Amid all of the negativity concerning the tailing off in results and performances in recent months, one thing that needs to be remembered is that, even if the upcoming visits to Bristol City and Swansea City bring defeats, our results in derby fixtures this season are going to be an improvement on recent years.
Strangely, we’ve not really been the same since we beat the wurzels 2-0 in late October – in fact, to be more specific, it could be argued that Rubin Colwill’s superb late goal to confirm our win was a turning point in our season, but for the worse.
Saturday’s return fixture at Ashton Gate could well make for a tricky lunchtime for City if the wurzels that beat West Ham and Southampton in recent weeks turn up, but they’ve lost to QPR and Sheffield Wednesday in their last two matches, so, in effect, they are just like so many other “streaky” wurzels sides of recent seasons. I’ve not been convinced by us finally managing to avoid defeat in two recent home games, so am not hopeful when it comes to a win this weekend, but a draw might not be out of the question.
Here’s seven Bristol City related questions.
60s. More of a music question this one, can you identify this musician, who drove me to our 1-o win over the wurzels at Ninian Park in December 1969, from this paragraph from his Wikipedia page?
“joined Strawbs after keyboardist Rick Wakeman departed to join Yes, contributing notable keyboard and Mellotron parts on Grave New World and Bursting at the Seams, the bands’ most successful and critically-acclaimed albums. ……. left Strawbs in 1973 and toured with Mott the Hoople on their US tour with supporting act Queen. The following year, he toured with Streetwalkers.”
He’s probably best remembered now for work done with a chart topping band later in the seventies.
70s. Although his surname was evocative of south Wales, this defender was Bristol born and there was no doubting his allegiance when it came to City v wurzels games (I’ve not checked this, but I’m petty sure he was on the winning team every time he played in the fixture). He only played for one other team in the UK (another City side that, mainly, found the First Division less of a struggle than Bristol did). His stay at his second club was just a, injury hit, season in length, before he moved to the USA where he played a combination of indoor and outdoor football for seven clubs including a spell as manager for the last of them. Who is he?
80s. Mister Oregano used video tape recorder initially during the time he twice transformed into Bristol City striker!(6,6)
90s. About a decade after he played for Bristol City, this defender was reported as having died by the media source he worked for as a joke which backfired when large numbers of Chelsea (one of his former clubs) fans turned up at Stamford Bridge to lay flowers in tribute to him. Who was the player concerned?
00s. Which three members of the Bristol City squad beaten by us in the Semi Final of the 02/03 promotion Play Offs have sons that have played league football?
10s. Biblical doctor takes a turn for the worse?
20s. Fictional ghost meets England striker to produce Bristol City and Cardiff player from this decade.
Answers:
60s. “Blue” Weaver was one of my schoolfriends’ uncle and at the time of that lift to a game fifty five years ago was something of a celebrity because he was a founding member of Amen Corner who had a number one hit earlier in 1969 with (If Paradise is) Half as Nice. He also played with the Bee Gees during their reinvention as a disco act in the late seventies,
70s. Gary Collier played just short of two hundred league games for Bristol City before a move to Coventry where he played just twice before moving to America where he finished up as Player/Manager for San Diego Nomads.
80s. Trevor Morgan.
90s. Jason Cundy played for Bristol City on loan from Spurs in 1996/97. In 2008, Cundy was working for Talksport and one of his colleagues, Andy Goldstein, broadcast that he had drowned while on holiday as a joke, something which prompted supporters of Chelsea, Cundy’s first club, to lay flowers at Stamford Bridge as a memorial to him.
00s. Sorry, I messed up on this question. I got my Leroy and Liam Roseniors’ mixed up. I saw the name Rosenior as an unused sub in the First Leg of the tie and assumed it was Leroy, but it was in fact his son Liam who currently manages Hull – once again, sorry about that. Mickey Bell’s son Sam is a current first team regular for the wurzels, but is out for the rest of the season with an injury and Matt Hill’s son James played against us earlier in the season for Blackburn – he was on loan from Bournemouth, where he has recently played some Premier League football.
10s. Luke Ayling.
20s. (Jacob) Marley (Ollie) Watkins.