If you’d told a Bristol City fan on Boxing Day, they wouldn’t see their team lose a game at home in the Championship until the end of April against the champions, I doubt they would’ve believed you.
Unlike last year’s Ashton Gate swansong, where City put five past Hull City, Saturday’s last dance in BS3 showed exactly why Burnley are champions and the gap the Robins still have to close to mount a play-off push next year.
However, it was a performance that demonstrated the positivity that is growing in South Bristol, with Nigel Pearson’s side unfortunate to not come away with a point and Vincent Kompany remarking that there was something special happening at City.
Had it not been for Nahki Wells’ “push” as Mark Sykes’ cross was headed in by Andi Weimann, the Robins’ appeared to be the more likely to go and win the game, with the team’s improved fitness showing in their late momentum. Here are the moments missed from Burnley’s 2-1 win.
Hero’s welcome for Brownhill
It certainly feels a long time ago that Josh Brownhill departed Bristol City. The midfielder who spent four years in the South West returned to Ashton Gate for the first time as captain of Kompany’s side.
As he led his side through the guard of honour, the 27-year-old began to take his side to the Robins’ half as the teams lined up in front of the Lansdown Stand before quickly realising his mistake and swapping back over.
Of those who have returned to BS3 this season, few have had the reception afforded to Brownhill. Early in the first half he headed towards Section 82 and was greeted by an incredibly loud round of applause from all of the home fans and responded with clap back to his former fans before there were a few sarcastic boos.
After the full-time whistle, the former City man made sure to complete a lap of the Ashton Gate turf, clapping the home fans, with the affection clearly remaining from both sides, before he shared a quick hug with owner Steve Lansdown before heading down the tunnel.
Hopefully City fans won’t be seeing Brownhill back at Ashton Gate with his obvious quality clearly belonging in England’s top-flight, with or without Burnley.
Cheers, Geoff
Few would’ve imagined when Geoff Twentymen left Bristol Rovers in 1993 that thirty years later, he’d be on the receiving end of a standing ovation at Ashton Gate but that’s exactly what happened ahead of kick-off.
Having interviewed Steve Lansdown for BBC Radio Bristol discussing all things surrounding club ownership, Pearson and Alex Scott’s future, the pair reminisced about interviews in the past including charity matches at Ashton Gate and the collapsed potential move to Ashton Vale.
As that conversation concluded stadium announcer Ian Downs led a moments appreciation for the broadcaster, with Saturday being his final game broadcasting from City’s ground, with the applause from the Robins fans only bettered by that afforded to Brownhill.
After the match, Twentyman was presented with a caricature of him commentating at the Gate in the shirt City won promotion in back in the 2014/15 season. Hopefully even after retirement we’ll get to see the local legend in and around BS3.
Kompany proves City fans wrong
When he was announced as the new Burnley manager at the start of the season, there were plenty of people suggesting that the Belgian’s lack of experience in English second tier could see the Claret’s struggle to match expectations, let alone force a wholesale cultural and identity change at Turf Moor.
It’s safe to say that scepticism was misguided, with Burnley waltzing to the title with relative ease for the whole campaign, but that didn’t stop one Robins fan from questioning the former Manchester City defender’s squad selection, or at least the quality at his disposal.
“There was a fan behind me, and I think Jay Rodriguez shanked it,” said Kompany. “The fan couldn’t get up quick enough to say, ‘you’re going to go with that to the Premier League next season?’
“Literally 120 seconds later he just puts it away from the same distance or even further, I just turned around and ended up smiling and he smiled back to be fair.”
Of players City fans should be tempting fate against, Rodriguez has to be up there with Callum Robinson for bad picks, having scored in each of his last four appearances against the Robins.
Guard of honour for City’s champions
It’s not often you’ll see a guard of honour at Ashton Gate and it’s even more unusual to see two in one matchday, but on Saturday Burnley weren’t the only champions in town, with Bristol City Women also in attendance.
Lauren Smith’s side were welcomed to the pitch with a guard of honour from the men’s team and coaching staff, before completing a lap of honour to the tune of Natasha Bedingfield’s ‘Unwritten’, that has quickly become the victory anthem of the squad.
The City fans inside Section 82 took their chance to sing a chorus of ‘championes’ having had to listen to the Burnley fans celebrating their success all afternoon, before a big cheer for Fran Bentley lifting the trophy up in front of them.
Few teams can boast the level of integration between the men’s and women’s sides that City have achieved, and it was noticeable that Pearson was in conversation with Smith for almost the entirety of his side’s lap of appreciation.
Connor Roberts endears himself to City fans
In the press room after the final whistle, a member of the Burnley media team commented on the welcome that Connor Roberts got from the City fanbase, saying he expected either the right-back or Michael Obafemi to be on the receiving end of some "vocal criticism" from the home crowd.
Former Swansea forward Obafemi was lucky that he only entered the field of play for just over half an hour so was able to avoid too much stick from the City fans, but Roberts who also plied his trade in South Wales, plus a rather forgettable loan spell at Bristol Rovers, didn’t quite manage to avoid it.
As he fell to the ground in front of Section 82 a chant leaning on some familiar Welsh tropes could be heard, and supporters anger towards the defender was only exacerbated when he went down under the challenge of Wells before Weimann headed home.
Ultimately, the Welshman had the last laugh as the three points headed back to Lancashire and City fans can at least rest easy knowing they won’t have to see him in BS3 next season.
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