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It really was only a matter of time before the Robins won promotion back to the Championship. They were relegated in 1999 and in the eight years in League One they have never finished lower than ninth. In successive seasons under Danny Wilson, 2002/03 and 2003/04, they finished third only to miss out in the play offs on both occasions.
They totalled 82 and 83 points respectively on those two seasons but last season topped that with 85 points and won promotion courtesy of a second place finish, the first full season at Ashton Gate for manager Gary Johnson.
Johnson has certainly strengthened his squad for the new season with no fewer than seven players having come into the club since promotion was won. Probably the most high profile of the new recruits is striker Lee Trundle who arrived from Swansea for a £1 million transfer fee.
Another of the new signings is Michael McIndoe. Just over a year ago he scored twice for Barnsley against the Clarets at the Turf, giving them a 2-0 lead, before Gifton Noel-Williams hit a hat trick as we ran out 4-2 winners.
Ivan Sproule, signed from Hibs, is a player who will be known to our Northern Ireland contingent and the full list is of summer signings is as follows:
Ivan Sproule from Hibs
Marvin Elliott from Millwall
Michael McIndoe from Wolves
Lee Trundle from Swansea
Darren Byfield from Millwall
Tamas Vasko from Ujpest Dozsa (loan)
Bristol City are the only unbeaten side in the league having won three and drawn three of their league games to date. They've twice been top and right now are in second place below Watford, a side who last season were playing two divisions above them.
Unlike the Clarets, their interest in the Carling Cup is over having gone out to Manchester City, very undeservedly, in front of the television cameras in the second round.
Having played a side at the bottom and without confidence we now face just the opposite at Ashton Gate. This will without doubt be a much tougher game for us as we look to leapfrog them and move closer to the top of the league ourselves.
For last week's game against Blackpool we focussed on goalkeeper Paul Rachubka, and this week we take a look at Bradley Orr, a player who joined Burnley on loan in the same week.
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He was just 21 at the time and was at Newcastle, the club he'd been with as an apprentice. We'd been linked with him prior to the start of the season but nothing came of it. Then in January 2004 we got our man, and he didn't cost us a penny with Sir Bobby Robson agreeing that Newcastle would continue to pay his wages.
His stay was short, they wouldn't extend the loan, presumably because he wasn't playing for us, and he returned to St. James' Park until the end of the season when his contract came to an end. Stan Ternent, then Burnley manager, said that he'd done a deal and Orr would join the Clarets for the following season, but Ternent left and Orr instead signed a deal with Bristol City.
He was in and out of the side in his first season but has since established himself in the first team. Not in the centre of midfield where he played when he was with us, but at right back, and he's now a regular in the side.
Last season was, to put it mildly, a momentous one for him. Playing in a League One game at Northampton in August, a game that was televised live, he was sent off for head butting his own team mate Louis Carey. Two days later things were even worse as he was jailed alongside two of his team mates Steve Brooker and David Partridge. He was sentenced to 28 days and served half of them.
With suspensions and sentences it was October before he won his place back in the side, but once he did he stayed there and went on to win that promotion. The right back place is still his and he's made a good start to the season and also scored twice. He got the goal in the Carling Cup defeat against Manchester City and on Tuesday scored the late equaliser in the 1-1 draw against West Brom.
This will be the first time he's played against the Clarets.
Gary Johnson has said that Michael McIndoe's chances of playing are only 50/50. He suffered a dead leg in the midweek draw over West Brom. There's better news with David Noble fit again, but he's not match fit and won't start whilst both Enoch Showumni (the former Luton player) and Steve Brooker are ruled out with leg and knee injuries respectively.
If McIndoe doesn't make it then Johnson is likely to switch Brian Wilson to the left with Scott Murray coming in on the right. Phil Jevons is also hoping for a recall after scoring twice in a midweek friendly against Charlton but will probably have to settle for a place on the bench.
Bristol City's likely team is: Adriano Basso, Bradley Orr, Louis Carey, Liam Fontaine, Jamie McAllister, Scott Murray, Lee Johnson, Marvin Elliott, Brian Wilson, Lee Trundle, Ivan Sproule. Subs from: Stephen Henderson, Tamas Vasko, Cole Skuse, Kevin Betsy, Phil Jevons, Darren Byfield.
Steve Cotterill will be waiting on the fitness of two players before naming his side. Alan Mahon injured his thigh in the reserve game at Wrexham a week last Monday and has missed the last two games. He could be fit enough to return to the bench.
Chris McCann has a groin problem and there will be a late check on him. He's expected to make it, but if not then Joey Gudjonsson will come in. Of the others who played at Hillsborough, Steven Caldwell had three stitches near his eye and Graham Alexander had eight stitches to a facial wound. Both thought are expected to be fit as is Kyle Lafferty who suffered with cramp.
If McCann makes it then we are likely to be unchanged and will line up: Gabor Kiraly, Michael Duff, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Stephen Jordan, Wade Elliott, Graham Alexander, Chris McCann, Kyle Lafferty, Robbie Blake, Andy Gray. Subs from: Brian Jensen, David Unsworth, Joey Gudjonsson, John Spicer, Alan Mahon, Ade Akinbiyi, James O'Connor, Jon Harley, Steve Jones.
The last time we played at Bristol City it was a season that saw us win promotion, but you wouldn't have thought so with this early season encounter that offered little in entertainment.
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The game did liven up somewhat in the second half and twice we came close to taking the lead. The first was from a superb shot from Paul Cook that was equally well saved by home goalkeeper Steve Phillips and then Andy Payton missed a rare opportunity after being put through by Glen Little.
With a win looking possible the Clarets elected to hold what they had and sat deeper and deeper as the second half progressed. This served only to put us under enormous pressure. They hit the bar, and on more than one occasion the home side found Paul Crichton in top form. He made some excellent saves in the dying minutes to ensure we came home with a point.
The teams were;
Bristol City: Steve Phillips, Gerard Lavin, Vilmos Sebok, Shaun Taylor, Jim Brennan, Gregory Goodridge, Paul Mortimer, Paul Holland (Carl Hutchings 50), Brian Tinnion, Lorenzo Pinamonte (Tony Thorpe 58), Steve Jones. Subs not used: Mickey Bell, Steve Torpey, Tynan Scope.
Burnley: Paul Crichton, Dean West, Steve Davis, Gordon Armstrong, Mitchell Thomas, Paul Smith, Glen Little (John Mullin 71), Micky Mellon, Paul Cook (Ronnie Jepson 86), Andy Payton, Graham Branch (Lenny Johnrose 77). Subs not used: Chris Brass, Andy Cooke.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1994/95 | 1 | h | 1-1 | 11,067 | Robinson |
| . | . | a | 1-1 | 6,717 | Eyres |
1995/96 | 2 | h | 0-0 | 9,327 | . |
| . | . | a | 1-0 | 6,612 | Nogan |
1996/97 | 2 | h | 2-3 | 9,538 | Gleghorn Weller |
| . | . | a | 1-2 | 10,013 | Smith |
1997/98 | 2 | a | 1-3 | 11,136 | Barnes |
| . | . | h | 1-0 | 10,600 | Payton(pen) |
1999/2000 | 2 | a | 0-0 | 11,510 | . |
| . | . | h | 2-0 | 10,175 | Cook Cooke |