There's Only One Team in Bristol

I am a Brighton and Hove Albion Fan. But I also support Bristol City, and have done since I first moved here back in October 2000. The first City game I saw was a 4-0 thrashing of Reading in which Danni Rodriguez bust his ankle – and the crack was so loud I remember hearing it from my seat in the Atyeo stand.

I watch City with H’s step-dad Mike, and Andy, one of my mates (who H knew years and years ago). Both of them are big City fans and have season tickets.

I've just got back from watching my last game with Andy in the Atyeo (Mike has since moved to the Williams stand but I met him in the bar beforehand for a couple of pints of glider). It was a boring 1-0 defeat to Brentford. I should have stayed at home and saved £17. City had won the previous game I went to 1-0, against Swansea, and I should have been satisfied with that.

I always liked the way City would pass the ball around but today was classic League One long-ball shite a la Danny Coles. And the referee blew up for pretty much every tackle.

Anyway I am going to miss going to see them play. I never had a season ticket of my own. Normally I’d blag a student ticket and get in for a tenner, but just recently I thought I’d do the right thing and admit my adultness to the nice lady on the end of the phone (I was under pressure from Mike who wasn’t too impressed that I had got away with it for so long). Now I wish I hadn’t. I also borrowed Andy’s ticket for the best part of 3 months when he went travelling a couple of years ago and I saw them go on their longest unbeaten run in the clubs history. Something like 22 games. Unlucky Andy. Now they are looking good for relegation.

I’ve had some great times over the years watching the City. But perhaps the best times have been when they have played Brighton. When Brighton come to City I have always gone in the Brighton end. And City never beat them. One of my finest memories was when I went down to Brighton with Andy to watch a game on an Easter Monday. Because of the crap that Brighton had been through in the past with rubbish Chairmen they now play out of an athletic stadium (The Withdean Stadium) which holds ~7000 people. Tickets are like gold dust (well, almost), especially for a fan living in Bristol. So I got a ticket in the Bristol City end with Andy and the away fans (Mike also went). City went 1-0 up, but Brighton won 2-1 with a last minute winner. It was fantastic, but I couldn’t really celebrate for fear of a chav gobbing on me or having a sovereign ring imprinted on my chin. And Brighton won promotion with that win. Not being able to properly celebrate your teams win and promotion with your own fans (and taking the abuse they shouted at us) definitely felt a bit weird. But it was a great experience.

Another great memory was watching Brighton beat City in the League One play-off final two years ago. The Millennium stadium was full and the atmosphere was superb. It was a pretty poor game but Danny Coles gifted us promotion (again) then when he hacked Leon Knight down in the box. My brother flew down from Scotland to come to the game. Mike, Ella and Chewie, a Rovers fan, sat with me in the Brighton end. He was also very happy.

There’s been some fun and games with City as well. Andy and I went to Mansfield one Saturday (I had no idea where Mansfield was at the time). City were 4-2 down with 3 minutes to go and won 5-4. We’ve also had fun at Swindon and Barnsley, and against the Gas (although never in the League). And the Cardiff games were pretty special (although I never saw the City win against them). Or score a goal for that matter. And Christian Roberts’ last minute winner in the League One play-off semi-final match against Hartlepool…the place was rocking after that goal went in. City went onto meet Brighton in the final but I have already mentioned that.

I am going to miss going to Ashton Gate. I’ve sat in all of the stands over the last 5 years but most of my time has been sat in the Atyeo with Andy and Mike. There’s a lot of characters down The Gate. Many of them look like they have just stepped off their farm for a couple of hours. And lots of them like fake Burberry. But the guy who sits behind Andy is one of the funniest. I can’t sing. But this guy really can’t sing. He is the most tone deaf person I have ever heard (even worse than me). And I think he has a mild form of Tourette’s as well. You should really hear him singing about drinking cider, the “Red N’ White Army”, going “down the Rover’s to do the f**kers over”, and telling Irene to, well, F off.

By the way, if anyone knows who Irene is I’d very much like to know. I have never understood that Gas chant. Why would a bunch of football fans sing about someone called Irene?

My favourite City chant goes as follows;

“Heeee – ey Jonesey
Ooooh, aaah
I waaaaaaana knoooooooooow
Where d’ya get that tan?”

Genius. Steve Jones looked like he worked in a tanning salon (obviously, hence the chant). He played his last game for City against Brighton a few years back. Even though he wasn’t very good he had just got into a bit of form approaching the Brighton game. He was the danger man as far as I was concerned. He pulled his hamstring after 10 minutes or so and had to be subbed. Brighton went onto win 1-0 thanks to a goal from Bobby Zamora (ex-Gas).

Sorry for writing such a long post – believe me I could have written more.

Thanks to Andy and Mike for your company during the games, and on our travels to and from them. Like all football fans we've seen plenty of highs and lows. Well maybe not so many highs with City, but certainly with Brighton :-).

By the way, for those of you who don't know, the Gas are Bristol Rovers. And they hate Bristol City. And Bristol City hate them. But there is only one team in Bristol!