd at the Memorial Stadium.

Liam Middleton made two changes from the previous league outing at Plymouth Albion, as Jason Hobson and Marco Mama return to the starting line-up.

Stand in captain James Merriman believes the victory over Bedford will prove to be a huge confidence boost as the season edges towards its climax.

The win saw Bristol Rugby secure four points and the Christmas top spot in the RFU Championship.

"It gives us great confidence to be top,” he said. "We know that Bedford are a dangerous team so we had to get it right on Friday.

"We spoke about closing them down and keeping the pressure on. It paid off because we stuck to our systems and built a lead.

"We were pleased to not concede a try and everybody was hungry to tackle. We have a physical pack and that’s the Bristol way.

"We’ll do the hard yards and the backs will finish it off as we showed. It’s great to see the new players really fitting in with the way we want to play too.

"It always helps when the supporters come out in force. Bristol needs to be back in the Premiership – it’s a massive rugby city.”

On Friday, the side are back in action away at Nottingham.

City Confirm Maynard For Sale

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:14:03 +0000

City have announced that Nicky Maynard has decided against agreeing a new contract and the club will now make him available for sale during January.

The 25-year-old striker is out of contract in the summer of 2012, and talks over a new deal have been going on since the end of last season.

Since arriving at the club in October, manager Derek McInnes has been involved in all discussions with regards to Nicky's contract talks.

"For his own reasons Nicky has made it clear he does not wish to enter into any more discussions at this time."

Derek said: "For some time now Nicky has had a very good offer on the table, showing the club's ambition and our desire to secure his future with us beyond the end of this season.

"For his own reasons Nicky has made it clear he does not wish to enter into any more discussions at this time. As much as I would like to keep Nicky at the club beyond the end of this season, we are left in an unenviable situation.

"We must protect the football club and, therefore, we have no alternative option but to seek offers for Nicky during the forthcoming January transfer window and see what transpires from there."

Nicky joined the club in the summer of 2008 for a club record fee of £2.25m from Crewe Alexandra.

In his 113 appearances for City to date, Nicky has scored an impressive 45 goals - including a 21-goal haul during season 2009/10.

Jos Buttler Named In Lions Squad

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 11:18:21 +0000

The Somerset cricket star has been named in the 16 man England squad for the forthcoming tour to Bangladesh.

The tour will take place in January and consists of a five-match one-day series and two Twenty20s against Bangladesh A.

All 16 members of the Lions squad, that will be captained by James Taylor, who has recently moved to join Nottinghamshire, were selected on the England Performance Programme in October, and have spent the first part of the winter training at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough and are currently continuing their development in India and South Africa.

ECB performance director David Parsons said: "We have selected a young squad for this tour which is in line with our strategy of looking ahead to the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup and identifying and working with players who may be able to go on and play a role for England in the future. "

"These players have worked extremely hard over the last couple of months with a strong focus on limited-overs cricket. This tour presents a good opportunity for these players to continue to develop their skills in sub-continent conditions on what will no doubt be a challenging tour of Bangladesh as well as push for selection for future England squads."

Following the conclusion of the Bangladesh tour, the Lions will travel for a one-day series against Sri Lanka A, with the squad for that tour announced in January.

The Lions begin their tour in Chittagong won January 6th with a practice match in Chittagong before playing five 50 over matches against Bangladesh A, the first three being at the same venue, before moving onto Sylhet to play the last two, on January 16th and 18th.

The tour party round the trip off with two T20s in Dhaka on January 21st and 23rd.

The full England Lions squad is- James Taylor (Notts), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Scott Borthwick (Durham),Danny Briggs (Hants), Jack Brooks (Northants), Nathan Buck (Leics), Jos Buttler, Alex Hales (Notts), Simon Kerrigan (Lancs), Stuart Meaker (Surrey), Tymal Mills (Essex), Boyd Rankin (Warwickshire), Jason Roy (Surrey) and James Vince (Hants).

Ayr 16 -14 Bristol Rugby

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 10:07:02 +0000

Bristol Rugby rounded off a forgettable B&I Cup campaign, going down 16-14 to Ayr at Millbrae.

Scores either side of half time from Sean Marsden and Dan Montagu had put the visitors in control, but Mark Stewart’s try and a last-gasp penalty goal from Sylvain Diez completed a spirited fightback.

Darren Crompton received his marching orders late in the game after receiving two yellow cards, as Bristol fell to their fourth successive defeat in the competition.

The visitors came close to posting an early try when the industrious Tom Slater ghosted between defenders, only to be stopped short of the try-line. Bristol continued to apply pressure inside the Ayr 22, but couldn’t find a way through a wall of pink jerseys.

Both teams were reduced to fourteen men when Darren Crompton and Ayr lock-forward Scott Sutherland were shown yellow cards following a heated exchange between the packs.

Bristol should have opened the scoring soon after, but Dan Montagu couldn’t control the ball at the back of a powerful 5m scrum and Ayr hacked to safety upfield. After weathering the early storm, the hosts grew in confidence and took the lead on the half-hour with a penalty goal from the boot of Robbie Fergusson.

Minutes before the interval, Bristol created several gilt-edged chances in a spell of attacking pressure.

First, Matt Williams superbly collected Mark Davies’ intelligent cross-field kick and fed the on-rushing Sean Marsden, only for the ball to squirm loose. The visitors maintained the pressure with a series of scrums close to the line, before taking the lead on the stroke of half time with the first try of the afternoon.

Dan Montagu moved the ball quickly wide for Will Helu to put Sean Marsden into space. The full back went over in the corner and Mark Davies converted as Bristol went in 3-7 up at the interval.

Ayr came close to regaining the lead after the restart when Murray McConnell bundled his way to within a metre of the tryline. Soon after, the hosts were awarded a penalty in front of the posts. Fergusson successfully converted to cut Bristol’s lead to a single point.

Middleton rang the changes as Mark Davies was forced off with an arm injury. Matty James replaced him at fly-half while Jack Gadd made his long-awaited return to first-team action in place of Fautua Otto.

Matty James had a chance to extend the advantage, but the New Zealander failed with a long-range penalty attempt. The visitors’ pressure finally paid off when Bristol won a try against the head. Dan Montagu capitalized on the strong surge to pick up and crash over for a converted score.

Ayr were presented immediate opportunity to respond, but Robbie Fergusson’s penalty attempt faded wide of the upright. But the hosts ensured it would be a nervy closing stages for Bristol, reducing the arrears to 13-14 with a well-worked converted try, courtesy of captain Mark Stewart.

Sniffing a turnaround, Ayr pushed bodies forward in search of the victory. With their backs to the wall, Bristol were reduced to fourteen men after Darren Crompton received a second yellow card of the afternoon.

From the resulting penalty, replacement Sylvian Diez kicked the three points to seal a 16-14 victory for Ayr, capping an impressive turnaround for the Scottish outfit.

Ayr:

Gavin Anderson; Colin Shaw, Richard Dalgleish, Mark Stewart (c), Cammy Taylor; Robbie Fergusson, Murray McConnell; Robin Hislop, Fergus Thomson, Andy Kelly, Scott Sutherland, Colin White, Andy Dunlop, Callum Forrester, Rob Colhoun.

Replacements: Stuart Fenwick (for Fergus Thomson, 63 mins), Gordon Sykes (for Andy Kelly, 52 mins), Robert McAlpine (for Scott Sutherland, 60 mins), Jonny Willis (for Andy Dunlop, 57 mins), Sylvain Diez (for Murray McConnell, 57 mins), Alasdhair MacFarlane (for Robbie Fergusson, 65 mins), Murray Beckwith (for Cammy Taylor, 77 mins).

Bristol Rugby:

Sean Marsden; James Letherby, Fautua Otto, William Helu, Matt Williams; Mark Davies, Tom Slater; Darren Crompton, Ross Johnston (c), Wayne Thompson, Glen Townson, Darren Barry, Josh Ovens, Marco Mama, Dan Montagu.

Replacements: Rhys Lawrence (for Ross Johnston, 61 mins), Will Davis (for Wayne Thompson, 61 mins), Harry Hone (for Josh Ovens, 72 mins), Mitch Eadie (for Dan Montagu, 61 mins), Matt Keyte (for Tom Slater, 72 mins), Matty James (for Mark Davies, 49 mins), Jack Gadd (for Fautua Otto, 49 mins).

Referee: Jason Bessant

Gillingham 4 - 1 Bristol Rovers

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 09:25:30 +0000

Gas slip to defeat at the Priestfield Stadium.

Rovers boss Paul Buckle said; "We came here in good form and to try to get something from the game, though we knew that we would have to withstand some pressure from Gillingham as they are in a play off place for a reason.

"They had one goal for their troubles in the first half and then we had a penalty decision go against us which saw them double their advantage. I really don't think that one should have been awarded.

"That changed the game, because it gave them a two goal advantage. In the second half we came out and scored a great goal and we were on top, massively on top, at that stage of the game.

"However decisions change games and I don't think anything went for the players today and I'm bitterly disappointed for the team.

"Gillingham are a good side and they put us under pressure early in the game, and got a goal for their troubles, but after that we weathered the storm and then concede a penalty thirty seconds from half time kills you."

The manager lost Matt Harrold before kick off and saw Byron Anthony leave the pitch, with concussion, on 34 minutes.

"Matt was sick at the hotel last night, which is why he didn't start, and then we lost Byron after 34 minutes and at the moment nothing seems to be going for the team.

"However when we pulled a goal back we were all over Gillingham and then we conceded a third goal to an outstanding finish, after a great save from Scott Bevan, before conceding another penalty."

Substitute Cian Bolger, who had replaced Anthony, received a red card for that offence.

"Whilst it might have been a penalty, I wasn't sure that it was a red card offence," said the manager.

The first and third goals might well have been prevented, the first coming after poor marking, the third after Eliot Richards lost possession.

"I don't want the players to be frightened on the ball, or for them to hoof it anywhere. Eliot lost possession and we were punished but, at the same time, decisions change games and I feel that everything went in Gillingham's favour today.

"I'm not taking anything away from their performance, but sometimes in football you get a bad day at the office and that's what we had today."

Rovers now face three games over the Christmas and New Year period, but the manager has been heartened by recent performances.

"We will take strength from our previous three games, and from the heart the players showed today. They never gave up: we played some incredible football and more than played our part in a game where the score wasn't a true reflection of how well we played."

"It's not great for us at the moment and I feel sorry for the players in terms of the amount of effort they put in today. I thought there were two good sides out there and we didn't deserve to lose 4-1.

"I don't know when this run is going to end but all I can say is that I'm proud of the players and the way they performed today in terms of work rate and effort and we have come away with nothing for our troubles."

Bristol City 0 - 0 Nottingham Forest

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 09:21:12 +0000

Robins held to goaless draw by visitors at Ashton Gate.

Derek McInnes admitted his side lacked sufficient attacking threat to break down a resolute Nottingham Forest side at Ashton Gate today.

City were held to a goalless draw by the team directly below them in the npower Championship table, and were even indebted to goalkeeper David James for keeping the scores level.

The stalemate extended City's winless run to four matches, but kept them above the bottom three ahead of the Boxing Day trip to bottom club Coventry City.

"We were up against a team who came for a point and got their point," Derek said.

"I think if we'd managed to get ourselves in front early on and made the game open up a bit, we could've caused them more problems.

"It's a point, we wanted all three, but it could be a very important point come the end of the season. I don't think the players can do anymore than they're doing to get all three points.

"It's important they keep that belief and it's important the supporters keep with the players as well, because we need to pull together and keep working hard."

Neil Kilkenny was substituted late on for the second game running after taking a blow to the head, but Derek remained lighthearted over his midfielder's fitness.

He said: "He was having double vision. He said he didn't know who he was, so I told him he was Iniesta and to get back on!"

Plymouth Albion 3 - 23 Bristol Rugby

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:44:52 +0000

Top-of-the-table Bristol Rugby made it four RFU Championship victories in succession, coasting to a 23-3 win over Plymouth Albion at Brickfields on Saturday.

Ross Johnston's early score set the tone before Iain Grieve's serious injury spurred his teammates to add a late double through George Watkins and a penalty try.

Liam Middleton's side will be disappointed not to have sealed the bonus point after squandering several excellent opportunities during a dominant display.

Bristol started in sparkling fashion, scoring the opening try inside thirty seconds. Jon Goodridge collected a loose kick inside his own half and evaded several tackles before offloading to William Helu.

The Tongan recycled the ball quickly and Ross Johnston capitalized on the quick ball to crash over from close-range. Tristan Roberts failed with his conversion attempt but Liam Middleton will have been delighted with his side’s start.

Goodridge continued to impress with ball in hand and nearly created another opportunity with a fine counter-attack. The full back latched onto James Merriman’s pass and broke upfield, only for Jack Tovey to be bundled into touch.

In a first half played at breakneck speed, George Watkins jinked through some hapless defending to take Bristol into the 22, before Albion launched a threatening attack of their own through Keni Fisilau.

The visitors probed again when Tristan Roberts’ clever miss-pass found space for Jack Tovey to exploit. The winger thought he had broken clear only for play to be called back for an adjudged forward pass. But, from the resulting scrum, Bristol earned a penalty that was duly dispatched by Tristan Roberts, giving his side an 0-8 lead.

Bristol almost gifted Plymouth a way back into the game when Fautua Otto strayed offside from a Tristan Roberts clearance kick. But James Love couldn’t notch Albion’s first points of the afternoon with a penalty attempt and the chance went begging.

The hosts upped the tempo and came close to breaching the Bristol tryline after Mick McGrath and Michael Stupple combined to take Albion within five metres. But, despite several phases, the visitors held firm and Plymouth had to settle for a James Love penalty to move the score to 3-8.

Bristol should have stretched their advantage on the stroke of half-time, but, with men outside, George Watkins delayed the pass and was wrapped up by a sea of white shirts.

The visitors nearly began the second period in the same way as the first, engineering a gilt-edged opportunity inside the first minute. Jack Tovey darted clear but his long, wide pass to Watkins was scrambled to safety.

Centre Fautua Otto was inches away from breaking free of the stubborn Plymouth defence but the ball squirted loose and Albion cleared their lines. Jack Tovey was next to ask questions of the home defence, although his elegant chip ahead was comfortably dealt with.

The visitors extended their narrow lead soon after when Tristan Roberts struck a penalty goal to give his side breathing space at 3-11. Then, captain Iain Grieve was on the end of a crunching tackle and seemed to suffer a serious injury. The flanker received ten minutes of treatment on the pitch, before leaving the field of play on a stretcher.

In a last-gasp bid to snatch a second try, Bristol launched an attack straight from the restart. Camped in the hosts’ 22, Liam Middleton’s men forced five consecutive scrums before referee Geraint Roberts lost patience and awarded a penalty try. Roberts added the extras to put the game out of reach at 3-18.

The visitors added a second quickfire try when George Watkins capitalized on a loose pass to intercept and run in unchallenged from sixty metres. Matty James saw his conversion attempt ricochet off the upright but the hard-fought win was sealed.

Plymouth Albion:

James Love; Mick McGrath, Bevon Armitage, Keni Fisilau, Steven Johns; Mark Lee, Ruairi Cushion; Luke Cowan-Dickie, Gareth Evan, Ryan Hopkins, Tyler Hotson, Sean-Michael Stephen, Michael Stupple, Sam Hocking, Aaron Carpenter.

Replacements: Paul Rowley (for Ruairi Cushion, 66 mins), Paul Bailey (for Mark Lee, 62 mins), Addison Lockley (for Tyler Hotson, 68 mins), Robbie Dugard (for Ryan Hopkins, 68 mins), Rupert Freestone, David Morton, James Harris.

Bristol Rugby:

Jon Goodridge; Jack Tovey, Fautua Otto, William Helu, George Watkins; Tristan Roberts, Ruki Tipuna; Mark Irish, Ross Johnston, Wayne Thompson, Mariano Sambucetti, Roy Winters, Iain Grieve (c), James Merriman, Dan Montagu.

Replacements: Rhys Lawrence, Darren Crompton (for Mark Irish, 58 mins), Jason Hobson (for Wayne Thompson, 66 mins), Glen Townson (for Mariano Sambucetti, 54 mins), Marco Mama (for Iain Grieve, 71 mins), Matt Keyte (for Ruki Tipuna, 75 mins), Matty James (for Tristan Roberts, 75 mins).

Referee: Geraint Roberts

Bristol Rovers 1 - 1 Swindon

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:42:56 +0000

Paul Buckle was delighted with the performance put in by his side in weekend derby with Swindon.

In an exciting encounter, Danny Woodards headed home the equaliser just before the final whistle to earn a well deserved point for the Gas.

And the manager also praised the supporters for creating such a good atmosphere.

He said: "I think the result was merited and I think it shows the spirit we are building at the club and the chemistry at the training ground.

"To be successful you have to have those things in place and we are slowly but surely getting there now.

"The players never gave up, they deserved a point, minimum, and the supporters were outstanding.

"They really got behind the team and it was the fighting spirit needed at the end of the game which was needed to get a point in a big derby match.

"I am delighted we got the goal. The fans sung their hearts out at the end and we thank them.

"The players are getting used to playing at the Mem, we are sticking together and today the fans more than played their part today, and I thank everyone of them."

The manager believes his team should have been given a penalty when Matt Harrold appeared to be fouled in the box at the very start of the game.

He said: "We got straight in behind them and in my opinion it was a blatant foul and in my opinion it is a penalty and a sending off and that changes the whole game. It was a massive call and it went against us."

And the manager is pleased with the ways things are starting to come together for his side.

He said: "We are building blocks; you cannot go to Southend and get a point if you have nothing going for you, and certainly cannot go up against a Paolo Di Canio team and score at the end if you have not got something going for you.

"There is a lot going for the club, and we are in the third round of the FA Cup.

"There has been so much work to do and there has been more than meets the eye this season, but I really feel we are getting somewhere."

And next up Rovers face Gillingham, another tough test for the manager and his side.

He said: "We have to look at today's game and take a lot of pride from it and look forward to Gillingham, which will be another tough game.

"This team is capable of going on a run, there is a lot of football to be played yet and if we play with that spirit, passion and quality, we have a good chance of going on a run sooner rather than later."

Derby 2 - 1 Bristol City

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:40:14 +0000

Derek McInnes admitted his team were a long way short of their best after the 2-1 defeat at Derby.

Second half goals from Craig Bryson and Callum Ball gave the hosts victory after Martyn Woolford's opener for City.

"This was definitely a game we should've been winning," Derek said. "It was miles off the standards we've set of late, a poor performance throughout.

"Derby were a team we should've been coming to and playing with more confidence. I didn't think we played at all in the manner that we're capable of.

"I didn't think they were great in the game earlier, but after getting in front we should've been able to see the game out.

"Both goals we lost were very poor, a poor reflection on all of us. There's jobs that need to be done that weren't done today, and we need to get back to that."

City's afternoon was also blighted by injuries to Ryan McGivern and Neil Kilkenny, who were both substituted in the second half.

Derek said: "He [McGivern] opened his leg up in the first half in a 50/50 tackle. It was a problem he'd had prior to the Millwall game and he'd been fine with it, but he just felt it.

"Kilkenny wanted to stay on the pitch but his movement wasn't quite there, so that's why we made the change.

"That sums up a poor day but the performance and result is the biggest disappointment."

Bristol Rovers v Swindon

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:11:06 +0000

Paul Buckle knows that his team will have to be at their best to beat League Two high flyers.

The manager is hoping that his team will build on the results at Southend and Totton and record their first back to back wins of the season.

There is a lot of confidence in the camp following the emphatic win in the FA Cup last weekend.

The manager said: "Wins boost confidence, especially wins with six goals. The players were disappointed to concede, which shows how professional they have been.

"We have to try now to forget about what has gone before, and we have to concentrate on the game Saturday.

"We have put the FA Cup to bed now, we have a great draw and will look forward to that when it comes around, but ultimately we have to concentrate on the 90 minutes.

"We have to start right, like we did against Totton, and be strong and solid, then we know we are going to be a threat.

"We have not struggled to score goals as a rule, so the first thing we have to look for is a clean sheet and then go from there.

"There is a good feeling around the place, and that is what we need."

Swindon are on a very good run at the moment, but the manager believes that if his team can be a huge threat if they can combine the resilience they showed at Southend with the goal scoring prowess seen at Totton.

He said: "They are on a fantastic run and it is going to be similar to when we played Southend.

"Against Southend we were resilient, and against Totton we had the cutting edge, so it is about getting those two working together side by side, and if we do that we have a very good chance.

"If the boys stay in that mood we can cause Swindon problems. I think they will know they are in for a tough game, we are a good side, we just have to make sure we get a good start and stay strong throughout the game.

"Swindon didn't start the season well, it took them a number of games to get up and running, and it shows you that once you can win a couple, the momentum is there.

"We feel we have got some really good players at our club, they showed that under pressure in front of the TV cameras on Sunday, and we have got to find that consistency.

"There is no better way to do that than against our local rivals, and I am sure it is going to be one hell of a game. They have got a lot of strengths and quality in their side, but so have we."

There will be the same players available as there was last weekend, as there is no one back from injury.

But the manager is happy with the players who have stepped up, especially Eliot Richards.

He said: "I have not got anyone back at the moment who has been out recently. That is not a problem, especially after the performance on Sunday.

"We are looking forward to the game now and getting down to the preparation.

"We are expecting a really good atmosphere at the Mem and hopefully we can continue where we left off.

"Eliot is not disappointing. He has played in a number of positions because of the problems we have had this year, and he has done great.

"We have good competition for places even though we only have a small number."

And the manager knows that the fans have a big part to play on Saturday.

He said: "I am sure it is going to be a fabulous atmosphere. Our fans are famous for their support, and it is up to us to go out on the front foot and excite them.

"They play a major role, that is why they are called the 12th man. We know we want to put in a good performance at home and get a win.

"The fans play a major role, they know that and we know that, they did that again for us on Sunday, and we thank them for that."

Derby County v Bristol City

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:06:36 +0000

Robins travel to Derby in the Championship on form despite loss against Middlesbrough.

Malaury Martin's last-minute free kick for Boro on Saturday condemned City to a first loss in seven Championship matches, but Derek McInnes is adamant his team are ready to return to winning ways at Pride Park tomorrow.

"That would be nice," he said. "It's certainly a game we'll be going to try and win, as we do every game. Hopefully we can bounce back from a disappointing result but not a disappointing performance against Middlesbrough.

"It's going to be a tough match. Derby will see it as a game they could win and hopefully we go there and put in a level of performance we're all pleased with and come back to Bristol with three points.

"We've looked at Derby and prepared well this week. The games are coming up thick and fast now so we're trying to get the balance right with enough rest days to make sure we get that intensity in training and in games."

The manager was keen to stress the importance of morale, insisting his team are in the right frame of mind to dismiss the Boro defeat as no more than a temporary blip.

Derek said: "What is the alternative? Moping about and feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to get the job done. Even from losing the goal on Saturday, right from the kick-off we had our sleeves up and a bit of action around the goal, and that kind of response is what we're looking for.

"We're not going to win every game we play, but we've always got to make sure that we're working hard, respond in the right manner and show an enthusiasm to play.

"Sometimes it easy when you're winning, but when you lose a game it's all about how you respond to it. I've no doubt from the way the players have been this week in training that their approach will be spot on."

Former Somerset Cricketer Speaks Out About Mental Health

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:34:02 +0000

Luke Sutton has decided to retire from the game after an on-going battle with depression.

The Keynsham born player says he made the decision after an exhausting 2011 cricket season after which Derbyshire’s wicketkeeper-batsman and club captain sought treatment for depression and anxiety.

The 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman said, "I have been aware for some time that I have problems with certain aspects of my mental health. I have always pushed myself to the limit but I reached a point that it was having an adverse affect on my relationships with my family and colleagues, and my health in general.

"Although as a professional sportsman it is extremely embarrassing to admit to a weakness, I’m proud to have found the strength of character to seek treatment, enabling me now to feel extremely positive about my future.

"I’ve had a brilliant time over my 14 years in the game, and a number of other important reasons have led me to decide to retire. In addition to concerns about my own health, my two-year-old daughter has recently been diagnosed with diabetes and the growing success and, therefore, pressure of my business has forced me to take a long look at my future. I've recently undergone hand surgery which has also played its part in this decision. Upon reflection, and although a difficult decision, it is the right time to move on.”

Sutton appeared in 176 first-class matches, 167 List A games and 30 t20s. He made a career-best 151 not out against Yorkshire in 2006 and captained Derbyshire in four of his six years with the club, taking them from bottom of the pile in 2010 to a much-improved showing and fifth place in Division Two last term.

”I have made some incredible friends in the game,” said the former Millfield School and Durham University man. "I thank each and every one of them for making it a genuinely amazing experience.

"In particular I’d like to thank the squad and members at Derbyshire for their great support and encouragement during my time at the club.

"I have thought long and hard about this decision, and I know it is for the best of the club. I genuinely don't feel I would be able to fulfill my position at the club to the level that I know is required. I have great affection for Derbyshire CCC and I wish the club every success for the future.”

"I’d like to thank everyone I’ve shared a field with over the past decade or so. I now look forward to the next chapter of my working life with Activate Sport and also spending more time with my wife Jude and twins Albie and Amelie.

"I will be making no further comment for now as I need to focus on my recovery, my family and my new life after cricket and I would ask that everyone respect my privacy and allow me and my family the time and distance that we need. As soon as I’m ready, I will talk further about my experiences.”

Derbyshire Chairman Chris Grant said: "Luke’s retirement was unexpected but we respect his decision and thank him for his efforts during his two spells with Derbyshire.

"With the changes that were made at the Club during the 2011 season, we appreciate it was a testing year for Luke, and on a personal level I would like to thank him for his loyal support.

"I speak for everybody connected with the Club in saying that I wish Luke all the very best in his continued recovery and in his future endeavours with Activate Sport. "

Plymouth Albion vs Bristol Rugby

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:00:38 +0000

Liam Middleton makes three changes to the front row as Bristol go in search of their fourth successive league victory against Plymouth Albion.

Bristol, who have never lost at Brickfields in the RFU Championship, give starts to Wayne Thompson, Rhys Lawrence and Darren Crompton.

Mark Irish and Jason Hobson drop to the bench, while Jason Harris-Wright misses out through injury.

The Head Coach names an unchanged backline from the victory over Leeds Carnegie, with William Helu and Fautua Otto continuing their new-look midfield partnership.

Dan Montagu retains his place at no.8 and will feature alongside Iain Grieve and James Merriman in the back row.

Glen Townson could make his first appearance for the Club after being named among the replacements.

Matt Keyte is also included in the 22-man squad for the first time in the league since the opening day victory over Doncaster.

Bristol Rugby team to play Plymouth Albion at Brickfields on Saturday 10 December (3pm KO):

Jon Goodridge; Jack Tovey, Fautua Otto, William Helu, George Watkins; Tristan Roberts, Ruki Tipuna; Darren Crompton, Rhys Lawrence, Wayne Thompson, Mariano Sambucetti, Roy Winters, Iain Grieve (c), James Merriman, Dan Montagu.

Replacements: Ross Johnston, Mark Irish, Jason Hobson, Glen Townson, Marco Mama, Matt Keyte, Matty James.

Bristol Star Through To Snooker Quarter Finals

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:43:55 +0000

Trump sends O'Sullivan crashing out of UK Championship.

The Bristol snooker star sent four-time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan crashing out at the Barbican Centre in York and O'Sullivan threatened he may have to retire from the sport after his latest defeat.

Trump fought back from a lead of 5-4 by O'Sullivan and was 0 - 47 down in the tenth, but Trump ended up going through to the next stage with a fantastic 6-5 win.

Trump will now play John Higgins or Stephen Maguire in the quarter-finals.

Bristol 33 - 19 Leeds Carnegie

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:07:40 +0000

Head Coach praises dominant display at the Memorial Stadium

Liam Middleton believes Bristol’s 33-19 defeat of Leeds Carnegie was Bristol’s most complete performance of the season so far.

The Head Coach watched his side control proceedings from the opening minute, scoring two tries as they returned to the top of the RFU Championship in style.

"That win was so important,” said Middleton. "I thought we achieved it in a really positive fashion and it’s fantastic to keep our unbeaten home run going.

"We put two halves of good rugby together. I was pleased with the display because we were mature, controlled and dealt with pressure well.

"We made the right decisions and I thought our defence was outstanding against a dangerous side who have won their last seven on the bounce.

We were more dominant than the scoreline suggested – we controlled most aspects of the game. It’s such a competitive league that it’s sometimes difficult to push away from opposition sides so we had to work really hard.”

Middleton praised the decision-making that led to Bristol Rugby racing into a 9-0 lead – thanks to three fine penalties from Tristan Roberts.

He added: "It was important we showed our dominance from the start and I was pleased with how we began the game.

"We piled on the pressure from the off and made the correct decisions in the right areas. We weren’t chasing the game at any time.

"In truth, we could have beaten Leeds twice this season so I am glad to pull it back and get this win. We don’t want any side to do the double over us and at the moment that hasn’t happened.

"It’s crucial now that we push on and continue this encouraging form against Plymouth on Saturday.”

Bristol Rovers 6 - 1 AFC Totton

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 07:09:22 +0000

Buckle gives his post match reaction and to the FA cup third round draw.

Paul Buckle has been speaking about the draw against Premier League Aston Villa in the third round of the FA cup.

"We are delighted with the draw, and the players faces lit up when they saw it come through on television.

"It's a cracking draw. The first thing you look for is a draw against a Premiership club and we have it and we have the chance to play the game at the Memorial Stadium, so it will be something to look forward to.

"Our fans have been excellent all season and today they saw us at our best and saw some exceptional goals. We treated the TV cameras and all the people watching at home to a wonderful display and we have got our reward.

"It's a great day for Bristol Rovers and I'm pleased that we are in the Third Round of the Cup and that we have drawn a Premiership club."

Rovers effectively killed the game off with a three goal salvo in five minutes early in the game and they created a number of chances throughout the match. This afternoon, though, their finishing can only be described as clinical. Totton were three goals down before they had time to draw breath.

"It's been a case of us missing chances, or the opposition keeper making great saves, but today you saw us score some fantastic goals. When you look at our first three goals, I doubt if you will see three better ones in this season's competition."

Any one of those goals would be a contender for goal of the season, but perhaps the third, from Danny Woodards, was the best of them all, hit with his left foot.

"We made it our day even though it looked as though it wasn't going to be like that. There was no pressure on Totton and I really think they fancied their chances. We needed to be strong, and we had the quality to finish them off."

The manager felt that he had no choice but to withdraw Mustapha Carayol from the action after an incident involving the Totton bench.

"The disappointing thing for me was that I had to take Mustapha Carayol off. I have to mention that because I think that what went on wasn't quite right. I was told that 'Muzzy' was tripped by an outstretched leg in their dugout. The game was edging that way, because I think we spoilt the party badly with the start we made.

"There were people behind our dugout abusing us and swearing at us and that's something that needs to be sorted out. Today I felt that if I hadn't taken 'Muzzy' off he might well have been sent off which would have been a real shame because, at that time, he was the best player on the pitch by a country mile.

"However I have no complaints about Ben Swallow's red card; it was a definite sending off."

It was also a day when some of the club's youngsters were handed a chance. While Ellis Harrison and Jordan Goddard were in the party, Darren Jefferies made his senior debut when going on as a second half substitute and Eliot Richards scored twice after replacing Carayol

"Eliot is a class act and I've thought that ever since I came in and I like him a lot. He needed to be rested for a few games but he's back now and he's bright and a natural goalscorer.

"It was a first senior appearance for Darren Jefferies and we are trying to get all the youngsters involved. It's difficult for them to go straight into the first team from youth team football, and I have spoken with the Board of Directors about how we might bridge the gap."

Rovers face five league games before taking on Aston Villa, and it's important to get some points on the board.

"We have some tough games coming up, but I think the Cup draw will lift the players and hopefully now we can put a good run of results together. I still say that we deserve more than we have got from our league games to date and, hopefully, our luck is now turning."

FA Cup Draw

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:24:49 +0000

Who will City and Rovers play in the 3rd round of the FA cup?

City have been handed an away tie at Crawley Town in the FA Cup third round draw.

Derek McInnes will take his side to the League Two newcomers' Broadfield Stadium early in the New Year.

Rovers will face Aston Villa at home after beating AFC Totton 6-1

Three wonder strikes from Joe Anyinsah, Mustahpa Carayol and Danny Woodards set things up for Rovers, with Byron Anthony heading home the fourth and Eliot Richards grabbing the last two.

Bristol Rugby v Leeds Carnegie

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 10:19:51 +0000

Bristol Rugby look for a third successive league win against Leeds at the Memorial Stadium.

Bristol Rugby make three changes to the starting line-up as Liam Middleton shuffles his pack ahead of Sunday’s clash with Leeds Carnegie at the Memorial Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Head Coach hands a first start to Jason Harris-Wright, while George Watkins returns to action after a two-game absence.

In the backline, Jack Tovey retains his place on the wing after a solid display against London Scottish. Elsewhere, Junior Fatialofa and Fautua Otto continue their impressive midfield partnership.

Jason Harris-Wright makes his first start at hooker, while Dan Montagu comes in at no.8 with Iain Grieve switching to flanker. Josh Ovens will feature for parent club Bath in their Aviva Premiership fixture with Sale on Saturday, so is unavailable for selection this week.

On the replacements bench, Middleton opts for a five forwards and two backs split with Ross Johnston named in the 22-man squad after completing his suspension.

Bristol Rugby team to face Leeds Carnegie at the Memorial Stadium on Sunday 4 December (3pm KO):

Sean Marsden; George Watkins, Fautua Otto, Junior Fatialofa, Jack Tovey; Tristan Roberts, Ruki Tipuna; Mark Irish, Jason Harris-Wright, Jason Hobson, Mariano Sambucetti, Roy Winters, Iain Grieve (c), James Merriman, Dan Montagu.

Replacements: Ross Johnston, Wayne Thompson, Darren Crompton, Darren Barry, Marco Mama, Tom Slater, Matty James.

AFC Totton v Bristol Rovers

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:05:42 +0000

TV action for the Gas in the second round of the FA Cup.

Paul Buckle knows that his team will have to work hard and be professional to make sure they avoid the potential 'banana skin'.

The manager says his side will not underestimate AFC Totton in Sunday's FA Cup second round clash. The match is live on ITV and the cameras will be there looking for the potential upset.

Buckle said: "That is why the TV cameras will be there, all the focus is on Totton, and rightly so, they have done ever so well to get through.

"We have got to go there and make sure we do a professional job, it is not going to be easy, the FA Cup is full of romance and shocks and we have to make sure we do a good job on Sunday.

"We like to train as we play, and it has been no different this week leading up to the game.

"They didn't play last Saturday, which makes things a bit difficult for us, as we didn't get the chance to watch them play. But we know enough, we have done our homework and we will be prepared.

"We have got to start well and get on the front foot quickly. It is a tight little ground there and it will be packed full of their supporters but the Rovers fans will turn up in their numbers.

"They were magnificent against Southend helping to push the team on to a point, and we are going to need them again.

"It all makes for a great atmosphere, which is what the FA Cup is all about. We must focus on our game, and not pay too much attention to everything that surrounds it."

And the manager would love to see Rovers name in the hat for the draw which takes place straight after the game.

He said: "I know the rewards of the FA Cup, and the big clubs come into the hat on Sunday and we will be desperate for our name to be in there. It cannot get any bigger with the cameras being there as well.

"The pressure is on us, they can go out there and play free as they have nothing to lose. Totton are a good side flying high in their league, so we will have to be at our best to beat them. I have confidence in the players and we are looking forward to the game."

And Rovers suffered another injury blow this week, losing Matt Gill for two months, so the manager currently has just 14 fit outfield players.

He said: "We have suffered another injury, we have lost our captain Matt Gill which is a huge blow to us. He has had a knee operation this week as he has cartilage problems.

"We have Stanley who is suspended and we have Brown, McGleish and Virgo who are long term. It is not great numbers wise, and we have to be very careful not to add to that in training.

"We have got 14 outfield players, so some of the youth team will get an opportunity and will travel with us.

"We have a very good group here, it may be a small group, but we are strong mentally and we are going to need those attributes on Sunday."

Bristol City v Middlesbrough

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:11:32 +0000

Lewin Nyatanga is a major doubt for Saturday's Championship clash with Middlesbrough.

The defender limped off in the dying stages of the 2-2 draw at Watford in midweek, having suffered a knee injury.

"It's not as bad as first feared but Lewin is a doubt for Saturday," said manager Derek McInnes.

"It was an impact injury as he collided with a couple of other players. If he was to miss Saturday, then he'll certainly be fine for Derby (a week on Saturday) so it's not a long-term one."

It is a late kick off at Ashton Gate - 5.20pm.

New Striker For The Gas

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:59:05 +0100

Bristol Rovers sign Wycombe striker Scott Rendell on a month's loan.

The Wycombe front man has already joined up with the Rovers squad ahead of tomorrow's trip to Oxford.

Manager Paul Buckle said: "With all the injuries we have suffered, we have been working hard to bring someone in, and we are delighted to welcome Scott to the club.

"He is a proven goal scorer at this level, and a great lad. We hope he enjoys his time with us."

Rendell, 24, started his career with Aldershot, before moving to nearby Reading.

He finished his debut season with Wycombe as their top goal scorer, helping the Blues win promotion to League One.

Chairman Nick Higgs said: "We are delighted to welcome Scott to the club, he is a proven goal scorer and will give us another option up front.

"We have been working very hard behind the scenes to improve the squad, and will continue to tinker with things until we achieve the right balance."

Scott has been given squad number 34.

Lord's Defeat For Somerset

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 18:50:09 +0100

In spite of 86 from Jos Buttler Somerset lost their second successive CB40 Final at Lord's.

Somerset suffered another disappointing defeat on the last day of the season at Lord's when they were beaten by Surrey in the CB40 final by five wickets (D/L method) with 2.3 overs to spare.

Skipper Marcus Trescothick won the toss,chose to bat first and opened the innings with Craig Kieswetter. However in the fifth over and after hitting two boundaries,with the score on 24 the captain came down the wicket and was stumped by Steven Davies off Matt Spriegel for 15.

In the eighth over Kieswetter was caught by Davies running back to take a top edged pull off Yasir Arafat for 16, and Somerset found themselves 36 for two.

Pete Trego brought up the 50 with a single off Spriegel off the first ball of the 11th over but in the next havig moved onto 16,he top edged Dernbach to backward square leg where Zafar Ansari took the catch, and Somerset were 53 for three.

Leg spinner Chris Schofield was inroduced at the Nursery End and in the 15th over he bowled James Hildreth for three with the total on 66.

Off spinner Gareth Batty came on at the Pavilion End and accounted for Arul Suppiah leg before wicket, trying to sweep, to make Somerset 79 for five.

At the halfway stage the Somerset score had moved onto 93.

After helping to add 45 for the sixth wicket In the 25th over Compton tried to reverse sweep Ansari and was bowled for 26 with the score on 124.

In the 30th over Craig Meschede was caught and bowled by Batty for 10, to make Somerset 146 for seven.

Jos Buttler batted sensible and brought up his 50 with a cover driven boundary off Yasir Arafat in the 33rd over, his half century coming from 49 balls, including four 4s.

New batsman Alfonso Thomas pushed Ansari to cover to bring up the 150. However after helping to take Somerset onto 178, in the 36th over, the vice captain edged Dernbach to 'keeper Davies.

Buttler brought a huge cheer from the Somerset fans when he square drove Dernbach over the boundary for the first six of the innings.

Next ball Buttler took a single to bring up the 200, but Dernbach got his own back when he bowled Kartik with his next delivery.

With two overs to go Somerset were 200 for nine, Buttler on strike! The first ball he edged for four, the second he hit over mid wicket for 6.

Going into the last over the score had progressed to 212, Buttler facing, however after adding 2 more the 20 year old was bowled by Dernbach for 86, off 73 balls, two 6s and seven fours, as Somerset were all out for 214 in 39.2 overs.

Chasing 215 for victory Thomas opened the bowling from the Nursery End and third delivery Rory Hamilton-Brown drove straight to mid wicket where the chance was put down.

Steve Kirby opened the bowling from the Pavilion End and with the fourth ball of his second over he had Davies caught at short mid wicket by Kartik, Surrey 19 for one.

Kirby struck again in the sixth over when he had Jason Roy caught by Kieswetter for 11 to make Surrey 35 for two, at which point the rain fell and the players left the field.

After 20 minutes the rain stopped and play was resumed. However afer a further five minutesof play the rain fell again at 3.15pm with Surrey on 46 for two.

The rain has stopped and it is expected that the game will re-start at 4.45pm, with Surrey chasing a revised target of 186 off 30, meaning that they need 140 more runs to win off 23 overs.

Play has just resumed with Craig Meschede bowling from the Pavilion End. Kartik began at the Nursery End.

Suppiah replaced Meschede after one over and after 10 overs Surrey were 66 for two needing 120 off 20 more overs.

Hamilton-Brown brought up his 50 with a single to long off in the 16th over and next over the Surrey skipper hit a single to mid off to see the 100 up.

With the total on 77, in the 12th over Tom Maynard was caught by Kieswetter off Suppiah.

At the 20 over stage, Surrey had moved onto 132 for three.

Next over however Thomas returned at the Nursery End and accounted for Schofield, caught by Trescothick with the total on 135.

There was more success for Somerset when Hamilton-Brown (78) was run out by a direct hit on the stumps by Buttler to make Surrey 147 for five in the 23rd.

Zander de Bruyn joined Spriegel and together the pair took Surrey to victory, by which time De Bruyn was 17 and Spriegel on 24.

The Somerset team for today was - Trescothick, Kieswetter, Trego, Compton, Hildreth, Buttler, Suppiah, Meschede, Thomas, Kartik and Kirby.

Boost For Somerset CCC

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 09:00:08 +0100

Trescothick confirmed as "fit" for Lords final.

Marcus Trescothick is fit to play and says Somerset owe their supporters a winning performance in the CB40 final against Surrey at Lord's

The skipper has been battling to be fit all week after injuring his right ankle and has declared himself ready to lead the side in their latest bid for silverware.

He said: "It is another massive occasion for everyone connected with Somerset and every player knows the spotlight will again be on us as the team perceived to choke in major finals.

"I can't say for sure whether this will finally be the game in which we shed that tag. But by the law of averages I feel we are due a big performance and maybe a little good fortune going our way.

"Look how many times I have lost the toss this season. It was becoming the talk of the dressing room, but before my injury I had won three tosses in succession.

"Things like that eventually turn your way and we have too good a side to forever be runners-up. We will have the edge on experience over a young Surrey side and hopefully that will count for something.

"They have recovered from a poor start to the season to lay down a strong promotion challenge in the LV=County Championship as well as reaching the CB40 final.

"It may not be coincidence that our former chief executive Richard Gould has been doing the same job at The Oval this summer and I am sure he has had a part to play in getting Surrey organised on and off the field."

One player with added motivation in the final will be Zander de Bruyn, who enjoyed his time as a Somerset player and will be looking to put one over on his old team having left us at the end of last season.

Marcus added: "Zander had the job of holding our batting together as a solid performer, but I can assure you he is well capable of playing big shots when the situation demands and is one of several dangerous batsmen in the Surrey line-up.

"Rory Hamilton-Brown and Tom Maynard can hit very hard, while Jason Roy is a player of great promise. Our opponents have a strong top order as they showed when scoring 228 off 24 overs in the semi-final win over Sussex.

"They also have a lot of options in their bowling attack. Jade Dernbach will strengthen the seam department, having been released from England's one-day squad for the game, along with our own Craig Kieswetter.

"But Surrey are even more spoilt for choice when it comes to spin, with Chris Schofield, Matthew Spriegel, Gareth Batty, Zafar Ansari all very capable and Hamilton-Brown also able to chip in with some off-breaks.

"Somerset are likely to rely more on our seamers. You never know quite how Lord's pitches are going to play because the overhead conditions can be very influential, but in September I would expect the quicker bowlers to find some assistance.

"How I wish I could assure our wonderful supporters that Saturday will be the day when everyone associated with Somerset will celebrate our first trophy since 2005.

"We certainly owe them one after all the near-misses. Our preparation will at least be a little less taxing than last year when we faced Warwickshire at Lord's just a couple of days after the draining Championship match at Durham which saw us pipped for the title by Notts.

"Going into the CB40 final so soon after such a crushing disappointment was always going to be very tough. This time the players are fully focussed on Lord's and ready to give their best.

"I'm delighted, I'll be out there with them."

Somerset will choose from 12 after assessing the pitch at Lord's.

Somerset (from) M.Trescothick (capt), C.Kieswetter (wkt), P.Trego, N.Compton, J.Hildreth, J.Buttler, C.Meschede, A.Suppiah, A.Thomas, M.Kartik, S.Kirby, G.Dockrell.

Leeds v Bristol City

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:04:08 +0100

Neil Kilkenny hopes to receive a good reception from home supporters on his return to Leeds United on Saturday.

The City midfielder ended his three-and-a-half year association with the Yorkshire club in the summer to move to Ashton Gate on a free transfer.

The 25-year-old said: "I hope I get a good reception. I served the club well and played around 150 games in three-and-a-half years there.

"They have good players and should have made the play-offs last year, so it's going to be a hard game."

He said: "We haven't began the way we would have liked and sometimes haven't got what we deserved.

"Brighton got a stroke of luck with the goal on Saturday and I thought we could have won the game. We didn't take our chances but it's probably the best we've played since I came here.

"Leeds have lost four or five players and that will affect you. It'll be a hard game with a big crowd there."

Summer Transfer Window Closes

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:12:11 +0100

It was a fairly quiet one this year in Bristol, with only one player coming in and one going out.

Bristol City's Keith Millen managed to secure Ryan McGiven on loan for the rest of the season Manchester City.

The 21-year-old passed a medical yesterday and will be joining his new team mates at Ashton Gate following international duty with Northern Ireland.

Over at Rovers, Ben Swallow has gone out on loan to Bath City for three months.

Somerset Make CB40 Quarter Finals

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 08:12:45 +0100

Yesterday's win was overshadowed by Captain Marcus Trescothick leaving the field on crutches.

The club managed a 40 run victory over Essex in the Clydesdale Bank 40 at Taunton yesterday, securing a home quarter final.

But Trescothick, who's been carrying an ankle injury since the quarter finals of the T20, hurt it again yesterday.

He's due to have a scan today to try and established how bad the injury is, but there are concerns he'll miss the rest of the season.

Director of cricket Brian Rose told somersetcountycc.co.uk: "Marcus will have a scan... and we will know more when we get the results.

"As things stand, he will probably miss the Hampshire game and I would think the best scenario is that he will be out for a week or so. If there is bad news from the scan his season could be over."

Marcus himself said: "I felt something go in my ankle so it doesn't look good. It's also worrying that it was caused by such an innocuous incident, but we'll wait and see what the scan shows."

Bristol Rovers 1 - 1 Watford (aet)

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 06:02:41 +0100

Celebrations for the Gas as they go through to the next round of the Carling Cup after beating Watford on penalties.

Bristol Rovers capped off a great performance at the Memorial Stadium by beating Watford 4-2 on penalties.

Rovers more than matched the Championship side throughout the Carling Cup tie, and after two early goals, there was nothing to separate the two sides.

The visitors took the lead after just two minutes, but just minutes later Matt Harrold put the home side back on level terms, and that was how it was to stay for 115 minutes of entertaining football.

Rovers played some fantastic free flowing, passing football, and it was often difficult to tell which team was two divisions higher.

Rovers scored four out of their five penalties, with only Scott McGleish missing the target, and Scott Bevan was fantastic in goal saving two of the Hornet's spot kicks.

Carayol scored the final spot kick for the home side, after Carl Dickinson and John Eustace failed to score for the Hornets.

Paul Buckle made no changes for the game, sticking with the side that earned a 0-0 draw with Macclesfield at the weekend.

The game had barely begun before Watford put themselves 1-0 up with Marvin Sordell firing home after less than two minutes.

The cross came in from Craig Forsyth and Sordell just evaded Scott Bevan who got his finger tips to the ball but could not quite keep it out.

But Rovers fought straight back and were on level terms three minutes later.

Jo Kuffour's pass found Harrold who turned and let fly with a fierce shot from 20 yards out which flashed past Hornets keeper Rene Gilmartin.

From then on, Rovers didn't look back, and although there were plenty of chances for both teams, Rovers really took the game to their opponents in the first half.

Watford could have taken the lead on 20 minutes when Sordell linked up well with striker Troy Deeney, who was given too much space, but Bevan did well to save from the feet of Denney.

Then Rovers missed an opportunity to go ahead. Kuffour floated the ball into the box to be met by a downward header from Harrold. The ball was not cleared and Kuffour followed up with a volley which bounced on the line - with many Rovers fans sure it had gone over - before being scrambled away by Watford.

Rovers then lost Cian Bolger who appeared to hurt his ankle during a crucial clearance, and he was replaced by Michael Smith.

As the half drew to a close, Sordell had another chance for Watford, but his shot across the penalty area could only ruffle the side netting.

Rovers came out for the second half still fired up, and continued to push for another goal. Watford looked dangerous on the break, but Rovers were still having more than their fair share of possession and chances.

Chris Zebroski, who was arguably having his best game in a Rovers shirt, flicked the ball wide to substitute Smith out wide, who played the ball into Harrold whose shot was just wide.

Unfortunately Zebroski was not to be involved for much longer, the wide man took a knock and was forced off the be replaced by Mustapha Carayol.

Carayol immediately made an impact down the flank, finding Kuffour with a good pass into the box. The striker was then brought down, but appeals for a penalty were waved away.

Rovers were spraying the ball about well, but Watford were starting to impose themselves more on the game as the second period wore on.

Lloyd Doley had a shot across the crowded penalty area that went wide, before Lee Brown was called into action to make a great tackle to deny the visitors another attempt on goal.

Watford then had a free kick that went straight into the wall, and the follow of from Eustace went wide.

And the visitors continued their spell of pressure until the end of the half, with Bevan being called into action to make another couple of saves before the whistle sounded for the end of normal time.

The first period of extra time did not produce too many clear cut chances, but Bevan showed good awareness to gather up a downward header from Eustace, before Watford had a long range effort that went just over the bar.

Carayol had the best chance of those 15 minutes shooting just wide of the right hand up right from the edge of the penalty area.

There were some tired legs out there in the final period of extra time, but all players on both sides continued to give their all as they searched for that elusive winner.

McGleish and Kuffour combined well and could have won it for Rovers; McGleish fed the ball to Kuffour, who could not quite get his shot away and Mcgleish was there to follow up the rebound, but he was denied by GilMartin.

Then Wayne Brown's fierce free kick from 25 yards out forced a diving save from Gilmartin, to stop the ball flying into the top right hand corner.

So with honours still even at the end of extra time, the game went to penalties. Matt Gill won the toss, and the spot kicks were taken in front of the Blackthorn End.

Kuffour was up first for Rovers and he slotted his effort home before Bevan saved from Watford's John Eustace.

McGleish missed the opportunity to put Rovers 2-0 up, putting his shot wide of the left hand post. Sordell then made it 1-1.

Adam Virgo then slotted into the bottom left hand corner and Adrian Mariappa scored for the visitors.

Wayne Brown smashed home a powerful penalty, before Bevan saved another shot - this time from Carl Dickinson.

Then it was just up to Carayol to step up and make it 4-2 to Rovers.

The Pirates will now face Leyton Orient in the second round next week. Details of that game will be announced shortly.

Gladiators v Somerset

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 09:57:51 +0100

Gloucestershire can block Somerset's route to the Clydesdale Bank 40 semi-finals with another one-day victory over their arch rivals at Bristol this evening.

Already having won the Friends Life t20 derby at the County Ground this season, Alex Gidman and his team will be looking for a home double.

And if they get it Somerset will need to beat Essex at Taunton in their final Group C match on Monday to reach the last four.

The floodlit action tonight starts at 4.40pm and a big crowd is expected.

Somerset will be weakened by the absence of wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter and left-arm spinner George Dockrell, who will be on opposite sides when England face Ireland in tomorrow's one-day international in Dublin.

Murali Kartik is also ruled out through injury so the visitors will be fielding a young side likely to include teenagers Lewis Gregory, Craig Meschede and Adam Dibble.

Another Win For The Gas

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 06:04:55 +0100

Bristol Rovers pick up another pre-season victory.

Rovers picked up another pre-season victory this evening with a 2-0 win over Weston-super-Mare at the Woodspring Stadium.

Chris Lines and Kayne McLaggon scored the goals for the Gas in the first half to keep the sides unbeaten pre season record alive.

Home Start For Bristol City

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:00:16 +0100

Ipswich will be the visitors to Ashton Gate on the first day of the 2011/12 season.

The new campaign kicks off on Saturday, August 6th with other key dates including two local derby games on the back of the opener. The Robins face Swindon Town in the Carling Cup on Tuesday, August 9th followed by Cardiff a couple of days later.

They'll come up against Bristol Rovers legend Ian Holloway's side, Blackpool after they were relegated from the Premiership in October.

2011/12 Fixtures

AUGUST 2011

Sat 6 IPSWICH TOWN H

Tue 9 SWINDON TOWN (Carling Cup R1) H

Sat 13 Cardiff City A

Tue 16 Leicester City A

Sat 20 PORTSMOUTH H

Sat 27 Doncaster Rovers A

SEPTEMBER

Sat 10 BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION H

Sat 17 Leeds United A

Sat 24 HULL CITY H

Tue 27 READING H

OCTOBER

Sat 1 Blackpool A

Sat 15 Peterborough United H

Tue 18 Crystal Palace A

Sat 22 Birmingham City H

Sat 29 Barnsley A

NOVEMBER

Tue 1 West Ham United A

Sat 5 BURNLEY H

Sat 19 Millwall A

Sat 26 SOUTHAMPTON H

Tue 29 Watford A

DECEMBER

Sat 3 MIDDLESBROUGH H

Sat 10 Derby County A

Sat 17 Nottingham Forest H

Mon 26 Coventry City A

Sat 31 Southampton A

JANUARY 2012

Mon 2 MILLWALL H

Sat 7 FA Cup Round Three TBC

Sat 14 Brighton & Hove Albion A

Sat 21 DONCASTER ROVERS H

Tue 31 Reading A

FEBRUARY

Sat 4 LEEDS UNITED H

Sat 11 Hull City A

Tue 14 CRYSTAL PALACE H

Sat 18 Peterborough United A

Sat 25 BLACKPOOL H

MARCH

Sat 3 Ipswich Town A

Tue 6 LEICESTER CITY H

Sat 10 CARDIFF CITY H

Sat 17 Portsmouth A

Tue 20 WATFORD H

Sat 24 Middlesbrough A

Sat 31 DERBY COUNTY H

APRIL

Sat 7 Nottingham Forest A

Mon 9 COVENTRY CITY H

Sat 14 Birmingham City A

Tue 17 WEST HAM UNITED H

Sat 21 BARNSLEY H

Sat 28 Burnley A

MAY

Sat 5 FA Cup Final

TBC Play-off Final

Gladiators Target First T20 Win

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 08:12:44 +0100

Glos need to get back into winning ways after being crushed by 122 runs against Essex.

Alex Gidman's Gloucestershire Gladiators will be aiming to get their t20 campaign up and running when they take on Sussex Sharks at the County Ground on Sunday (2.30pm).

The Gladiators lost by 122 runs at Chelmsford on Friday night, where the power-packed Essex batting line-up amassed 204-4.

The hosts struck 16 fours and ten sixes in their innings and no-one was more destructive than New Zealander Scott Styris, who hit four sixes off David Payne's left-arm seam on his way to an unbeaten 39.

After also losing to Surrey on Thursday, the Gladiators will be hoping to bounce back against a Sussex side whose only game so far brought a home win over Essex.

Somerset Victory In T20

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 08:02:02 +0100

Cidermen celebrate their opening T20 fixture with a win over Kent at The Nevil Ground in Tunbridge Wells.

Somerset bounced back to winning ways when they romped to a nine wicket victory over Kent at Tunbridge Wells with three overs to spare.

At the start of the match Kent won the toss and chose to bat first and Lewis Gregory made the first break through when he had opener Joe Denley caught by wicket-keeper Jos Buttler with the third ball of the third over and Steve Kirby yorked new batsman Matt Coles in the next.

Gregory struck again in his next over when he had Martin van Jaarsveld caught by Arul Suppiah at deep backward square leg, Kent found themselves 32 for three.

Kent captain Rob Key brought up the 50 with a boundary off Murali Kartik in the seventh over.

At the half way stage the Spitfires had moved onto 71 for three, Key having moved onto 31.

Darren Stevens hit some lusty blows and quickly overtook Key, who was very much playing the supporting role and the three figures came up in the 13th over.

However with the score on 112, Kartik returned for his final over and with his first accounted for Key as he tried to pull him to leg.

Gregory changed ends and he struck almost immediately when Marcus Trescothick hung onto a full blooded cover drive to removed Azhar Mahmood.

In the same over Darren Stevens went to his 50 with an on drive to the boundary and dispatched the next ball to square leg for four to move Kent onto 126 for five after 16 overs.

Stevens hit the first two balls of the 17th, that was bowled by Roelof van der Merwe, the next went for four before he had Geraint Jones caught by James Hildreth running in at long on to make Kent 144 for six.

Thomas changed to the Railway End and with the third ball bowled Stevens for 68 (39 balls, five fours and four 6s). Next ball Thomas bowled Adam Ball but James Tredwell survived the hat-trick ball.

Going into the final over, that was bowled by Thomas, Kent had moved onto 152 for eight and with 11 runs coming off it the hosts ended on 163.

Gregory was the pick of the Somerset attack with three for 26, while Thomas ended with two for 24.

Openers Trescothick and Trego took 10 off the first over, but with the score on 16, former Somerset player Charl Langeveldt bowled the latter with the last ball of the second.

Van der Merwe hit the first six of the innings when he hoisted Cook into the Pavilion and followed it up with a cover driven boundary to bring up the 50 in the fifth over.

Somerset's new signing was in cracking form which he demonstrated with a straight driven four to the boundary off Mahmmod in the sixth to overhaul his captain's score.

During the course of his innings Trescothick passed his 1500 runs in T20 cricket for Somerset, while Van der Merwe beat his previous career best of 70.

Somerset Struggle At Hove

Sat, 21 May 2011 09:08:42 +0100

Coach "disappointed" after SCCC performance against Sussex.

Coach Andy Hurry admitted to "huge disappointment" as Sussex took a winning grip on the County Championship match at Hove.

The hosts require only only 54 more runs for victory tomorrow with nine second innings wickets standing and, despite being in charge for much of the game, Somerset need a miracle to avoid a third Championship defeat in six games.

They went into the third day on 114-1 in their second innings, with a lead of 150, but after reaching 197-3 saw their last seven wickets go down for just 38 runs.

A total of 235 still meant Sussex had to get 272 to win. But a mixture of poor bowling and fine batting by Ed Joyce (84) and Chris Nash (111 not out) meant the home side got off to a flyer and reached 218-1 by the close.

Andy Hurry said: "Again there was no substance to our middle order batting and the tail was knocked over easily, which has been a recurring theme this season.

"We are obviously missing James Hildreth and Craig Kieswetter, but it was still a hugely disappointing effort. We needed our top order to fire, but only Marcus Trescothick, Arul Suppiah and Nick Compton have taken on the responsibility.

"There have been no partnerships to speak of in the crucial middle order phase and it has cost us dearly.

"Even so a target of 270-plus should have taken some getting. We didn't bowl well at the start of the Sussex second innings and, although we got things together more after tea, Nash and Joyce played very well."

It was Rana Naved who again proved the scourge of Somerset, claiming a five-wicket haul to add to his five scalps in the first innings.

He had Trescothick caught by Matt Prior for 79, scattered Jos Buttler's stumps when he had made only eight, pinned Lewis Gregory and Steve Kirby lbw and bowled last man Charl Willoughby first ball.

Rana finished with 5-82 and match figures of 10-161. And just for good measure he ran out Gemaal Hussain to put the visitors further in trouble.

Any chance Somerset had of defending a lead of 271 disappeared as Nash and Joyce attacked some ill-directed bowling before the tea interval. Steve Kirby was quickly withdrawn from the attack after conceding three boundaries in his third and fourth overs.

By tea Sussex were 105 without loss, Nash having reached his half-century off 62 balls. Joyce followed after the interval off 75 deliveries and there was no stopping the two openers as they extended their stand to 201 before Joyce fell lbw to Gregory.

By then the outcome of the game was all but decided. Nash's century came off 139 balls, with 14 fours.

For more details, check out: http://www.somersetcountycc.premiumtv.co.uk

CB 40 - Notts v Somerset

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 09:59:11 +0100

Talented teenager due to make debut as Somerset start their CB40 campaign at Trent Bridge.

Lewis Gregory is set to make his Clydesbank 40 League debut for Somerset against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Sunday.

The talented all-rounder and England Under-19 captain is expected to play, having been named in a squad of 13 for the opening game in this season's competition.

Gregory made a big hundred for Somerset second XI against Sussex to clinch his place and Director of Cricket Brian Rose says there will be no hesitation in playing him against Notts.

Brian said: "Lewis is in good form with both bat and ball. He proved in last season's game against Pakistan that he has the temperament to step into the first team."

Young seam bowler Adam Dibble is also in Somerset's squad for Trent Bridge and may make his debut, depending on the pitch and the fitness of the club's senior bowlers.

Brian added: "We will check carefully to see how the bowlers came out of the Championship game with Lancashire before finalising a team. Adam is in the squad on merit and if the circumstances are right he could feature."

After the disastrous start to the Championship campaign Somerset are looking for a lift against Notts, something coach Andy Hurry readily acknowledges.

"We were embarrassed by the way we performed against Lancashire and all the players are bitterly disappointed," he said.

"But I am looking forward to seeing some of our new boys perform with the white ball at Trent Bridge. Ajantha Mendis has a big reputation in one-day cricket.

"Last season we made a poor start in the Championship and a 40-over victory against Glamorgan really kick-started our season. Hopefully, the competition can be good for us in that respect again."

Somerset (from) M.Trescothick (capt), C.Kieswetter (wkt), N.Compton, J.Hildreth, J.Buttler, P.Trego, A.Suppiah, L.Gregory, G.Hussain, S.Kirby, A.Mendis, C.Willoughby, A.Dibble.

Lancashire v Somerset

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 08:17:59 +0100

Another heavy defeat for Somerset in the County Championship - Brian Rose says "hard work is needed" in the games to come.

Director of Cricket Brian Rose promised some plain speaking and hard work after Somerset crashed to their second innings defeat in as many LV County Championship games against Lancashire at Liverpool.

Having allowed the hosts to take their first innings total to 451 on the third day, Marcus Trescothick and his team were bowled out for just 163 to lose by an innings and 20 runs.

Following the embarrassing home defeat by Warwickshire in the opening fixture, it was another poor effort by the team rated bookmakers' favourites for the title before a ball was bowled.

Rose said: "If anyone had told me this Somerset team were capable of losing the first two Championship games of the season so comprehensively I wouldn't have believed it.

"It is a huge shock to everyone concerned, but not a time to panic with 14 games in the competition still to go. We need to sit down and analyse what has gone wrong, but the only answer in these situations is hard work.

"Sometimes in professional sport it is very difficult to get a handle on why form dips. The fact is we haven't had batsmen or bowlers working effectively in partnerships so far.

"We know we are capable of so much better and I understand how supporters must be feeling. I can assure them that issues will be addressed and we will improve."

Lancashire resumed their second innings on 361-7, with a lead of 93, and soon built on it through Sri Lankan all-rounder Farveez Maharoof and Saj Mahmood.

They added 32 runs before Mahmood was caught behind by Craig Kieswetter for 20, giving Steve Kirby his sixth wicket of the innings.

Maharoof went on to make 102 off 134 balls, with 13 fours and a six, and by the time he was last man out the Lancashire lead was 183, Oliver Newby having contributed 14 to a ninth-wicket stand of 58.

Kirby finished with 6-115 from 30 overs of typically wholehearted effort. And Somerset looked set to make a game of it when Trescothick and Arul Suppiah took their second innings score to 28 without loss at lunch.

But the afternoon session brought another sorry capitulation, with James Hildreth run out going for a fourth run with Kieswetter and several other soft dismissals.

Gemaal Hussain put the efforts of the senior batsmen in perspective by top scoring with 42 batting at number eight. Only Kieswetter (38) and Trescothick (21) of the top seven scored more than ten.

The wickets were shared around by the home attack and the innings lasted only 53.3 overs. Lancashire took 22 points from the game to Somerset's four.

Bristol Rugby v Nottingham

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 12:01:19 +0100

Injuries in Bristol camp forces changes for Hull.

Head Coach Paul Hull has made several enforced changes, with a number of players missing through injury, as Bristol Rugby look to get back to winning ways against Nottingham at the Memorial Stadium this afternoon.

In the backline, George Watkins switches to full-back and Jack Adams replaces the injured Jack Tovey at outside-centre. Dan Norton returns from international sevens duty to start on the wing, while Robbie Shaw and Ed Barnes make up the outside-half partnership.

In the forwards, Mako Vunipola and Marco Mama earn starts after impressing from the bench last Friday. Mariano Sambucetti and Wayne Thompson replace the injured Roy Winters and Jason Hobson.

Hull said: "We've had a lot of injury concerns this week, although we're confident that the team selected can put an end to our disappointing recent run of form. Nottingham will be our last league game at the Memorial Stadium this season so we are determined to finish on a positive note."

On the replacements bench, Hull opts for a three forwards and three backs split, with one replacement yet to be confirmed.

George Watkins; Anthony Elliott, Jack Adams, Junior Fatialofa, Dan Norton; Ed Barnes, Robbie Shaw; Mako Vunipola, David Blaney, Wayne Thompson, Mariano Sambucetti, Darren Barry, Iain Grieve ©, James Merriman, Marco Mama.

Replacements:

Ollie Hayes, Mark Irish, TBC, Jonathan Brandling-Harris, Richard Bolt, Nicky Little, Chris Ashwin.

Bristol Rovers 1 - 0 Oldham

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 06:30:59 +0000

Dave Penney was delighted to record a win and pick up a long overdue clean sheet at the Memorial Stadium..

Rovers recorded a 1-0 win over Oldham Athletic thanks to on loan striker Rene Howe, who scored his first goal for the club.

The manager knows there is still a long way to go, but was pleased with his team's performance.

He said: "It is nice to get three points and a clean sheet - a clean sheet has been long overdue.

"The last one we got was against Hartlepool and then we managed to go on and beat Swindon, and today we managed to keep a clean sheet and beat a good side in Oldham.

"It was a real end to end game on a heavy pitch, and there were some tired players out there at the end.

"The win is massive, we didn't like losing those games on the trot, it is nice to come into a changing room and see players with smiles on their faces.

"Hopefully the togetherness we have got now we can carry on, like we should have carried on from the Swindon game."

Despite the win, the manager knows that there isstill plenty to do to get the side out of trouble.

He said: "It is not finished, we are still down there, we still need points, we have got 30, we probably need another 20 or 22 and that gives us something to aim for.

"We are delighted and we will take that little bit of luck, although things didn't go all our way in the first half.

"I think the midweek break did us the world of good, it enabled us to get a couple of new lads in and freshen things up, rest a few players up, and they have come back nice and sharp."

The manager was pleased with keeper Conrad Logan and defender Danny Senda who both made their debuts for Rovers this afternoon.

Penney said: "Conrad had to make a save after five minutes, as we didn't start the game particularly well.

"That save gave the back four and the rest of the team an insight into what he can do. He is a confident boy and he has come in and integrated with the squad straight away.

"Danny knows the game, he has had a long time out with a bad injury, but he has got himself fit.

"He is a naturally fit boy, we didn't expect to get 90 minutes from him, but his positional sense and experience helped him through the game."

And the manager was also pleased to see Rene Howe score his first goal for Rovers.

He said: "We cannot rely on Will all the time, we need someone else to chip in with goals, and we need both strikers scoring goals.

"It was probably the first time we have played two up top since Rene has come into the game, and it was nice someone could create chance for him and I thought him and Will worked well as a pair."

The pitch was heavy today after all the rain, but Penney does not think it really had an impact on the game.

He said: "I don't think the pitch really had an effect on the game today, although there were a few tired legs come the end.

"I don't think it is going to get any worse than it was Tuesday night, the groundsman has been on there since and settled it down, it didn't play too bad.

"Until the warm weather comes and the grass starts growing it is going to be tough for the groundsman."

Rovers now have another midweek break before they travel to Brentford next Saturday, and Penney thinks some of his players will benefit from the rest.

He said: "There are people like Gavin Williams who have played a lot of games quite quickly.

"I thought Rene Howe looked a bit tired and I am sure Danny Senda will benefit from having a week's breather to get himself ready for Saturday.

"I think it works well that we have got a breather this week to freshen up again."

And the manager is pleased that a spirit and togetherness is growing within his team.

He said: "The spirit is coming, the togetherness is coming and we are gradually getting there.

"I do not think there was a real togetherness here before, there has been a bit of a blame culture.

"We need people to hold their hands up and except blame and get on with it. The spirit is coming, and it should get better with results."

Gidman On GCCC Season

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 09:37:26 +0000

Gloucestershire skipper talks about preparations for new season.

GCCC captain Alex Gidman has been speaking about his team's prospects this season.

He said: "The lads had a couple of weeks break over Christmas and New Year. Some of the coaching staff are still away so the players are getting on with their own training, with plenty of fitness and strength work.

"It is being left pretty much to each individual as to how he prepares. The trust is there that the players will do the required work and I know everyone is responding to that.

"There are a couple of fitness sessions each week with a trainer, using cycles and doing running and swimming. In the gym each player has been given an individual programme to follow, plus a couple of core elements that we all do.

"It’s largely major strengthening work of the main muscle groups to make ourselves as physically strong as possible for the season ahead.

"We are also working hard in the nets on our individual skills. That has been the case since mid-November and we have each tried to work out for ourselves what we need to concentrate on, rather than simply relying on the coaches.

"A lot of advice is being passed on from the senior members of the squad to the younger players and it has been noticeable what a good banter there is among the lads.

"My brother Will and David Wade have fitted in really well and guys are pairing up with different partners to work on their batting or bowling, picking each other’s brains as they do so.

"The atmosphere at the club is great and hopefully when some of the other younger lads come back to add a cheekiness to it, work will become even more enjoyable.

"Chris Dent, Jack Taylor and Liam Norwell are in Australia, attached to various academies and playing club cricket over there. I’ve been in touch with all of them and they are going well, enjoying the chance to play in some good weather.

"We wanted those young guys to go and get some experience of playing abroad so that they mature as cricketers as early as possible. That seems to be happening so it is pretty exciting for the future.

"We won’t be all together as a squad until mid-March and even then Hamish Marshall is going away to play for Northern Districts for while. But we will have nucleus of our squad at the County Ground working hard ahead of our opening game in April.

"Everyone should be available for the start of the season, although it is still a case of fingers crossed for Ian Saxelby as he continues his rehabilitation following the shoulder problem that forced him to miss last season.

"At the moment I am leaving Ian to work with the coaches and physio and I’ll be asking more about his fitness around the beginning of March.”

"We pretty much have our squad in place for the 2011 campaign, although there is still some talk about the overseas player situation.

"The likely option is to bring someone in for the Twenty20 competition, although that might change. We do have some names in mind, which need to be kept under wraps for the time being.

"John Bracewell and myself have talked about a few different potential targets, but no contact has yet been made with anyone.

"We are looking for someone who might want to play some four-day games between Twenty20 matches as the 20-over competition now extended over a lengthy period.

"The ideal would be to offer the right player a two or two and a half month deal which covers all forms of cricket in that period of time.”

Bristol Rovers' Chairman Has Confidence In New Manager

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:06:09 +0000

Nick Higgs is certain new manager David Penney has what it takes to push the club forward.

The former Oldham boss was revealed yesterday as the official replacement for Paul Trollope, who was sacked by the club before Christmas.

The Yorkshireman beat off 60 other applicants for the job.

Nick Higgs told us why they decided to go with Penney: "He demonstrated an understanding of the lower league clubs and where we should be and what he'd like to do at the club.

"He knows it's not a quick fix, Dave wants to come in and do a proper job and move us on."

It's also been announced that Assistant Manager Darren Patterson is being replaced, but it's hoped he'll be given another role within the club.

Penney is straight in at the deep end with fellow relegation strugglers Walsall visiting the Mem tonight.

Nick Higgs hopes that the fans will get behind him and give him a warm welcome: "We want everyone to come along and get behind our new manager and show him what Bristol Rovers fans and the club, are all about.

"He's enthusiastic, we're enthusiastic. We need that approach now from all our fans and players."

David Penney New Rovers Boss

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:13:08 +0000

Bristol Rovers have appointed David Penney as the new man in charge.

The 46-year-old has been unveiled as Paul Trollope's successor today.

Penney comes with plenty of experience with management spells at Doncaster, Darlington and Oldham.

At Doncaster he achieve successive promotions winning the Conference play off final and then taking the League Two title the following season.

Speaking at a press conference earlier today the Yorkshireman told us it was the club's ambition which attracted him to the role: "I think they're in the wrong position in the division. I watched them on Tuesday, the first 45 minutes were excellent so you fell as if you've got something to build on there.

"Talking to the Chairman and directors, they're a progressive club and they want to do well. I wanted to come to a club that wanted to achieve something, not just go through the motions."

Penney is already eyeing some of the changes he'd like to make and is looking at bringing in some new players.

He'll be put straight to work with their game against Walsall tomorrow night at The Mem.

Bristol City v Sheffield Wednesday FA Cup

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 07:22:44 +0000

Robins look forward to entertaining Wednesday in the third round.

Keith Millen claims City's FA Cup third round tie with Sheffield Wednesday is their "biggest game of the season".

Progress in the FA Cup is a main target of the manager and his chairman Steve Lansdown, with both insisting the club is due a good run in the competition.

Vital prize money is offer for victory in each round, starting with a payment of £67,500 for all third round victors.

The prize pool afforded to later sections of the competition jump dramatically too, with £90,000 for victory in round four, £180,000 in round five and £360,000 for quarter-final success.

Manager Keith told us "It's a massive game for us, I think our biggest game of the season.

"We want a cup run and to do that we must overcome Sheffield Wednesday at Ashton Gate. For the finances of the club it can be a massive boost, but the supporters deserve an exciting cup run too.

"I've given the players two days' rest because they needed it on the back of their exerts over Christmas and New Year.

"To come through four games in eight days is not easy. I few have been feeling knocks and strains, so hopefully the time off will see those ease."

Liam Fontaine, Louis Carey and Jamie McAllister have all missed recent matches and it's still to be seen whether Saturday's cup tie comes too early for them.

Bristol Rugby 23 - 42 Worcester

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 08:10:26 +0000

Bristol sit eighth in the table after home defeat.

It was a good first half performance for Bristol as they led the Championship leaders 20-7 after 23 minutes, with Dan Montagu and Jame Merriman scoring their tries but it still ended in defeat.

It was 20-20 at half time, and the Warriors took control in the second half with Andy Goode ending the day on 27 points.

Final score: Bristol 23 - Worcester 42.

Injury Worries For City

Sun, 02 Jan 2011 11:36:40 +0000

Skuse doubtful for Robins clash.

Cole Skuse has added to Bristol City`s injury problems ahead of the trip to Loftus Road to face Championship leaders QPR.

The midfielder was forced off early in the second half of the home victory over Cardiff and is unlikely to be included in the squad which travels to west London.

Boss Keith Millen still has defensive problems with Liam Fontaine (ankle) and Jamie McAllister (calf) out along with last season`s top goalscorer Nicky Maynard (knee).

But captain Louis Carey could be in line for a place in the squad following illness and a torn calf muscle. Damion Stewart, Christian Ribeiro, David Clarkson and Danny Haynes are options for Millen.

MK Dons 2 - 0 Bristol Rovers

Sun, 02 Jan 2011 07:13:47 +0000

Defeat for the Gas away from home.

The first game of the New Year brought little comfort to Rovers supporters as their side were well beaten by MK Dons.

The goals came in the opening 13 minutes and the home side always looked in control of the game after that.

They could have scored more had it not been for some fine saves by Mikkel Andersen and some sterling defensive work by Rovers overworked back four.

Rovers will be desperate to improve on this performance in Tuesday's crucial home game against Plymouth Argyle.

Rovers' caretaker manager Darren Patterson was disappointed with his side's poor start and told us:

"We made a very poor start in spite of the fact that we had talked about that for much of the week.

We had stressed the importance of a good start after not playing for three weeks. We needed to be nice and solid from the off and to get some early touches. It was also important that we kept possession, but we gave the ball away very, very, cheaply.

"We looked very rusty and conceded two sloppy goals, which put us on the back foot and that made it tough for us to get back into the game."

"Pack The Gate For Cardiff" Says City Chairman

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:20:11 +0000

Landsdown wants an electric atmosphere at Ashton Gate for the New Years Day clash against Cardiff.

Steve Lansdown wants to see a cauldron-like atmosphere at Ashton Gate for the visit of Cardiff City on New Year's Day.

More than 1,600 Bluebirds fans will be making the short coach-only journey to Ashton Gate for the npower Championship game.

And City's chairman hopes home supporters will turn out in force to cheer on Keith Millen's side and drown out the travelling fans.

Steve told bcfc.co.uk: "A local derby on a Bank Holiday has always been a great football occasion and with Cardiff pushing hard at the top of the league and us looking to move up the table, this has the makings of a great game.

"Cardiff are due to bring a large following to Ashton Gate, despite the bubble restrictions, and we want to see big numbers through the turnstiles too.

"The atmosphere is sure to be electric and a big and vociferous home crowd will certainly help the players look to put one over Cardiff for the first time in a while.

"We saw a good crowd turn up for the Palace game but we'd still like to see more coming along to support the manager and his team."

Brett Up For Fans Gong

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:08:56 +0000

Robins star Brett Pitman up for fans award

Brett Pitman has been shortlisted for the ESPN PFA Fans' Player of the Month award for December.

The City striker hit a brace against Derby County to kick-off the month, and ended 2010 with a vital last-minute penalty against Crystal Palace.

Ex-Bournemouth hitman Brett is up against two other forwards in Leeds United's Luciano Becchio and Watford's Danny Graham.

The other players nominated are Swansea pair Dorus De Vries and Angel Rangel.

Gas Fans To Celebrate "Irene" Anthem

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:13:36 +0000

Supporters of Bristol Rovers are being asked to help celebrate club song.

Bristol Rovers fans are being encouraged to 'sing up' at the next home game to celebrate 60 years of Goodnight Irene.

They're being asked to come along to the Plymouth game on Tuesday, January 4th and sing their hearts our to commemorate the special anniversary.

The club initially agreed to make Irene the run out music before the match against Bournemouth at the beginning of December, but the game was postponed because of the bad weather.

So it has now been decided to hold a celebration at our next home game, as it is believed that Rovers fans first started singing the song during a home game against Plymouth in 1950.

Rovers were winning and the few Argyle supporters present began to leave early prompting a chorus of "Goodnight Argyle" from the Rovers supporters—the tune stuck and Irene became the club song.

And fans are being encouraged to hold up scarves and sing along to celebrate 60 years of having the tune as the anthem.

Fans are also hoping to celebrate the anniversary by trying to get the song into the Top 40 UK Charts.

Bristol City 1 - 1 Crystal Palace

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 07:30:31 +0000

Draw for the Robins at Ashton Gate

A stoppage time penalty from substitute Brett Pitman secured a point for City after trailing for over 90 minutes.

An early free kick from Neil Danns looked to have secured the three points for the Eagles but the late penalty from Pitman earned a point for the hosts, who had been dominant.

After the defeat to Reading on Boxing Day manager Keith Millen promised changes. The City manager made five changes with Kalifa Cisse, Lee Johnson, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Lewin Nyatanga and Danny Haynes replacing Jamie McAllister, Danny Rose, Christian Ribeiro, Damion Stewart and Brett Pitman.

The visitors started the game in dream fashion - scoring within two minutes from a brilliant free kick.

Youngster Sean Scannell made himself a handful to Cisse, who could only foul him 25 yards from goal. Midfielder Danns stepped up and confidently curled an unstoppable effort into the top corner of the City net.

Just two minutes after conceding City nearly levelled. A mistake from the normally trusty Speroni saw him palm the ball on to the head on Haynes, but his header struck the Palace post and rebounded to safety.

The Eagles almost doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark when Danns tested James from 25 yards.

Scannell managed to head the ball down to the feet of Danns, who again curled an effort towards the City goal. His shot looked to destined for the top corner but keeper James was on hand to pull off a full-stretch diving save.

Chances were few and far between at the start of the second half with neither keeper having to make a save. It was just after the hour that the first chance arrived.

A neat one-two between Scannell and Counago on the edge of the City area saw the latter place his shot just wide of the City upright.

City made a double substitution with 15 minutes remaining, Jon Stead and Haynes made way for David Clarkson and Rose.

The lively Adomah forced Speroni into his first real save of the match on 85 minutes when he ran at the Palace defence and unleashed a left footed shot from 20 yards only to see the Palace stopper tip over.

Moments later Adomah again ran at the Palace defence to cross to the back post for an unmarked Marvin Elliott, but the big midfielder couldn't reach the cross and saw his effort go wide of the target.

Referee Mr Tierney added on five minutes of stoppage time after a host of time-wasting from the visitors and deep into it City levelled from the spot.

Substitute Rose was up ended by keeper Speroni when he tried to cross the ball. Fellow substitute Pitman coolly stepped up and slotted the penalty into the corner to secure a point.

Paul Trollope Says His Goodbyes

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 14:26:42 +0000

The Bristol Rovers' Chairman and players have thanked the former manager for his efforts over the years.

It was announced yesterday that Paul Trollope had been relieved of his duties with immediate effect after 5 years with the club.

Under his reign he guided the club to promotion from League 2 in 2007 and the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final in the same year.

But the decision to let him go was made after a poor run in form.

"The events speak for themselves. The second half of last season nearly ended in almost relegation form.

"Despite a slight up turn at the start of this season, we've seen a dramatic slide and we're now in to the relegation zone. And we've been knocked out of all the cups." said Chairman Nick Higgs.

He added: "Unfortunately we are results based and results recently haven't gone our way."

Paul Trollope said goodbye to the players and staff today before their training session.

In a statement he said: "Naturally I was saddened to receive the news. However I would like to thank the club for giving me my first opportunity in management and I will always be grateful to them for that.

"It has been a fantastic experience and I am proud to have been in charge during such a successful period in the club's history, where significant progress has been made and the foundations for a successful future have been put in place.

"It has been an amazing journey with so many great memories.

"I would sincerely like to thank the supporters, with whom I always enjoyed a fantastic relationship, the staff and players for all of their support, commitment and hard work during my five years in charge.

"Also, a special thanks to Lennie Lawrence, who was not only Director of Football here, but also an excellent mentor during my first managerial position.

"I will always have an affinity with Bristol Rovers Football Club and it will always hold a place in my heart and I wish them every success for the future.

"I leave the football club on good terms and wish them every success in the future

"Whilst I am disappointed to be leaving the manager's role I look forward to taking on a new challenge in the game when the opportunity arises."

Assistant manager Darren Patterson has been make caretaker manager until a replacement can be found.

Captain Stuart Campbell said that Trollope will be missed by all and left quite a legacy: "He's turned it on its head really. We he took over we use to be a lower half League Two side then he's come in and go promotion for us. He's definitely taken the club forward."

He also added that the players feel some responsibility for his departure: "At the end of the day it's down to us. He prepares us the best he can; the planning he did was meticulous. It is down to us as players, we let him down by not getting the results."

A decision over a new permanent manager is expected in the New Year.

Bristol Rovers Sack Paul Trollope

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:18:44 +0000

The manager has been placed on gardening leave after a recent dip in form.

The decision comes after a meeting was held between Trollope and the club chairman Nick Higgs.

The club has had a bit of slump in form recently. They're now in the League One relegation zone and crashed out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy last night.

Rovers Chairman Nick Higgs said: "We would all like to thank Paul for everything he has done for the club over the last five years. He presided over a very successful period for us, and became one of only five managers in the history of the club to secure promotion with Bristol Rovers.

"However, we have become concerned with results and performances this season and the recent slide down the table. We now find ourselves in the bottom four, with attendances dropping off rapidly, and the board felt that immediate action was needed to make the necessary changes and try and reclaim something from this season.

"We now hope to make a prompt appointment to take over the managerial role and get the club moving back in the right direction.

"Again we would like to thank Paul for all his hard work, and wish him every success in the future."

The club is expected to announce who will be in temporary charge for this weekend's game with Colchester United later today, while the search for a permanent replacement begins.

Improved Performance For Bristol Rugby

Sun, 19 Sep 2010 11:10:25 +0100

Academy players help side to draw their latest fixture to end poor run.

Academy players George Watkins and Mako Vunipola edged Bristol closer to their first win of the season at Billesley Common with a try a-piece, only for Moseley to equal Bristol's thirteen points for a draw.

Moseley took the lead at Billesley Common through Ed Style’s boot when Bristol penalised early on at the breakdown. 3-0

Quick to respond, Bristol looked to get on the board when George Watkins darted down the left wing off the back of a solid scrum from the away side. With support from the backs, Watkins sailed over the line to put Bristol on the score sheet. Jarvis’ conversion hit the post to take Bristol ahead by 2. 3-5.

Bristol had an opportunity to further extend their lead when a familiar face in Chevvy Pennycook came offside at the breakdown. Jarvis lined up the kick which was sent to the right of the posts. 3-5

Jack Adams lead the way in the backs, making a clean break towards the try before a knock on caught him short of the line. Iain Grieve and Darren Barry linked in the forwards, building phases into Moseley’s 22 and causing no end of frustration for the home side who conceded numerous penalties. After a yellow card was shown to the home side’s Mark Evans, Jarvis took Bristol ahead further with a penalty kick. 3-8

Bristol’s narrow lead was shortened after the break, as Ed Style took his side to within 2 points when the visitors fell offside. 6-8

Not willing to forgo their lead and potentially their first win of the season, Bristol went on the attack, edging closer to the line with a clean break from Junior Fatialofa securing field position inside the 22.

An exchange of penalties saw Bristol with a 5-meter scrum as Watkins looked for his second score of the match, pairing with fellow Academy back Jack Tovey. The move was subsequently cut short when, after his team mate Mark Evans had just returned from the bin, Moseley’s Terry Signal was also shown a yellow card.

Looking to take advantage of a fourteen-man side, Bristol dominated the resulting scrum before Richard Bolt moved the ball through the hands of Junior Fatialofa. The forwards came up in support before a try was signalled, claimed by Mako Vunipola. Jarvis missed the conversion to leave Bristol ahead 6-13.

From the restart, Moseley showed a sense of urgency with the clock ticking, and immediately closed the score through the work of Adam Caves. A successful conversion from Styles resulted in a 13-13 draw.

Bristol City 1 - 2 Coventry City

Sun, 19 Sep 2010 07:03:57 +0100

Poor form continues for the Robins at Ashton Gate with another defeat.

City suffered their third home loss of the season at the hands of Coventry City.

Goals from Clive Platt and Ben Turner either side of a Marvin Elliott header was enough to win the three points for visitors.

Manager Keith Millen made four changes from the midweek defeat to Watford with Damion Stewart, Nicky Hunt, Kalife Cisse and Brett Pitman being replaced by Christian Ribeiro, Louis Carey, Danny Rose and Danny Haynes.

City nearly took the lead with the first chance of the game after 13 minutes when Haynes pounced on a header back from Richard Wood only to see his right footed volley well save by Keiren Westwood in the Coventry goal.

With Adomah and Haynes switching wings City were looking dangerous on the right with Ribeiro giving an extra option on the overlap.

The visitors took the lead after when Platt raced clear with the City defenders and crowd appealing for offside. A long ball over the top by Sammy Clingan found Platt in behind the City back four. The tall striker ran clear of the defence and coolly slotted past the advancing James in the City goal.

Coventry were denied a penalty by referee Williamson on 35 minutes when winger Baker went down in the area after getting the wrong side of right back Ribeiro.

City got the equaliser they were pushing for after 41 minutes much to the annoyance of the visitors. As defender Turner was laying injured on the floor Elliott rose to head home a Stead cross from six yards.

The visitors took the lead again before half time when Turner headed in. Fellow defender Richard Wood headed a Clingan free-kick back across goal for the giant defender to head home from inches out.

Westwood in the Coventry goal kept the visitors in the lead when he pulled of a great save to deny midfielder Elliott from scoring his and City's second goal of the game.

The home side started the second half very brightly and again nearly equalised through Elliott. Another Stead cross-found Elliott, whose header bounced on the top of the crossbar and out for a goal kick.

On 67 minutes Keith Millen made two changes with David Clarkson and Lee Johnson replacing Elliott and Haynes. Clarkson was soon amongst the play winning a free-kick 25 yards out after being fouled by Wood. The resulting free-kick was a well-worked one, but was curled just wide by left-back Jamie McAllister.

With five minutes remaining and City pushing for an equaliser Pitman was introduced with Ribeiro making way for the striker.

With four minutes of added time allowed City threw everything at Coventry but they couldn't find the all important leveller.

Oldham 1 - Bristol Rovers 1

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 07:30:52 +0100

An away draw for the Gas at Boundary Park

Rovers returned home from Boundary Park with a point this afternoon after a hard working and spirited performance.

Having taken a first half lead through Will Hoskins, they were unable to add further goals, especially when the home side looked distinctly put of sorts at the back.

An equaliser just a minute before half time set up a pulsating second half and although Oldham enjoyed a great deal of possession, most of their goal attempts flew wide of the target.

Hoskins, who had an outstanding game, was twice denied by saves from Dean Brill and also saw another effort hit the crossbar before being cleared to safety.

Manager Paul Trollope made three changes to his starting lineup for this game.

Goalkeeper Mikkel Andersen, who played in the second half of the Danish U-21's 1-1 draw with Lithuania yesterday, was unable to get a connecting flight back to the UK, so his place went to Mike Green who was making his league debut for Rovers.

Carl Regan returned to the side at right back, a move that saw Byron Anthony move to the heart of defence where he partnered Danny Coles in place of James Tunnicliffe, who dropped to the bench.

In midfield, Wayne Brown's ankle injury ruled him out and so Dominic Blizzard returned to the side.

Loan striker John Akinde, with the benefit of a full week of training behind him, took his place on the bench.

Although he home side created a chance after just three minutes, which saw Jean-Yves M'voto head wide of the target, it was Rovers who had the better of the opening exchanges and they took a seventh minute lead courtesy of Will Hoskins.

The goal came about following a disastrous attempt by M'voto to head the ball back to a fellow defender. Hoskins read what was happening, picked up the loose ball and, seeing Dean Brill off his line, chipped the ball over the keeper's head from 25 yards.

A long range effort from Oumare Tounkara was all that Oldham could manage in response and they looked uneasy every time Rovers attacked.

A long range Jo Kuffour shot drifted wide of goal, but the home side gradually eased their way back into things and goalkeeper Mike Green had to be at his best on 28 minutes when he dived to his left to palm a free kick from skipper Dale Stephens behind for a corner.

Stephens then hit a free kick, as well as a long range effort, over the bar and the skipper was involved in the build up to his side's equaliser a minute before half time. His free kick found Chris Taylor, who swept a right foot shot beyond Green from twelve yards.

Oldham wasted a golden opportunity to go in with a half time lead but Rodrigue Dikaba somehow managed to head wide from just three yards following a pinpoint cross from Paul Black.

M'voto went close at the start of the second half, when he headed wide of the target and Green then did well to palm away a corner from the right.

Tounkara headed wide when presented with a free header from another corner and Chris Taylor hit a shot over and had another blocked before a break by Hoskins almost brought a goal from Rovers. However Brill pulled off a fine save to deny the striker a second goal.

The keeper produced another excellent save from Hoskins again when he touched his left foot effort behind for a corner.

Enjoying something of a purple patch, the striker then saw yet another effort hit the underside of the bar before being hacked to safety.

The home side hit back and there were further chances that flew either high or wide of the mark and Rovers were reduced to ten men with five minues of the game remaining.

Danny Coles, who had been booked in the first half, brought down Dean Kelly and was booked again, which led to a red card.

Amazingly, there were eight minutes of added time and both sides could have won the game in the final minute.

John Akinde did well to cut inside M'voto and get a shot away. It ricocheted off the defender and seemed to be heading for the top corner but Brill appeared from nowhere to touch the ball away.

Stephens had the final say when another of his trademark free kicks struck the bar and went behind for a goal kick.

Bristol Rovers in Search of Consistency

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:33:34 +0100

Its been a rocky start to the season for Rovers and Trollope is looking to get back on track.

Rovers were confident heading into last week's game with Southampton, after having four points from two games and feeling that they should have gained three points from St James park when they played Exeter, since then its all gone downhill for Trollope's men - a huge defeat to the hands of Southampton and countless injury problems.

Paul will be hoping to improve on this heading into the game with Oldham .

The Boss told us there is no need to panic: "Consistency is the key to anything , it's the key to success it's the key to the upper echelon of league and we haven't got that. Its early on, but we're confident of doing it we know the way forward, we're obviously hurt by a few of the defeats we've faced - but there is no need to panic."

Mikkell Anderson has just signed to stay on an extra four months with the club which will see the keeper at the club until January.

Trollope told us that if the Pirates do what they've done in training at the weekend then they should get a result: "Were looking at are own processes, what we need and strategies to improve and we've definitely seen that this week. The players have responded well, their application to the work has been quite intense, so we're looking to take that into the game."

John Akinde could make his début for the club at Boundary Park, as he's recovered from a hip problem that prevented him from playing in Rovers' game with Southampton last week.

Bristol City v Ipswich

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:27:54 +0100

Robins fans will be hoping for a less dramatic game following last week's thriller with Barnsley

The Robins fans will be hoping for a less dramatic game this weekend.Bristol City endured at thriller 3 all draw Ashton Gate. nA game in which Bristol Manager Keith Millen urged the team for 'better defending'.Bristol City play Ipswich at Portman Road.

Meanwhile some of the Injury concerns are likely to be fit for this weekend's tie.Keith Millen hopes that Louis Cary, Christian Ribeiro and Kalifa Cisse will be fit for Saturdays game.Louis cary has come through a reserve game mid week and Riberio and Cisse our medically fit and able to play.

Cole Skuse and is still a doubt and Danny Hanyes will definateley miss this weekend clash.New signings Jon Stead and Brett Pittman look set to make the call up.

Ipswich are undefeated so far in the Championship, presenting a massive challenge for the injury struck team. The last time the sides met it ended in a goal less draw , both teams will be hoping to get onto the score sheet.

Keith Millen told us about Bristol City's the team Spirit after last Saturday, ' what delighted me was the lads attitude to get back in the game and that's the most important thing , if you know you've got a good team spirit and the lads are going to work hard', you're going to go behind in games, it's how you respond to that , and there response was fantastic and as long as they keep that we will be ok'.

Bristol Rovers v Southampton

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:39:50 +0100

Bristol Rovers will be looking to add to their recent good form at the weekend.

Bristol Rovers will play Southampton at the weekend. Southampton are tipped for promotion this season and will be a tough game for Paul Trollope's men. Although the Saints are yet to manage a win in the league this season, whilst Rovers approach the match on the back of 4 points in their last two matches.

Paul is hoping that Dominic Blizzard and Carl Regan Will be fit for the weekend's clash.
The pair gained an Injury against Exeter at the weekend in the emotional tie, following the death of Adam Stanfield.

Jeff Hughes picked up a hamstring injury in training earlier in the week, but Trollope is hoping for him to make a recovery for the weekend.

Ricky Lambbert will return to the Memorial stadium for the Third time this weekend .The former league one top scorer has big history with the Pirates, back in 2007 he scored the goal that but Rovers in the league two playoffs.

Trollope is still hopeful to add to his squad before Tuesday after they chose not to sign Ian Daily, the form Manchester City striker was on loan at the club. Paul hinted that he might be forced to go into the emergency loans window which opens 7 days after the official transfer window has closed.

Last time Bristol Rovers met the Saint they lost 5-1 , Paul told us that 'lessons has been leant , they exploted some weaknesses that we had on the day and they have the quality to hurt us, so its a new season weve got lot of new players and theyve got a couple, so its all set for a cracking game'.

Pace Attack Boosted For Gloucestershire CCC

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:21:45 +0100

Club signs the New Zealander James Fuller on a three year deal.

The right arm fast bowler will join Gloucestershire next year in time for the start of the 2011 season. The 20 year old plays for Otago in New

Zealand but signs for GCCC as an English passport holder. He has also played for the New Zealand U19 team in 2009 and was part of the New

Zealand players training squad in 2010.

James said, "The opportunity of playing cricket for Gloucestershire under John Bracewell, on so many famous grounds, and amongst such great

players is truly the chance of a lifetime. I am extremely grateful to GCCC for having faith in me, and look forward to repaying that through my pace bowling, and allrounder ability".

The club's Director of Cricket John Bracewell said: It is great news to have signed James as he has enormous potential as a pace bowler and ball

striker. He is a genuine athlete who has chosen cricket as his profession and Gloucestershire will reap the benefit."

City Players In International Call-Ups

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:06:04 +0100

Youngsters selected for Under 21 duty for Wales and Ireland.

Christian Ribeiro and Stephen Henderson have received Under-21 international call-ups.

Wales have called on the services of defender Christian for an Under-21 away match in Hungary on Saturday, September 4th.

Goalkeeper Stephen has been named in the Republic of Ireland Under-21s squad for games away in Turkey (September 3rd) and Switzerland (September 7th)

Last Signings For Millen?

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:16:18 +0100

Keith Millen admits Brett Pitman and Jon Stead could be his final two signings of the current transfer window.

Eleven players have left Ashton Gate since the end of last season: Paul Hartley, Bradley Orr, Jamie McCombe, Lee Trundle, Brian Wilson, Tristan Plummer, Frankie Artus, Ashley Kington and Steve Collis, Evander Sno and Patrick Agyemang.

City, meanwhile, have signed eleven players: Albert Adomah, Kalifa Cisse, Damion Stewart, Nicky Hunt, David James, Tom Williams, Sam Vokes, Patrick Hoban, Jimmy Keohane, Brett Pitman and Jon Stead.

Keith said: "I will be surprised now if any other players come in, I'm not actively looking in the market now.

"To be honest I'm very conscious of the need to settle things down after all the upheaval here.

"Ever since July 1st when we returned for training, it's been a really difficult period for the club, both behind the scenes and in the transfer market.

"Now is the time to settle everything down. This is a new group of players and, although it make a little bit of time, they need to gel quickly.

Cisse Back From Injury

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:05:53 +0100

Mali international Kalifa Cisse has given Bristol City a boost by declaring himself fit to return to Championship action.

Cisse stepped up his comeback from injury with an hour for the reserves in their 4-1 win over Aldershot.

The midfielder enjoyed the added bonus of an assist in the behind-closed-doors match, which was aimed at boosting the fitness of the former Reading man, as well as Christian Ribeiro and Louis Carey.

City took a 16th minute lead when ex-Aldershot loanee Marlon Jackson headed in from Jimmy Keohane's floated free kick.

Aldershot were back on level terms on 20 minutes when a cross to the back post was stabbed in by Damian Spencer - the City Academy product who scored for the club at Wembley in 2000.

City were back ahead 60 seconds later though, with Cisse splitting the visiting defence with a stunning through pass to offer Bobby Medjedoub a simple finish under the keeper.

John Akinde added a third ten minutes after half-time, nodding in a left-wing cross from Tom Williams.

The rout was completed by substitute Tom Andrews with a stunning half-volley from 18 yards across the keeper. Akinde hit the post late on, but the result was beyond doubt by then.

Daly Performs For Reserves

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:55:21 +0100

Triallist scores only goal of the game as Bristol Rovers beat Cheltenham in a reserve team friendly match.

Ian Daly was one of two triallist Rovers were taking a look at, the other being full back Declan John.

Darren Patterson's side took a while to play themselves into the game and allowed their hosts a great deal of first half possession, though they seldom troubled goalkeeper Mike Green.

However they got stronger as the half wore on and looked a different side after the break when they took the game to the home side.

It was a hard working performance by Rovers, and Darryl Duffy led the line well while Eliot Richards had an excellent game.

Those two players combined early on when Richards played in Duffy who was forced wide by goalkeeper Dan Lloyd Weston and hit his shot wide of the target.

Green then saved an angled drive from Marley Watkins and Jake Lee hit a shot wide of the mark before JJ Melligan went close with a shot that drifted just wide of the upright.

Richards went close at the other end before the half time break, seeing his angled drive well saved by Lloyd-Weston and hitting another effort into the side netting.

Green saved from Robin Shroot, but Rovers could have gone opened the scoring in the final minute when Duffy met Harry Pell's free kick but could only direct his header into the arms of Lloyd-Weston.

Duffy went close to opening the scoring shortly after the restart but Lloyd-Weston saved is first effort and then he rolled the ball just wide of the upright after being put through by substitute Darren Jefferies.

Melligan curled a free kick just wide, before Duffy again went close with a shot that was saved by the home keeper.

Green did well to touch a free kick from Shroot around the post, but Rovers took the lead on 74 minutes when Daly curled in a free kick from the edge of the area after Lamar Powell had been brought down.

There were chances to increase the lead before the end of the match, notably from Ollie Clarke who hit a shot just wide, Pell who headed just over from Powell's cross, and Richards, whose close range header hit the bar.

Trescothick Form Continues

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:49:46 +0100

Skipper makes 128 against Durham in their latest LV County Championship match at Taunton.

Trescothick made 128 after opting to bat first, a tough decision justified by Somerset's total of 287-4 after rain had delayed the start until 1.10pm.

Arul Suppiah (54) and Nick Compton (45) made important contributions, but it was Trescothick who dominated, taking his run tally in his last five Championship innings to 551 at an average of 184.

At the close Marcus said: "When the coin came down and I realised I had won the toss I really didn't know what to do, but I came down on the side of batting.

"Then it started to rain and I went back in to the umpires and asked if we could re-toss! The answer was no, of course, and I still didn't know if I had done the right thing.

"Thankfully, despite the rain, the pitch didn't do a great deal. Ian Blackwell bowled well and got a bit of turn, which hopefully augurs well for us later in the game, but we need to get a few more runs on the board first.

"I'm not sure how much play we will get tomorrow because the forecast is bad. To bat once in the game we probably need to get 500 and there is a lot of work to do for that to happen.

"Getting a double hundred last week really helped me and you have to cash in when your brain is working well and you are playing better. I feel in good form and hopefully it will continue."

Only 15 overs were lost, despite the delayed start after an early lunch was taken at 12.30pm. Trescothick elected to take first use of a green looking pitch, which as is so often the case at Taunton, did not offer as much assistance to the seamers as appeared likely.

Suppiah helped his captain put on 119 for the first wicket and had reached a half-century off 85 balls with 10 fours before being trapped lbw by a delivery from former team-mate Blackwell that seemed to turn.

Trescothick smacked 11 fours in reaching fifty off 71 deliveries and was unbeaten on 78 when tea was taken at 154-1 after 40 overs.

The final session was also scheduled to feature 40 overs and saw Trescothick and Compton extend their second wicket stand to 113 before the latter aimed to clip Benkenstein away on the leg side and Scott Borthwick took a sharp catch at short mid-wicket.

Trescothick had reached his hundred off 149 balls, with 17 fours, and celebrated with his only six, pulled over a short mid-wicket boundary off Benkenstein.

Benkenstein took his revenge soon afterwards as the Somerset captain, eager to push the score along, drove in the air to extra cover where Mark Stoneman took a comfortable catch.

From 232-1, Somerset slipped to 249-4 when James Hildreth, one of only two batsmen with more runs than Trescothick in the Championship First Division, failed for once and was yorked by Matthew Claydon for seven.

But Zander de Bruyn and Craig Kieswetter saw their team through to the close and will be looking to add to the two batting points already gained when play resumes this morning.

Trump Qualifies For World Open

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:22:28 +0100

Keynsham snooker ace will play tournament in Scotland next month.

Snooker star from Keynsham Judd Trump has qualified for this season's new World Open.

The world No 27 had a 3-0 victory over Thailand cueman Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon in the final round of qualifying at the World Snooker Academy, Sheffield.

He will now have to wait and see who he faces in this year's first round, with the draw to be made on Sunday, September 19.

This season's second ranking event of the season runs from September 18-26 at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre.

Gloucestershire Defeat At Bristol

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:39:33 +0100

An unbeaten 70 from James Franklin was not enough to save Gloucestershire from a six-wicket Clydesdale Bank 40 defeat by Essex under the Bristol floodlights.

The result meant the Eagles leapfrogged the Gladiators into second place in Group B and Gloucestershire must now win their remaining three games to stand a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals.

Both sides struggled to score quickly on a slow pitch and, despite Franklin's 88-ball innings, the Gladiators were only able to muster 184-8 from their 40 overs, having been put in.

The bowlers battled hard without much luck to defend the modest total, but Ravi Bopara (45), Grant Flower (45), Mark Pettini (37) and Matthew Walker (32) batted sensibly to see the Eagles to victory with an over to spare.

After the game skipper Alex Gidman said: "I was disappointed with our batting performance. A total of 200 would have been challenging on that pitch, but we didn't put enough partnerships together.

"James Franklin showed what was possible if a batsman showed the right application, but we didn't give him enough support.

"It's always difficult defending four and a half runs per over. The bowlers fought hard and produced some good deliveries without much luck, but it wasn't enough.

"We have to look hard at ourselves before our last three games because in the last two matches we have not stuck to our plan of keeping wickets in hand for the closing overs."

Gloucestershire's next Clydesdale Bank 40 game is away to the Netherlands in Rotterdam on Thursday.

Gloucestershire v Essex In CB40

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:19:53 +0100

Floodlit action at the County Ground in Bristol.

Alex Gidman believes Gloucestershire can take a huge step towards the Clydesdale Bank 40 semi-finals by beating Essex at Bristol on this afternoon (4.40pm).

The Gladiators are looking to bounce back from the disappointment of losing their top-of-the-table Group B match to Yorkshire Carnegie at Headingley.

But, with two of their remaining games against the Netherlands, Gloucestershire still stand every chance of at least being the best second placed team in the three groups, which would be good enough to earn a semi-final place.

Alex said: "We have played some good one-day cricket at Bristol this season and if we can beat Essex we would expect to beat Holland twice, which would put us in a good position.

"I think it will take some doing for any side to go through the group matches losing only one game so hopefully Yorkshire might yet slip up.

"There is no reason why we can’t win all our last four matches and if we do that we would be very unlucky not to make the semi-finals.”

Having said that, Alex warns that his team must learn the lessons of the game at Headingley where they lost from a promising position batting second.

He added: "We lost our way chasing against Yorkshire, which was disappointing. Losing Chris Taylor and Steve Snell in the same over to what they would admit were poor shots was a crucial stage of the match.

"We have talked about having at least six wickets in hand going into the last ten overs and we didn’t stick to that plan.

"We also let Yorkshire get far too many runs at the end of their innings. With the work our spinners had done in the middle, it was bitterly disappointing to see Yorkshire score 56 in their batting power play.

"We identified areas we needed to improve on after the Middlesex game and we didn’t do it. It cost us on the day, but there is still a huge amount to play for.”

Another Signing For The Robins

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:17:09 +0100

Bristol City hope to seal Stead deal today.

Bristol City hope to complete a deal for Ipswich Town forward Jon Stead today.

Manager Keith Millen confirmed after the 3-3 draw with Barnsley that Stead could become a City player on Monday.

The 27-year-old was involved for Ipswich's 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday but is now poised for a move to Ashton Gate.

Somerset Defeat In CB40

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 06:57:03 +0100

Table leaders beaten in a rain-affected clash at Horsham.

Marcus Trescothick's 67 failed to save Somerset from a 17-run defeat by Sussex under the Duckworth-Lewis system in a rain-affected game at Horsham.

The visitors looked set to maintain their 100 per cent Group A record when posting an impressive 216-7 after the match was reduced to 20 overs per side.

But under grey skies and with a wet ball Somerset's bowlers were found wanting as Sussex reached 177-4 from 15 overs when the rain became too heavy and the match was ended.

A win would have virtually guaranteed Trescothick's team a semi-final place. Now, while they remain strongly placed with eight wins from nine games, there is still work to do.

Director of Cricket Brian Rose told somersetcountycc.co.uk: "It wasn't one of our better bowling days. That's for certain. But you have to give credit to Sussex.

"Because the weather was so poor Duckworth-Lewis was always going to come into it and they had an advantage batting second because they knew what they needed over by over.

"Having said that, they went about the chase very positively and played extremely well. Although we batted superbly, we got a bit stuck in the last five overs of our innings and that proved costly.

"We will sit down tomorrow and analyse the game. We are still in a great position to reach the semi-finals and our destiny in the competition remains in our own hands."

Sussex won the toss and were soon on the receiving end of a pasting from Somerset's top three batsmen, who shared 162 runs off a combined total of just 84 balls.

Craig Kieswetter was dropped by Murray Goodwin off a skyer early on, but went on to smash 45 off 26 deliveries with 3 fours and 4 sixes, sharing an opening stand of 102 in eight overs with Trescothick.

There was no let up for Sussex when Kieswetter was well caught by Michael Yardy off Luke Wright as Trego came in and looked in great form from the start.

The all-rounder raced to 50 off 21 balls in just 17 minutes, smacking 6 fours and 3 sixes before giving a catch to Chris Liddle off the bowling of Monty Panesar immediately after reaching his half-century.

Trescothick was equally dominant, reaching his fifty off 23 balls, and had hit 9 fours and 3 sixes when caught by Wright off Yardy with the total on 174.

The later batsmen perished in the bid for more quick runs and some momentum was lost, but 216 was still a formidable total on the festival ground.

It became an even more uphill task for Sussex when the dangerous Wright was caught by Alfonso Thomas off Mark Turner for 16 in the third over of his side's reply, having hit the Somerset pace bowler for six and four off the previous two deliveries.

Turner otherwise proved expensive, conceding 18 off the over, and the home side were 36-1 after three as Goodwin joined Ed Joyce. That became 61-1 after five as, despite gloomy conditions, Sussex made a good fist of the chase.

Switched to the other end, Turner bowled the sixth over and conceded two more boundaries as the Sharks moved to 71-1 and were ahead on Duckworth-Lewis.

Trescothick's response was to introduce Murali Kartik for the seventh over and he struck with his first ball as Goodwin was well caught by Jos Buttler for 12. The Indian left-arm spinner had Joyce stumped for 35 in the same over to apparently change the course of the match.

Trego then clean bowled Chris Nash middle stump, having been hit for six off the previous ball, and at 86-4 Somerset seemed to be getting on top.

Still Sussex maintained a high run rate as Yardy brought up the 100 in the tenth over. At the halfway point in their innings the Sharks were 114-4.

Yardy took three successive boundaries off Trego as the home side moved well ahead on Duckworth-Lewis with rain falling and the threat of the innings being aborted at any time.

Somerset could do nothing to stem the flow of boundaries as Yardy took control, reaching his half century with a pulled six off Thomas. He had faced 22 balls and hit 8 fours and 2 sixes.

Turner's return brought another pulled six from Yardy on an afternoon to forget for the seamer. By the end of his third over he had conceded 43 runs.

Joe Gatting survived a straightforward stumping chance to Kieswetter off Kartik with the total 173-4 and Somerset's hopes faded further.

With five overs to go Sussex required 40 and were strong favourites. Rain has been falling steadily and umpires Neil Mallender and Jeremy Lloyds, both former Somerset players, decided conditions were no longer playable.

Robins Deal For New Striker

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:32:03 +0100

City seal deal on Bournemouth player.

Bristol City have confirmed they have agreed an undisclosed fee with Bournemouth for striker Brett Pitman.

The club has already agreed personal terms with the forward, and the deal is now subject to a medical which will take place on Monday.

The Jersey-born goal-ace has been with Bournemouth for six years, scoring 62 goals in 197 appearances.

Somerset In CB40 Action

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:17:57 +0100

Somerset want victory against Sussex this afternoon in a bid to progress to Lords final.

Pete Trego reckons that losing the T20 has made Somerset even more determined to win the CB40 in 2010.

He said: "Losing the T20 has made us even more determined to get pour hands on the CB40 at Lord's on September 18th."

"Whenever teams have a run of near losses then it is often followed by a win. If we can cross that winning line once then I think it will become a habit because we are building a strong team at the County Ground both for now and the future."

This afternoon (1.45pm) Somerset who are unbeaten and top Group A in the CB40 with 16 points from their eight games take on second placed Sussex, who have got four points less and played one game more at Horsham, knowing that another victory will take them a step nearer to their dream of lifting the trophy at Lord's.

Looking ahead to the game Trego said: When you play Sussex you know what to expect because they are a very well drilled and organised side and talented group of cricketers. We have played each other so many times over the last few years that it has almost become a local derby when we meet."

The all rounder from Weston super Mare added: "We will turn up and be on the top of our game and look to make it nine out of nine to stay on track for a place in the semi-finals in the CB40. We know that we are still fighting for two trophies and very much motivated to win some silverware and will be spurred on by coming second in the T20 again."

Jos Buttler who has been one of the revelation's in the Somerset camp this summer and who showed off his capabilities on the big stage in the T20 on Saturday before carrying it on against Lancashire at Taunton on Monday also wants to see some silverware this season.

The 19 year old from Wedmore said: "It was awesome playing in the T20 Final and its something I want to be part of with the club again and hopefully this year."

The young batting star added: "In one day cricket we now have to focus on the 40 over competition where we are doing very well and have got a great team spirit and playing very well. Hopefully a few more group wins will push us into the semi-finals and then the final at Lord's and maybe this time we will come back with the trophy."

Exeter 2 - 2 Bristol Rovers

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 07:21:19 +0100

"Three points lost" admits manager Trollope.

Manager Paul Trollope felt that it was a case of two points dropped at Exeter this afternoon.

"I think that's the case; in the closing stages of the game we were hugely frustrated to concede a penalty and we thought we had chances to have won the game after that, so we feel very frustrated that we aren't going back to Bristol with three points.

"Credit to Exeter, though, as they started the game very well, got themselves in front, and could have scored again. However we grew into the game and got back into it after creating a number of chances.

"Obviously the game changed in the second half with the sending off, after Will Hoskins was tripped as he was through on goal. At that stage, especially after we went ahead, it seemed that we would go on to win comfortably. We had the game in the palm of our hands, if you like, and I've spoken to the players about it and they felt that as well.

Unfortunately we stopped doing the things that you need to do when you are playing against ten men, and that is to keep the ball and to press the ball when the opposition are in possession. We stopped doing both for a little spell in the middle of the half and allowed Exeter some counter attacks and from one of those they were awarded a penalty."

Even after that, though, the manager felt there were chances for Rovers to win the game, and he wasn't best pleased with the decision to award a penalty against his side.

"Byron came across and took the ball and the lads are 100% convinced that it wasn't a penalty, so we are disappointed with that. Sometimes, though, these things go for you and at others they don't and it didn't today. Exeter showed a great spirit to try to come back with ten men and they had one or two decent breakaways that caused us some problems, though we contributed to that by giving the ball away too cheaply.

"As soon as they scored their second goal we sprang back into life, started passing the ball and switching play, and pushed them back and, on another day, we might have scored a winning goal."

If the second goal was disappointing, the first was also one he wasn't pleased with.

"Their lad has popped in between our centre half and our full back too easily. It was a free cross and a free header, so there are a lot of issues to be addressed. The first half wasn't a great one for us, and we took our time to get going, though as the half wore on we started to create.

"At half time I said that when we passed the ball with purpose, as well as simply and quickly, we created a lot of problems for Exeter though in the first half we didn't do that on a consistent basis.

"When we started to do that I thought we would go on to score more goals but it wasn't to be, and it was a frustrating afternoon for us."

He was delighted that both strikers were on the scoresheet.

"It looked like Will was going to draw a blank again this afternoon. He hit the bar in the first half and saw another effort saved just before he scored, but I'm pleased he scored his goal and I was delighted that Jo also scored. Having both strikers score is a real positive for us."

He admitted it had been a difficult day for everyone, given the tributes paid to former Exeter striker Adam Stansfield, who died recently after succumbing to bowel cancer.

"It was difficult, and while you try to make the game the focus I think the one minute's applause and how it was respected by everyone in the ground ,and the speech before it, just brought everything home and put everything into perspective and it was an emotional afternoon for all concerned."

Bristol City 3 - 3 Barnsley

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 07:18:31 +0100

Draw in 6 goal thriller at Ashton Gate but Millen unhappy with "poor defending".

Keith Millen admitted his side's "poor" defending was in urgent need of improvement after the 3-3 draw with Barnsley at Ashton Gate.

The manager's first home game in charge was tarnished by a host of sloppy defending, allowing the visitors to storm into 2-0 and 3-2 leads.

However, Keith was also quick to extenuate the positives, namely the character his players showed to comeback and secure a draw.

The manager said: "Our defending was poor, there's no hiding away from that fact. I've told the lads that and we have a lot of work to do defensively.

"On the flip side we scored three goals and kept going. Their heads could have easily dropped at one stage and I actually thought we might nick it at the end.

"It's not the sort of game you want to see (as a manager). We worked on the shape for several days, all on the back of a strong defensive display at Doncaster, but I didn't see that coming.

"We'll watch the video. Individuals needs to defend better and as a unit it's the same story."

Andy Gray should have scored a 16-minute hat-trick to seal victory for Barnsley, but after netting on four and 12 minutes, he wasted a glorious chance from six yards.

City hit back with two goals in three minutes from Marvin Elliott and Albert Adomah. However, another defensive lapse hit City in the second half as Adam Hammill sailed through to score, only for a David Clarkson's penalty to bag the hosts a point.

"Our defending was poor, there's no hiding away from that fact."

"At half-time I said to the lads that a clean sheet in the second half would win us the game, I really felt that. However, we let them go through again and thankfully we got the penalty for Clarky to earn us a point."

Cole Skuse was stretchered off after eight minutes with a knee problem. "We'll assess it over the weekend and get a scan," said Keith, "but it's too early to say how bad it is at the moment."

Bristol City v Barnsley

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:02:09 +0100

It is Keith Millen's first game in charge at Ashton Gate in front of Robins fans.

Keith Millen will be hoping for a warm reception when he appears in front of the Robins fans today.

He will be hoping to gain his first win as manager in front of the Ashton Gate faithful, after a draw away at Doncaster at the weekend.

Steve Wigley will also be introduced as Bristol City's new Assistant Manager.

The 49 year old was appointed by Keith Millen earlier this week and has been put straight to work ahead of the Robins' game with Barnsley.

Steve has real ambition for the club and hopes he can help the side gain Premier League status. He said: "I think it was a good opportunity, I look at the club who have shown ambition this summer signing David James.

"I met Keith on a few coaching courses and I am backing the fact I think he will have a good career as a manager.

"I think this city could sustain a Premier League club, and probably sooner rather than later."

Speaking of today's opponents, Millen said: "They're a strong organised team and we know what they are about.

"They have two or three new faces, but we will look at them and their strengths and weaknesses and hopefully come up with a gameplan and a philosophy that can win us three points."

Keith Millen is still on the look out for a centre forward before the transfer window closes.

David James Is Staying Put

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:23:37 +0100

The England goal keeper says he has no intention of leaving Bristol City after the resignation of Steve Coppell.

The 40-year-old originally said that Steve Coppell was one of the main reasons why he chose to move out of the Premiership and to Aston Gate.

However, David James has stated that he is still committed to the club but was shocked by Coppell's decision to leave after just two games in charge.

There had been some speculation that the England goalkeeper might be next to leave the club on the back of Coppell's exit.

But James has held talks with new boss Keith Millen which have been described as "positive" about his future with the Robins.

On the club's website David said: "I spoke with Keith Millen on Thursday to find out where he was going to go and it was all very positive, very good.

"It was interesting (on Thursday). I was surprised of course. The conversation I had with the manager (Coppell) a week ago was very positive and encouraging. I was surprised but that's football.

"The manager when I joined had a good pedigree as a Championship manager and he obviously took Reading into the Premier League.

"The situation with Keith (Millen) is a new one with the inexperience he's got, but going by his results at the end of last season and the way we were organised at Doncaster, it should be good."

Bristol Rovers 2 - 1 Yeovil Town

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 08:14:03 +0100

Rovers take all 3 points in West Country derby.

Bristol Rovers kick started their season with a win against local rivals Yeovil Town at the Memorial Stadium in League One.

Jo Kuffour scored the only goal of the first half, but it took an injury time winner from Byron Anthony to take all three points after Adam Virgo equalised for Yeovil in the final minutes of the game.

Manager Paul Trollope demanded a reaction from this players after they crashed out of the Carling Cup at the weekend, and although this game will not go down as a classic, Rovers dug deep to secure the win.

Doncaster 1 - 1 Bristol City

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 08:12:19 +0100

Robins draw away from home in Millen's opening game as manager.

Keith Millen's opening match in charge of Bristol City ended with a 1-1 draw away from home.

City opened the scoring early in the second half with a Damion Stewart header only to be denied all three points by a 90th minute penalty from Billy Sharp.

In bright South Yorkshire sunshine the game kicked off with City naming the same starting eleven as that lost 3-1 to Millwall in the first game of the season.

The first real chance of the game fell to Damion Stewart from a Jamie McAllister free-kick. The giant defender found himself unmarked at the back post only to see the referee's assistant's flag in the air for offside.