Clarets set for new look Ashton Gate

Last updated : 28 August 2015 By Tony Scholes

It's well over forty years since I made my first visit to Ashton Gate and tomorrow I'm back at the same end of the ground that housed the way fans back in the 1970s. Back then it was an open terrace but is now the Atyeo Stand, named  after former Bristol City player John Atyeo.

We're in there for now because of the building work and I won't say I'm sorry to have had to say farewell to the backless seats in the old Wedlock Stand at the other end of the ground that has now been replaced with a new stand while the main stand has now been demolished with another new stand to be built.

It's a ground where I've seen us win on a few occasions. There were comfortable wins in the early seventies. We even won there in the season we suffered relegation to the Fourth Division and I'm still not sure how we performed the smash and grab victory in Adrian Heath's first game in charge in 1996, it's happen we did given the results that were to follow.

Tom Heaton enjoyed his time at Ashton Gate but is happy at Burnley

It will be a new look ground too for one of their returning players. Last time we played there they had Tom Heaton in goal. He spent the entire 2012/13 season there before signing for the Clarets in the summer of 2013.

Our new club captain said this week: "Obviously I signed here from Bristol City and it's my first time back so it'll be nice to go back. They're trying to move the club forward. There are very few players there since I left just two and a bit years ago.

"I signed there in strange circumstances as I signed for the gaffer when he was at Watford. Then the takeover happened, he left, my deal got ripped up and I ended up at Bristol City. I enjoyed my time there and it was a very good club.

"It was obviously a touch frustrating that it didn't quite happen on the pitch but without that I wouldn't be here and I'm very happy here."

Heaton was Sean Dyche's first permanent signing for Burnley. He'd played all but three of Bristol City's league games in 2012/13 but since arriving at Turf Moor has started all 82 of our league games, missing only the last 34 minutes of the game at Brighton in August 2013 having been sent off.

He'll play tomorrow where, once again, the only debate is likely to be who will play up front as the number of options seem to increase week by week.

Our most recent signing, a midfielder at last, is Joey Barton but he's not expected to play given he's not been involved in pre-season and although we've players coming back to fitness they are not ready yet. Matt Lowton is going to be available after the international break with Fredrik Ulvestad not too far behind.

That will give us more options whereas up front there are several permutations which have increased now with the availability of Andre Gray, signed a week ago from Brentford.

We've shuffled the two forwards all season. Lukas Jutkiewicz and Sam Vokes have alternated and last week there was a first start for Rouwen Hennings in place of Jelle Vossen. It's difficult trying to second guess but I wouldn't be surprised to see Juke continue alongside new man Gray.

If so, expect us to line up: Tom Heaton, Tendayi Darikwa, Michael Duff, Michael Keane, Ben Mee, George Boyd, Scott Arfield, David Jones, Michael Kightly, Lukas Jutkiewicz, Andre Gray. Subs from: Matt Gilks, Tom Anderson, Stephen Ward, Matt Taylor, Jelle Vossen, Sam Vokes, Rouwen Hennings, Marvin Sordell.

Our opponents Bristol City are a club who have been on the up for the last 18 months or so. Relegated from the Championship at the end of the 2012/13 season, they kicked off 2013/14 poorly and by the time they sacked manager Sean O'Driscoll in late November they were in the relegation places with a League Two place looking likely for the first time since 1984.

It all changed with the appointment of former Burnley boss Steve Cotterill who had been out of work since the Kuwaiti's opted for O'Driscoll ahead of him at Forest. It was tables turned and by the end of the season they'd just about reached the top half of the league.

Last season saw them win the league with 99 points and a staggering goal difference of plus 58 having averaged more than two goals per game and a return to the Championship after just two years.

They won the league with former Claret Wade Elliott in their squad but he's retired now and has taken over their under-21s, and after a quiet start they, like us, got their first win of the season last week.

They lost on the opening day at Sheffield Wednesday before going out of the Capital One Cup at Luton. They followed that up with a home defeat against Brentford, in which Andre Gray scored, and then a home draw against Leeds. But last Saturday, against the odds, they won 1-0 at Middlesbrough.

Their five goals to date have all been scored by different players with Joe Bryan, a player who has come through the youth system, scoring the goal.

Cotterill is still searching for new players before the deadline and tomorrow he will again be without goalkeeper Frank Fielding and winger Luke Freeman. Fielding has a shoulder injury that has kept him out since the opening day of the season while Freeman will complete his three match ban having been sent off in the home defeat against Brentford.

Ben Hamer, on loan from Leicester, will continue to deputise for Fielding while there has been some positive news with a return from injury for Mark Little who played the first 70 minutes last week at Middlesbrough in his first appearance since being forced off at Oldham in early April.

With no new signings this week, Cotterill could go with the same team that won last week at the Riverside.

Their team then was: Ben Hamer, Luke Ayling, Aden Flint, Derrick Williams, Mark Little, Korey Smith, Marlon Pack, Bobby Reid, Joe Bryan, Aaron Wilbraham, Jonathan Kodjia. Subs: Max O'Leary, Kieran Agard, Callum Robinson, Adam El-Abd, Ryan Fredericks, Scott Wagstaff, Wes Burns.

 

Last Time We Were There

Terry Pashley was in charge of the Clarets on the last occasion we travelled to Ashton Gate. He'd taken charge following Eddie Howe's return to Bournemouth and had kicked off with a 1-0 win against Blackpool at home on the Saturday before a midweek game against Bristol City.

Pashley had named an unchanged team only for Ross Wallace to feel his hamstring in the warm up. That led to Martin Paterson getting a start and Danny Ings getting on the bench for the first time in the season after knee surgery.

Bristol City had suffered the same problem with Jody Morris coming in as a late replacement for Stephen Pearson.

Tom Heaton can do nothing about Chris McCann's winner

Charlie Austin just couldn't stop scoring at the time and it took him all of nine minutes to give us the lead. Chris McCann played him in with a delightful ball. Charlie rounded home goalkeeper Tom Heaton before scoring.

The lead only lasted eight minutes. Steve Davies equalised with a superb free kick but the award was a poor decision by referee Lee Collins who was already setting himself up for a major homer performance.

It was 1-1 at half time but the game went our way just before the hour when we scored twice in two minutes. Austin played the ball across to McCann whose header was handled; Austin stepped up to score from the spot, and a minute later he played McCann in again. This time the midfielder set up Paterson and at 3-1 it looked all but over.

Step up referee Collins again. He gave them a penalty with 13 minutes to go that was so ridiculous no one appealed. Sam Baldock scored and that was 3-2 and in the first minute of stoppage time he gave them another soft free kick. Albert Adomah crashed it against the bar only for Paul Anderson to score from the rebound.

A game that looked won was now level but it was to have one final twist. By this time the home fans were singing: "Let's all laugh at Burnley," but the last laugh was to be ours.

We battered them. Heaton kept us out twice but in the sixth minute of stoppage time he was powerless as McCann headed home a free kick from the tightest of angles to win it for us. There was a mass celebration right in front of us with goalkeeper Lee Grant running the length of the pitch to join in.

Two wins out of two for Pash, but on the coach to go home came the news that we'd shortlisted three for the manager's job. "Prepare to be underwhelmed," I was warned as the names Stephen Pressley, Steve Lomas and Sean Dyche were given to me. The appointment was around a week away.

The teams at Ashton Gate were;

Bristol City: Tom Heaton, Mark Wilson, Liam Fontaine (Louis Carey 55), Stephen McManus, Richard Foster, Albert Adomah, Jody Morris, Cole Skuse, Joe Bryan (Paul Anderson 64), Sam Baldock, Steven Davies (Ryan Taylor 64). Subs not used: Dean Gerken, James Wilson, Brett Pitman.

Burnley: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, Michael Duff, Jason Shackell, Ben Mee, Brian Stock, Dean Marney, Chris McCann, Martin Paterson (Danny Ings 78), Charlie Austin (Sam Vokes 90+1), Junior Stanislas (Cameron Stewart 87). Subs not used: Brian Jensen, Luke O'Neill, David Edgar, Joseph Mills.

 

Previous Games against Bristol City

 

Last 20 Years
Season Comp Ven Res Att  Scorers
1995/96 Division 2 h 0-0 9,327  
    a 1-0 6,612 Nogan
1996/97 Division 2 h 2-3 9,538 Gleghorn,Weller
    a 1-2 10,013 Smith
1997/98 Division 2 a 1-3 11,136 Barnes
    h 1-0 10,600 Payton(pen)
1999/2000 Division 2 a 0-0 11,510  
    h 2-0 10,175 Cook, Cooke
2007/08 Championship a 2-2 14,079 Gray, Carlisle
    h 0-1 12,109  
2008/09 Championship a 2-1 16,108 Paterson, Thompson
    h 4-0 18,005 Alexander(2 pens), Elliott, Gudjonsson
2010/11 Championship h 0-0 14,540  
    a 0-2 14,360  
2011/12 Championship a 1-3 12,187 Wallace
    h 1-1 13,369 Ings
2012/13 Championship a 4-3 11,836 Austin(2 1pen), Paterson, McCann
    h 3-1 11,539 Shackell, McCann, Paterson

 

 

Click HERE to see all previous results against Bristol City (no cup games shown prior to season 1986/87)