Ashton Gate Eight

You may have thought that clubs getting into financial difficulty was a recent phenomenon.  The plight of Portsmouth, Luton, Chester City and Halifax Town are well documented as well as many other clubs who have entered administration over recent years, including Southampton, Swansea, Crystal Palace and Derby County.  But this is not a new feature of a post Premier League English football industry, as the circumstances surrounding Bristol City in the early 80’s, illustrates.

In 1975-76 the club finished second to Sunderland in the old Second Division to earn promotion to the First Division for the first time in over 60 years.  They engineered an amazing escape from the jaws of relegation in their first season.  By 1979 they had their best league finish since the First World War when they ended 13^th.  But the story after that was one sorry tale after another as the club fell alarmingly into freefall.  Three successive relegations followed and soon the debts mounted up.  But these were days when clubs’ finances weren’t common knowledge.  The board tried desperately to put on a brave face but eventually it became too much and the cracks started to show.  One aspect which was undeniable was the falling attendances.  Their final home game of the 1976-77 season saw a record 38,688 turned up to watch the newly-crowned champions, Liverpool.  Two weeks before, 23,587 witnessed the visit of Leeds United.  But barely 5 years later and there was just 6,586 turning up to see a game against Doncaster and even the arrival of a local rival, Plymouth Argyle could only encourage 7,471 to turn up.  It was clear the club would not be able to maintain the spending of their First Division days.  During their time at English football’s top table, the PFA announced a change which would have disastrous consequences for City.

In 1978 the PFA announced that a player’s right to move at the end of his contract would be fully recognised and a proper, more efficient procedure was put in place to accentuate this.  Clubs like City, relied heavily on the transfer income some of their best players would command.  But the prospect of losing a player who they couldn’t convince to sign a new contract, sent shockwaves through many clubs the size of City.

The club was desperately trying to make the most of their playing squad.  In 1979 one of their most promising defenders, Gary Collier, moved to Coventry for peanuts and this deal infuriated manager, Alan Dicks.  Collier, the club’s Player of the Year in 1975, had already won England honours at Under-23 level and was touted as a good prospect capable of playing for a big First Division club.  As Coventry had escaped relegation on the same day City had in 1977, they were a long way from being the sort of club many people saw Collier potentially playing for.  Bristol City were annoyed they hadn’t been able to cash in on a young player they’d invested much time in, when a season or two before they had more control over the player’s destination.  The shockwaves forced Dicks to make some decisions which almost sent the club into oblivion.  They didn’t realise it at the time, of course, but the consequences were fatal, but they lead to a famous incident in the club’s history where several players sacrificed their own careers to save the club.

Dicks, determined not to have another ‘Collier-effect’ signed six of the club’s best players onto eleven year contracts.  His reasoning was that this would give the club complete control over these players and if they still decided to sell them, then they would no longer run the risk of missing out on a fat transfer fee.  It must be remembered that these were pre-Bosman days

At the end of the 1979-80 season the club’s flirt with the First Division was over

Once they dropped out of the First Division, the man who had masterminded their rise to the top, Alan Dicks, was dispensed with.  They drew the first three games of the new season, then lost the next six and so Dicks had to go.  Enter Roy Hodgson.  Hodgson was working in Sweden alongside Bobby Houghton who had taken Malmo to the European Cup Final in 1979 where they lost to Nottingham Forest.  Houghton was brought back to England by the City board and he asked Hodgson to help him.  Hodgson had been considering an offer from Dallas but decided on City where he, rather ironically, claimed

“I had to decide whether to stay on in Sweden or not.  Bristol City seems well organised so I hope to able to concentrate on the coaching side with Bob”. 

Unfortunately, in hindsight these words seem incredibly naive but perhaps they’re a measure of how much the City board were able to hide the problems inside.  Houghton and Hodgson were confident in their own ability, but just didn’t have enough magic to halt the slide and further relegations ensued. Houghton seemed rather oblivious to the parlous state of the club’s finances and the critical effect large long term contracts could have in years to come. 

The two enthusiastic coaches were keen to talk a good game.  They’d transformed Swedish football during their 5 years there and firmly believed they could resurrect City.  1980-81 saw a second successive relegation. 

The club was in freefall and the fans stayed away in their droves.  Only 4,832 turned up to watch a home defeat to Burnley in November 1981 which left the club 6^th from bottom in Division Three  This was the lowest attendance since the War at Ashton Gate and a sign that things were going hopelessly wrong.  But Houghton and Hodgson seemed intent to paint a positive picture and in some way they were probably guilty of either being duped by the board or simply choosing not to face facts.  Hodgson would later admit.

“When we came the club was rock bottom and the first thing we had to do was sell players.  We ended up with a junior team playing in a league of men.  We were not made aware of the situation before we arrived.  The club had only just been relegated from the old First Division.  We thought it can’t be that bad, we’ll get them promoted.  We were very confident in our coaching ability and thought we could turn the club around”.

Further evidence of the board’s efforts to paper over the cracks was the signing of Mick Harford in August 1981.  Harford, a big traditional centre-forward had made his name at Lincoln City, earning him a big money move to Newcastle, who were in the Second Division, at the beginning of 1981.  After just 8 months Harford moved to Bristol City for £160,000.  It was a strange move for the player, who left a Second Division club to join a club who’d just been relegated to the Third.  Moreover, it was a suicidal move for City themselves, although no one really knew it at the time.  Yet around this time one or two people started to ask questions.

Local journalist, Peter Godsiff, had started to make noises about the fact the club had been spending far more than they were bringing in and he even reckoned the operating costs were probably five times the money earned at the gate.  In October 1981 two local businessmen, Ken Sage and Deryn Coller, got together to find out more about the club’s finances.  They attended an AGM and asked enough questions to eventually persuade the board to conduct an independent financial report.  Actually, Coller had managed to have a quiet word with Chairman, Archie Gooch, and he agreed Coller and Sage would pay for the report.  The club had targeted gates of 8,000 to pay their way but they were struggling to get anywhere near that.  In October they sold young striker, Kevin Mabbutt (Gary’s brother) to Crystal Palace for £100,000.  This was a big blow for the club as they had pinned their hopes on the Mabbutt/Harford partnership.  Clive Whitehead was then sold to West Brom for £100,000.  Whitehead had been an instrumental part of the promotion side of 75-76 and the subsequent First Division years.

The club finally admitted their plight telling shareholders they’d made a loss of £400,000 the previous year.  In November, Gooch wrote in the programme appealing for help.  1981 ended with a defeat at bitter rivals, Bristol Rovers and City were 4^th from bottom having won just 5 out of 16 matches..  In January 1982 the bottom club, Wimbledon, turned up at Ashton Gate and promptly came away with a 3-1 win.  That was the last straw for Houghton who resigned, and Hodgson took overall management control. 

Off the pitch the financial report had identified the huge debt the club had and suggested various options open to them to deal with it, including unloading the biggest liabilities, do a deal with creditors, do a deal with the Football League, do a deal with the old company on the sale of the ground and do a deal with the eight players who were on the biggest contracts and comprised the largest part of the liability.  It must be said the Football League were unused to this sort of situation.  Clubs had gone bust before this, but they had generally fallen out of the league first.  Bristol City was a club who just 18 months before had been competing in the First Division.  Now oblivion beckoned.

Hodgson’s first match in charge was a trip to Peterborough in the FA Cup Third Round.  They won 1-0.  His first two League matches were creditable draws at home to Huddersfield and away at Newport County.  In between those two matches, they played host to Aston Villa in the FA Cup.  Over 20,000 turned up for the game, a crowd not seen at Ashton Gate since the glory days.  Gary Shaw scored the only goal of the game to knock City out, but attention soon reverted to their league plight. 

At the end of January 1982, City were still in the bottom four, 2pts from safety when it all came crashing down around their ears.  The Football League imposed a selling ban on the club, mainly due to the fact they still owed Newcastle £100,000 for the Harford deal.  At this point the club announced that eight players had to leave for the club to continue.  These eight players became known as the Ashton Gate Eight.

They were Geoff Merrick, Gerry Sweeney, Trevor Tainton, Julian Marshall, Peter Aitken, Chris Garland, David Rodgers, Jimmy Mann. 

Merrick, Sweeney, Tainton and Mann had been in the promotion side of 75-76 and throughout the First Division years.  Garland had been the inspiration for their great escape in their first season in the top flight and Rodgers had been the replacement for Collier, whose transfer to Coventry was possibly the precursor to many of the problems.

The choice was clear.  The eight players must leave or the club goes bankrupt.  For a player such as Merrick this must have been a desperate position.  A local boy who’d only ever played for the club.  He was club captain in their greatest post-war years, yet here he was now being asked to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the club he loved.  Goodness only knows what went through his mind when he first discovered the plight of the club.  He had turned down lucrative moves in previous years out of loyalty for the club and the players he’d grown up with.

Interestingly it was the PFA who intervened to help rather than the Football League or The FA.  The negotiations resulted in The Eight ripping up their contracts and thereby dissolving their debt from the club.  Management now passed to a new company, Bristol City (1982) Ltd and this ensured the jobs of other PFA members and those employed by Bristol City were protected.  During the longest week in the club’s history there were daily updates in the local press and on the radio.  Many supporters have spoken of the stress and pressure of never knowing whether there would be a club to go and watch at the weekend.  The players came under increasing pressure too.  Merrick later spoke of being bitter about his loyalty towards the club.  “Loyalty is a complete and utter waste of time.  Loyalty is a dirty word”, he said.  The Eight were making the ultimate sacrifice in football terms, yet some of them received abusive phone calls and many fans accused them of holding the club to ransom. 

It’s true you could argue they would’ve received nothing anyway as the club had nothing, but they would still have had a debt against the club and this would’ve caused the new company problems when they were trying to move on.  According to Coller, The Eight walked away with £10,000 but they were unemployed and for a player of Merrick’s age he would never find another professional contract.  Many of the other creditors had to accept much lower settlements just to make sure the whole deal went through with some of them taking as little as 10% of the amount they were due.  But then had they refused that, then the club would’ve gone bankrupt and they would’ve got nothing.

The club began a massive advertising campaign to get people to invest in a share issue which would purchase the ground.  They needed to raise £600,000 and everywhere around the city you could see stickers “Support Bristol City Football Club, Now or Never”.

Coller revealed

“at one minute past 12 on Wednesday 3^rd February the club was going into liquidation if the players had not signed that document”

Coller and Sage found two other people willing to raise £12,500 each to come up with the £50,000 needed to set up the new plc.  Coller later spoke of the stress he was under too, as he nearly lost his house and his wife who thought all the hours he was spending in meetings were actually being spent with another woman.  At the beginning of February 1982 the new BCFC (1982) Ltd was incorporated and set about buying the ground, making the club the tenant.  They had to act fast as there were rumours flying around of other interested parties who would buy the ground and not necessarily for the benefit, or future of the club.  The directors kept putting in money to get the project up and running and Coller admitted to funding the club to a personal total of £70,000 for the first six months.  A sum which was all he had in the world.

6^th February 1982 and the first match at Ashton Gate for the new club.  Fulham were the visitors, who were sitting in 2^nd place in the table behind Chesterfield on goal difference.  Bristol City were a much changed side from the previous match.

30^th January 1982 away to Newport County – Moller, Stevens,Williams, Aitken, Boyle, Sweeney, Tainton, Mann, Chandler, Harford, Musker

Next match at home to Fulham – Moller, Stevens, Hay, Newman, Williams, Nicholls, Musker, Bray, Chandler, Harford, Economou, sub: Smith

In a strange coincidence the Fulham side that day contained Sean O’Driscoll, who is the current manager of Bristol City.  It also contained Ray Lewington, who now works alongside Roy Hodgson with England, and of course Hodgson was the Bristol City boss that day.

Hodgson’s programme notes for that game are particularly revealing

“Last Saturday’s match at Newport came at the end of one of the most traumatic weeks in the history of Bristol City.  The events off the field overshadowed the normal week’s training.

Everyone at the club was uncertain about the future and the game at Newport was played under the shadow of redundancies and closure of the club.

It was hardly ideal preparation and I must admit I was a little worried about how the players would react as we were going across the Severn Bridge.”

City fans have spoken about their team being “full of kids”, yet they received a rapturous welcome from a relieved home crowd of just over 9,000.  The game was a goalless draw which, given the circumstances leading up to it, was a great achievement for City.  In the week they were beaten at Plymouth but then travelled to Walsall, who were 6^th, and came away with a 1-0 victory.  It was their first win in the league since early November (9 matches) and was the start of a run of 3 wins in 4 matches.  But the optimism didn’t last and they went through March and April without another win, a run of 12 games where they picked up just 2pts.  They lost 6 games in a row, scoring just once.  Mick Harford was sold to Birmingham City and goalkeeper, Jan Moller, had moved to Toronto Blizzard.  When City lost at Chesterfield towards the end of March they only had 12 available players.  By then City were 2^nd from bottom and another relegation seemed on the cards.  4^th May 1982 they went to Huddersfield and were thumped 0-5 and this consigned them to a third successive relegation, which was a record at the time.  

15^th May 1982 at their final home game of the season, 1,034 turned up to see City beat Chester City 1-0.  Hodgson was sacked and went back to Sweden.  His replacement was Terry Cooper, who had been part of ‘the great’ Leeds side of the 60’s and 70’s and had recently been player-manager at Bristol Rovers.  Cooper is credited by City fans as reviving the club by working miracles in finding youth players, doing loan deals and scouring free transfers to keep the club going on a shoestring.

The following season (1982-83) got worse before things began to improve.  They lost 6 of their opening 10 matches, including a 7-1 hammering at Northampton.  They finally won a game when they beat Wimbledon, 4-2 at home yet there was only one club below them in the whole League .  Having only won 2 matches in the first half of the season, they turned things round and finished a worthy 14^th.  The following season they had something to cheer about at last as they won promotion from Division Four.

It was a nightmare ride and one which few clubs have ever experienced.  It was the first and only deal of its kind as the Football League changed the rules afterwards.  Whether you believe The Ashton Gate Eight held the club to ransom, what cannot be denied is that they sacrificed their careers and home lives to make sure the club continued. Had they not done so then people under the age of 30 today may never have heard of Bristol City.  Think about the recent incidents at Portsmouth or Glasgow Rangers and consider whether those players were prepared to rip up their contracts.  In addition to the Eight, the four directors are also worthy of remembering as they worked tirelessly, regardless of personal cost both financially and mentally, to keep the club going.  Deryn Coller, Ken Sage, Les Kew and Ivor Williams

What Happened Next

Geoff Merrick (aged 30) – Never played professional football again, but had a brief spell at Gloucester City.

Gerry Sweeney (aged 36) – Moved down a division to York City but only made 12 appearances before playing non-league football at Gloucester City.  Later managed City in 1997

Trevor Tainton (aged 33) – Moved down a division to Torquay, but made just 19 appearances and dropped out of league football at Trowbridge in 1983.

Jimmy Mann  (aged 29) – Moved up a division to Barnsley then brief spells at Scunthorpe and Doncaster before dropping out of League football at end of 1983 at his hometown club, Goole Town.

David Rodgers (aged 30) – Moved down a division to Torquay, playing just 5 times before an even briefer spell at Lincoln and then to non-league with Forest Green Rovers.

Chris Garland (aged 32) – Was re-employed by City for one more season, before dropping out of league football with Gloucester City and Minehead.

Julian Marshall (aged 24) – Moved up a division to Blackburn Rovers but never played for the first team.  Joined Worcester City in 1983

Peter Aitken (aged 27) – Moved down a division to York City, but at the end of the season left league football to move to Bath City then Trowbridge Town and Forest Green Rovers.

And what of the players who came in for that historic game against Fulham;

Allan Hay (aged 23) - Joined in 1979 had already played several games during 1981-82 season.  Left in August 1982 for York City

Rob Newman (aged 18) - Signed as an apprentice in October 1981, became club captain. sold to Norwich in 1991, played in team which finished 3^rd in Premier League and beat Bayern Munich

Alan Nicholls (aged 18) - Made his debut in this game. Broke his leg a year later and retired only 22

Wayne Bray (aged 17) - Only spent 2 years at the club before moving to Bath City

Jon Economou (aged 20) - aged 20 for this game, promising midfield player left in 1983.

Russell Musker (aged 19) – Started at the club as an apprentice.  Moved to Gillingham in 1984

To understand the emotions which went through the club and its supporters at that time, here is the view of BBC commentator, Jonathan Pearce

“This week in 1982 I saw the club I worshipped as boy, Bristol City, climb through legal and financial loopholes to survive. The 'Ashton Gate Eight' affair went into football infamy. The Robins had been bobbin' along nicely in the old First Division, but they seriously over-extended. Players were signed on staggering 10-year contracts, the big slide came and it was a record for English football.
From the top flight to the bottom in successive seasons, it was Milton's 'Paradise Lost' in football terms. Bankruptcy loomed and a survival plan was dreamed up. The old club would be wound up and a new company would take over the club's title and fixtures. The League approved but it could only happen if eight players agreed to tear up their contracts.
The professional careers and the home lives of those eight heroes, many of whom I'd known since the age of 12, were the acceptable collateral damage for the suited boardroom money men who'd allowed the chaos to loom in the first place.
My dad, who worked for the club, continued on for a couple of years for a pittance. His love affair had turned sordid.”

But Bristol City survived, although they have yet to make it back to the First Division/Premier League they reached the League Cup Semi-Finals in 1988-89 and have won the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy twice, in 1986 and 2003 and have been beaten finalists in 1987 and 2000.

Bristol City has never forgotten ‘The Eight’ and the Supporters Club has erected a plaque in their honour.  On 24^th March 1982 there was a special match at Ashton Gate between Ipswich Town and Southampton where a crowd of 6,020 turned up to help raise money for them.  At the time both clubs were in the top five in First Division.  The players concerned have since spoken about their experience and have all said they were completely unaware of the financial state of the club, although Peter Aitken said he ‘was not surprised’ given the falling attendances and salaries of some of the players.  There is clearly some bitterness amongst The Eight who feel they still receive bad press from some quarters.  Given only Garland played much league football after 1982, the whole business was clearly something they never got over.

Sources - Deryn Coller Story 1982 http://www.bcfc3lions.co.uk/page106.html

Marxism Today April 1982 http://www.amielandmelburn.org.uk/collections/mt/pdf/82_04_02b.pdf

Bristol City Fans Forum (otib.co.uk)

bbc.co.uk/sport

My wife for programmes and memories 

The Great Escape - Bristol City 1976-77

The season is 1976-77 and the club in focus is Bristol City.  They’d made it to the big time when they gained promotion the season before from the old Second Division, along with Sunderland and West Brom.  Their last game in English football’s top tier was in April 1911 and so a wait of 65 years was finally over.

SQUAD

MANAGER

Alan Dicks, aged 42.  After a playing career at Chelsea and Southend, he joined Coventry as assistant-manager to Jimmy Hill.  In 1967 Bristol City was Dicks first management job.  He finally left in October 1980, moving to Greece and Qatar before returning to manage Fulham in 1990.  

GOALKEEPERS

Ray Cashley, aged 25 (8 games) – Local born, he joined the club as a youth player making his debut in 1970.  Was a regular during their promotion season and eventually moved to Bristol Rovers in 1982 after over 260 appearances for City.

John Shaw, aged 22 (32 games) – Scottish born Shaw began his professional career at Leeds United but before making a league appearance he joined City on a free transfer in 1974.  Eventually, got his chance during this season in the home defeat to Birmingham in October. He played every match from then on.  Stayed with the club until his move to Exeter City in 1985.

Len Bond, aged 22 (2 games) – Born in Somerset he joined City as an apprentice in 1971.  He was always understudy to Cashley and Shaw before he moved to Brentford in 1977.

DEFENDERS

Gerry Sweeney, aged 31 (42 games, 2 goals) – Began his career at Morton before moving south to City in 1971.  Became a regular during their promotion season and beyond, he left the club in 1982 having made over 400 appearances for the club.  He later managed them in 1997 in a caretaker capacity after Joe Jordan was sacked.

Gary Collier, aged 21  (42 games, 1 goal) – Born in Bristol he made his debut for the club in 1972. Formed a solid defensive partnership with Geoff Merrick and then Norman Hunter before leaving for Coventry in 1979.

Geoff Merrick, aged 25 (39 games, 1 goal) -  Born in Bristol he made his debut with the club in 1967 and ended up playing over 360 times for the club before he left in 1982.  Was club captain for many years and was a transfer target of Arsenal’s just after he helped City to promotion.

Norman Hunter, aged 33 (31 games) – Part of ‘the great Leeds side’ of the 60’s and 70’s, he earned a reputation for tough tackling and was subsequently nicknamed Norman “Bites yer legs” Hunter.  Won League title and FA Cup winners medals at Leeds and after 540 appearances, he joined City in 1976.  Remained with the club until leaving for Barnsley in 1979.

Brian Drysdale, aged 33 (11 games) – Durham born, he spent 10 years at Lincoln and Hartlepool before joining City in 1969.  Made 280 appearances until moving to Oxford in 1977 as he was a regular in their promotion season.

Brian McNeill, aged 20 (1 game) – Made his debut for the club in 1975 but only ever came on as a sub for the club before he moved to Plymouth and then onto Hearts.

David Rodgers, aged 24 (1 game) – Born in Bristol he made his debut in 1970.  Always found himself understudy to Merrick and then Collier he eventually left the club in 1982 having made 192 appearances.

MIDFIELD

Trevor Tainton, aged 28 (38 games, 2 goals) – Born in Bristol he first played for the club in 1967, playing an important part in both their promotion season and their First Division spell.  Left the club in 1982 having played more than 480 times.

Gerry Gow, aged 24 (30 games, 1 goal) – Born in Glasgow he made his debut as a 17-year old in 1970.  Became in integral part of their midfield during promotion push and remained at the club until his move to Manchester City in 1981, where he won an FA Cup runners-up medal.

Jimmy Mann, aged 24 (30 games, 1 goal) – Began his career at Leeds in 1969 and made the move to City on a free transfer at the same time as John Shaw in 1974.  Left the club in 1982 after playing over 200 times.  Later played for Barnsley, Scunthorpe and Doncaster.

Clive Whitehead, aged 21 (41 games) – Joined City in March 1973 and became an important part of their promotion side.  Remained with the club until his move to West Brom in 1981, having played almost 230 times for City.

Don Gillies, aged 25 (37 games, 3 goals) – Another Scot, Gillies began his career at Morton then signed for City in March 1973.  A crowd favourite he played over 240 games for the club before moving across the city to Rovers in 1980.

John Bain, aged 19 (2 games) – Born in Falkirk, he joined City in 1974.  Struggled to get into the first team and ended up carving a decent career for himself in America mainly in their indoor league.

STRIKERS

Tom Ritchie, aged 24 (30 games, 7 goals) – Another Scottish born player who was signed by Dicks in 1969.  An important player in their promotion success as well as their First Division spell, scoring 77 goals in just over 300 appearances before he moved to Sunderland in 1981.  Returned to City in 1982 during a difficult period for the club.

Chris Garland, aged 28 (21 games, 7 goals) – Local boy, he joined the club in 1965.  Spent 6 years at the club, including making an appearance for England at under-23 level.  He moved to Chelsea and then onto Leicester in 1974.  Dicks brought him back to City in November 1976 and he was a big part of their battle for survival.

Keith Fear, aged 24 (26 games, 6 goals) – Born in Bristol, he first played for the club in 1969.  Eventually left in 1978 after 150 appearances and 32 goals.  He later joined Plymouth after a couple of loan spells

Paul Cheesley, aged 23 (3 games, 1 goal) – Unlike all the other local boys in the squad, Cheesley didn’t start at City.  He made his debut for Norwich City in 1971.  In late 1973 Norwich offloaded him to Bristol City.  He formed a lethal partnership with Tom Ritchie during their promotion season, scoring 33 goals between them.  After scoring the winner against Arsenal in the opening game of the 1976-77 season he was injured against Stoke, 3 days later and never played again.

Peter Cormack, aged 30 (20 games, 6 goals) – Edinburgh-born Cormack started his career at Hibs, where he made his debut in 1963.  In 1966 he earned the first of his 9 international caps.  In 1970 he moved south to Nottingham Forest and when they were relegated, Bill Shankly signed him for Liverpool.  He won League and UEFA Cup winners medals in 1973 and was part of the squad which lifted the title again in 1976.  Surplus to requirements at Anfield, Dicks bought him to Ashton Gate in November 1976.  Remained at the club until he moved back north to Hibs in 1980.

An opening day win at Highbury followed by draws against Stoke and Newcastle had given the Robins a dream start.  That win at Arsenal was all the more sweet as the home side had spent big during the summer bringing Malcolm MacDonald from Newcastle and he’d spent the run-up to the match boasting how many goals he was going to score.  After 29 minutes he clashed with Gary Collier and went off with broken ribs.  Not so super-mac.

ARSENAL   (0)   0

BRISTOL CITY   (0)   1   (Cheesley)

Arsenal: Rimmer; Rice, O’Leary, Simpson, Nelson; Ball, Ross, Cropley, Armstrong; MacDonald (Storey), Radford

Bristol City: Cashley; Sweeney, Merrick, Collier, Drysdale; Tainton, Gow, Whitehead; Ritchie, Mann, Cheesley

When Sunderland came to Ashton Gate and were beaten, 4-1 City were in the heady heights of 2^nd place.  But they then went 9 games before they won again, including a run of 6 straight defeats.  Back-to-back wins against Tottenham and Norwich gained them some reprieve, but by the end of the year they were in the bottom four and fighting for survival.

The new year really illustrated their Jekyll and Hyde qualities as January saw them complete the double over Arsenal, before losing to bottom club Sunderland and then beating title-chasing Manchester City.  They followed this with 3 straight losses which saw them hit rock-bottom.

Bristol City now had 10 games to save their First Division status.  Having waited so many years to feed off the top table again, they were desperate for the dream to last.  In November, Alan Dicks was alerted to the fact one of the club’s ex-players was not securing a regular place in the Leicester City side.  So Dicks bought Chris Garland back to Ashton Gate.  He left the club in 1971 to join Chelsea and then moved to Leicester where he formed a good partnership with Frank Worthington.  No longer a starter at Filbert Street, City bought him for £110,000 at the end of November.  It would prove to be a shrewd piece of business.

Mid-April and Tottenham arrived at Ashton Gate.  Spurs were struggling just 4pts ahead of City and with a defence which had shipped more goals than any other team in the Division.  Peter Cormack scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot to give them a vital 1-0 win.  Defeat was a calamity for Tottenham who dropped 4 places into 21^st.  City were now 2pts adrift at the bottom behind 5 clubs on 27pts.

TOTTENHAM   (0)   0

BRISTOL CITY   (0)   1   (Cormack)

TOTTENHAM: Daines; Naylor, Osgood, Perryman, J. Holmes (Keeley); Pratt, Hoddle, McNab; Armstrong, Jones, Taylor

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Collier, Hunter, Merrick; Tainton, Gow, Whitehead; Ritchie, Garland (Fear), Cormack

Bristol City now had 9 games to try and save their First Division future.  It would start with a run of 4 away games, including trips to Stoke City and Queen’s Park Rangers, both of whom were not safe.  They only had three more matches to come at home and to make things tougher, two of them were against teams in the top five, Liverpool and Manchester United.  As things stood they still faced the prospect of the final day clash at Coventry, who by this stage were 19^th.

Saturday 16^th April 1977

NORWICH CITY   (1)   2   (Reeves, Peters)

BRISTOL CITY   (1)   1   (Cormack)

NORWICH: Keelan; Ryan, Powell, Jones, Sullivan; Neighbour (Evans), Suggett, Steele, Peters; Reeves, Gibbins

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Collier, Hunter, Merrick; Tainton, Gow, Gillies (Mann), Whitehead; Ritchie, Cormack

City travelled to Norwich City who were lying in 13^th.  Norwich won 2-1 to put Bristol City under further pressure.  Tottenham and Sunderland played out a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane.  QPR went to Middlesbro and came away with a vital 2-0 win.  West Ham weren’t so fortunate as their trip to Newcastle ended in 0-3 defeat.  Coventry City played host to Aston Villa but also went down 2-3.  Stoke also lost away to Birmingham, 0-2, and certainly couldn’t be considered safe.

Midweek fixtures saw QPR gain a priceless win as they beat Man Utd, 4-0.  Coventry also earned a point at home to West Brom.  The next night saw Bristol City at Stoke City.

Wednesday 20^th April 1977

Stoke were 7 places ahead of Bristol put only 5pts better off and just 2pts above the drop zone.  Their away record was the major reason for their lowly position but they weren’t easy to beat at the Victoria Ground.  Bristol City hadn’t won away from home since their victory at White Hart Lane back in November and had gained just 2pts in the 9 games since.  Tom Ritchie gave them a first half lead, but early in the second half Alan Bloor equalised.  Denis Smith, Bloor’s defensive partner, put the home side in front before Chris Garland grabbed a crucial equaliser and Bristol had earned a point.

STOKE CITY   (0)   2   (Bloor, Smith)

BRISTOL CITY   (1)   2   (Ritchie, Garland)

STOKE CITY: Shilton; Dodd, Bloor, Smith, Marsh; Robertson, Salmons, Mahoney, Ruggiero; Tudor, Crooks

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Hunter, Collier, Merrick; Tainton, Gow, Whitehead; Ritchie, Garland, Cormack

On the same night Derby County (18^th) and West Ham (21^st) played out a 1-1 draw.  Tottenham did little to improve their position, going down 1-2 at Aston Villa

The following weekend was the Easter holiday and on the Saturday Stoke (16^th) and Tottenham (20^th) meet and play out a 0-0 draw, and Sunderland (18^th) and Derby County (17^th) play out a 1-1 draw.  Coventry (19^th) were well beaten at Arsenal, 0-2 and QPR (15^th) missed the chance to pull away from the danger zone as they gave up a lead to lose 1-2 at home to Newcastle.

On the Monday Coventry and Derby were again in action as they met at Highfield Road.  Goals from Mick Coop and Mick Ferguson gave the home side a 2-0 win.  This ended a run of 13 games without a win for the Sky Blues.

Tuesday 26^th April 1977

QPR   (0)   0

BRISTOL CITY   (0)   1   (Ritchie)

QPR: Parkes; Clement, McLintock, Webb, Gillard; Francis, Hollins, Masson (Thomas), Kelly; Eastoe, Givens

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Hunter, Collier, Merrick; Tainton, Gow, Whitehead; Ritchie, Garland, Cormack

In front of just 14,576 at Loftus Road, Bristol City earned a priceless win when Tom Ritchie scored the only goal of the game as City closed the gap at the bottom.  It was a crucial victory and meant the bottom eight clubs were separated by just 4pts and the bottom four clubs separated by a single point.  City also had games in hand on the three clubs immediately above them and hope was returning to Ashton Gate.

Saturday 30^th April 1977

LEEDS UNITED   (1)   2   (Thomas, E. Gray)

BRISTOL CITY   (0)   0

LEEDS: Stewart; Stevenson, McQueen, Madeley, F. Gray; Thomas, Cherry, Currie, E. Gray; McGhie, Jordan (Harris)

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Hunter, Collier, Merrick; Tainton, Gow, Whitehead; Ritchie, Garland, Cormack (Fear)

Inside the opening 10 minutes and Gwynn Thomas pounced on a John Shaw’s inability to hold onto his initial shot, to score on his debut.  The goal was really of City’s own making and the kind of goal you concede when you’re battling against relegation.  In the second half Tony Currie’s free-kick was headed on by Gordon McQueen and Eddie Gray turned the ball in at the near post to complete the victory for the home side.  It was a blow for City, but it would be the last time they savoured defeat that season.

Worse news was to follow as the five clubs immediately above them all picked up points.  West Ham earned a 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough, but Tottenham, Sunderland, Derby and Coventry all won.  Tottenham ended a run of 1 win in 9 when they produced a rare highlight by beating Aston Villa 3-1 at home.  Sunderland pulled off a surprise as two goals from Tony Towers helped them to a 3-2 win at West Brom (7^th).  Derby hosted Manchester City, who were second only to Liverpool on goal difference.  Goals from Gerry Daly, Archie Gemmill, Peter Daniel and Kevin Hector gave Derby a surprising 4-0 win.  Coventry (18^th) put Stoke (15^th) back into trouble as they thumped them 5-2, thanks to a hat-trick from Ian Wallace.  QPR were unable to repeat their performance against Man Utd 10 days previously as their return match at Old Trafford saw them lose to a Lou Macari goal.

Bristol City were back to 2pts adrift at the bottom with the next 7 clubs separated by just 2pts.  Tottenham looked to be in most trouble with just 2 games left, despite their win over Villa.  City needed to take advantage of their games in hand.

Midweek matches saw Derby earn an important 0-0 draw at Arsenal and then West Ham (21^st) beat Coventry (16^th), 2-0 with goals from Geoff Pike and Bryan Robson.  This win propels the Hammers out of the relegation zone to 18^th but they have just 3 games to go.

Saturday 7^th May 1977

BRISTOL CITY   (1)   1   (Garland)

MANCHESTER UNITED   (0)   1   (J. Greenhoff)

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Hunter, Collier, Merrick; Tainton, Gow, Gillies, Whitehead; Ritchie (Mann), Garland

MAN UTD: Stepney; J. Nicholl, Buchan, B. Greenhoff, Houston (McIlroy); Coppell, Jackson, McCreery, Albiston; Macari, J. Greenhoff

Over 32,000 packed into Ashton Gate for City’s first home game in a month.  A feisty match which saw Stewart Houston suffer a broken leg, which put him out of the FA Cup Final, and then Gow and McIlroy were sent-off for fighting.  Another Chris Garland goal gave City a vital lead at home to Man Utd, but they couldn’t hold on and Jimmy Greenhoff equalised in the second half.  But a point was still welcome, especially as 5 other clubs around them did the same.  West Ham and Derby drew 2-2 to earn another point each.  Coventry also picked up a point as Tommy Hutchison equalised Bruce Rioch’s goal at Everton.  Stoke drew 0-0 at home to Norwich, and QPR held the leaders, Liverpool to a 1-1 draw.  The biggest beneficiaries were Sunderland as Mel Holden scored the only goal of the game to give them a 1-0 win over Birmingham.  It was the second successive victory for the Black Cats who were now unbeaten in 8 and looking like survivors.

Tuesday 10^th May 1977

BRISTOL CITY   (0)   1   (Garland)

LEEDS UNITED   (0)   0

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Hunter, Collier, Merrick; Tainton, Mann, Gillies, Whitehead; Ritchie, Garland

LEEDS UNITED: Stewart; Stevenson, McQueen, Madeley, Hampton; Thomas (Harris), F. Gray, Currie, Cherry; McNiven, E. Gray

With 4 games to save their bacon, it was time for experienced, cool heads to stand up and be counted.  Chris Garland was that man.  He scored his third goal in 5 games and City hung on this time to pick up a crucial win.  They had lost just once in their last 5 and picked up 3pts from their two recent home matches giving the Ashton Gate faithful some real hope.  This win now took City off the bottom as Tottenham were unceremoniously dumped there.  On the same night Derby beat QPR 2-0 to shoot them up to 13^th and they looked safe.  QPR, on the other hand, still had work to do as they were still in the bottom three, albeit with games in hand.

Coventry and Stoke both earned points which may well make them safe, in only just safer than others.  Coventry held the league leaders, Liverpool, to a 0-0 draw.  Stoke City were involved in an exciting battle with Manchester United where Garth Crooks scored twice in a 3-3 draw.

Realistically, the three relegated clubs would come from the bottom seven with Stoke and Coventry 2pts clear of the drop zone.  Sunderland and West Ham were nervously looking over their shoulder as the two clubs below them, QPR and Bristol City, both had games in hand.  Tottenham looked doomed.  They only had one game to go and had a goal difference 5 goals worse than West Ham.  QPR were the biggest surprise as 12 months earlier they’d come 15 minutes away from lifting the League title, yet here they were contemplating Second Division football.

Bristol City now had a crucial week to save their skin.  At the weekend they would travel to Middlesbrough, then back home for a Monday night game against the league leaders, Liverpool, before a trip on the following Thursday to Coventry.

QPR are away to Leeds on Saturday, then home to Ipswich on the Monday before a Friday journey to Aston Villa, culminating in a home game against Birmingham on the Monday

Saturday 14^th May 1977

The last Saturday fixtures of the season and things were reaching a conclusion.  City were up at Ayresome Park to meet mid-table Middlesbrough.

MIDDLESBROUGH   (0)   0

BRISTOL CITY   (0)   0

MIDDLESBRO: Platt; Craggs, Maddren, Boam, Bailey; Mills, McAndrew, Souness, Armstrong; Wood (Boersma), Hedley

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Sweeney, Hunter, Collier, Merrick (Gow); Tainton, Mann, Gillies, Whitehead; Ritchie, Cormack

Chris Garland missed the match and City missed his firepower.  The hosts had little to play for and the game ended as a rather drab goalless draw with City nervous not to make any mistakes.  It was another point and in a relegation battle so tight, that was important.

Elsewhere, at White Hart Lane Tottenham had to try and overturn a 5-goal deficit in their goal difference.  But a win might not even be enough if West Ham or Sunderland didn’t lose.  Goals in each half from John Pratt and Jimmy Holmes gave Tottenham a 2-0 win over Leicester but it just was too little too late.  West Ham held Liverpool to a 0-0 draw, handing the Championship to Liverpool and giving West Ham hope of staying up.  Sunderland were at Norwich and Gary Rowell and Bobby Kerr earned them a point in a 2-2 draw.  Tottenham were relegated.

Coventry lost 0-1 at home to Manchester City to cause them further grief and Stoke City were well beaten, 1-3 at West Brom.  QPR managed to end their poor run when Peter Eastoe first half goal was enough to win 1-0 at Leeds.  QPR had gone 5 games since they last won and this was a welcome change in fortune.

Tottenham had been relegated with Stoke, West Ham, Coventry and Sunderland all on 34pts with one game remaining.  QPR had given themselves a chance with their win over Leeds as they had 3 games to go.  Bristol City may still have been bottom but they had 2 games to try and gain at least 3pts.  However, next up for them were the League Champions, Liverpool.

Monday 16^th May 1977

Liverpool arrived at Ashton Gate for a league game for the first time since they were both Second Division sides in 1959.  Liverpool had just won the league and were on course for the treble with the FA Cup Final to come on the Saturday.  But their run-in had seen them grow tired and weary as they’d had to fight for three successive draws against relegations candidates, QPR, Coventry and West Ham.  Their final league match was against the bottom club, Bristol City.  Ashton Gate’s biggest crowd of the season, 38,688 turned up to see if the home side could pull off the impossible.

BRISTOL CITY   (1)   2   (Garland 2)

LIVERPOOL   (1)   1   (Johnson)

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Gillies, Collier, Hunter, Sweeney; Tainton, Gow, Mann, Whitehead; Ritchie, Garland

LIVERPOOL: Clemence; Neal, Smith, Hughes, Lindsay; Case, McDermott, Kennedy, Callaghan; Fairclough, Johnson

David Johnson gave Liverpool the lead on the half-hour as he was keen to force a place in the upcoming Cup Finals.  As half-time approached the home fans got their reward and it was that man, Chris Garland who got the equaliser.  Level at half-time and there was a growing belief amongst the City faithful they could pull off a shock.  Liverpool clearly had their minds on other things and with 15 minutes to go, Garland was again the hero as he scored the winner.

Liverpool’s FA Cup Final opponents, Manchester United were at West Ham, who needed the points.  Gordon Hill put Man Utd in front after just 25 seconds to give them a half-time lead.  On the hour Frank Lampard equalised and then ‘Pop’ Robson and Geoff Pike sent the home fans into raptures before Stuart Pearson grabbed one back for the visitors.  Robson then completed the scoring and West Ham won 4-2.  This secured West Ham’s survival.  The three teams below them couldn’t all reach 36pts as two of them were playing each other.

Not so, Stoke City.  They were at Villa Park where Andy Gray scored the only goal of the game and Aston Villa won 1-0 and Stoke were relegated.

QPR took one step further to First Division safety when Don Givens goal earned them a 1-0 win at home to Ipswich.

So, two down and one to go.  Coventry, Bristol City and Sunderland were all on 34pts.  To add to the drama Coventry and City were to meet next three days later.  On the same night Sunderland travelled to Everton.  If Skysports had been around they would’ve either thought up a title for this dramatic Thursday night in May, or they’d have moved the fixtures to a night more convenient.  But the English fixture list still valued the FA Cup Final, to be played on the Saturday and then Liverpool were in the European Cup Final the following Wednesday.

Thursday 19^th May 1977

It couldn’t have been scripted any better.  Three clubs on the same points and one of them was going to be relegated.  Two of those clubs were meeting each other.  Unfortunately, things didn’t seem that good for Sunderland as Coventry and Bristol City could just play out a draw and if Sunderland didn’t earn at least a point, then they’d be down.  Sunderland’s goal difference was the superior of the three and if there was some collusion at Highfield Road then Sunderland could still be safe with a draw at Everton.

The following description of that night has been garnered from various areas, some factual, some mythical, some strewn from memories long draped in a hue of the Robin.

Highfield Road was besieged with Bristol City fans as this was one of the biggest away games for the club in their history.  When Liverpool arrived at the same ground the previous week, a crowd of 38,032 turned up.  For this game between two sides battling against relegation a crowd of 36,903 were there.  Bristol City fans talk of queues outside the ground as these the were the days where you turned up to buy a ticket rather than went online the summer before.  Bristol filled the terrace behind one of the goals and the main stand was a sea of red too.  Local legend has it that a Crown Court jury was let off early to join the hoardes of Bristolians making their way to Coventry.  Thousands of schoolkids had been joined by their teachers in bunking off school in Bristol and there were suggestions the turnstiles were opened to let thousands of people in to avoid crushing outside.  Coaches were getting stuck in traffic around the ground and for anyone who remembers Highfield Road they will be able to sympathise.  Due to the congestion, kick-off was delayed by 5 minutes.  It is not certain whether this was done on request of Coventry Chairman, Jimmy Hill, or whether the police ordered the referee to do so.  Conspiracists would prefer it to be Hill and indeed he has endured some pretty unpleasant vitriol for what transpired, as a delay in proceedings would give his team a slight advantage of finishing after the Sunderland game.

Tommy Hutchison gave the home side the lead which they held to half-time.  At Goodison Park, Bruce Rioch put Everton in front and both games were 1-0 at the break.  At this stage, Bristol City were going down.

Into the second half and further despair for the Bristol fans just 7 minutes after the re-start as Hutchison grabbed his second to double Coventry’s lead and it looked desperate for the visitors.  Bob Latchford then scored for Everton and they too were 2-0 up and cruising.  Then, Gerry Gow got a goal back for Bristol City almost immediately after a knockdown by Gillies and there was renewed hope amongst the travelling masses.  It was Gow’s 30^th league appearance of the season and what a time to score his first goal.  Bristol City were now throwing everything at Coventry and finally gained their reward as long free-kick into the area found Garland who nodded it down and Don Gillies had time to steady himself and fire the ball into the net for the equaliser.  The place was rocking.  On the scoreboard was the Everton v Sunderland scoreline of 1-0.  To add to the drama, the crowd watched as the words ‘correction’ lit up.  “You could hear a pin drop waiting for the revised score to go up”, recalled one spectator.  Eventually, the scoreline was confirmed as Everton 2-0 Sunderland, and there were still 5 minutes of play to go at Coventry.

Various supporters have pointed to memories of players being told to stop trying to score as a draw was enough for both sides.  In the end the game ended 2-2 and both Coventry and Bristol City fans celebrated as they would meet again next season.  Indeed both managers, Alan Dicks (Bristol City) and Gordon Milne (Coventry City) shared the champagne.

COVENTRY CITY   (1)   2   (Hutchison 2)

BRISTOL CITY   (0)   2   (Gow, Gillies)

COVENTRY: Sealey; Oakley, Coop, Holton, McDonald; Beck, Powell, Yorath, Hutchison; Wallace, Ferguson

BRISTOL CITY: Shaw; Gillies, Collier, Hunter, Sweeney; Tainton, Gow, Mann, Whitehead (Cormack); Ritchie, Garland

For Sunderland it was a bitter blow.  They were relegated barely 12 months after winning Division Two.  It was also their first defeat in 9 matches and certainly seemed cruel.  But they paid the price for their awful form in the first half of the season when they’d only picked up 9pts from their first 23 matches.  So a run of just 3 defeats in 19 wasn’t enough to save them.

Bristol City rejoiced in an amazing escape.  The dream would live on.  They were unbeaten in their final 5 matches including games against Liverpool and Manchester United.  They’d picked up 12pts from their last 10 matches and they’d taken their supporters through every kind of emotion.

There were many heroes for Bristol City that season and one of the undeniable contributions came from Chris Garland who returned to the club he joined as an apprentice in 1966.  Garland would remain with the club until he became one of the Ashton Gate Eight in 1982 (but that’s for another story).

Tragically in 1998 Garland was diagnosed with Parkinson ’s disease.

Another sad story from that season was Paul Cheesley.  “The Big Cheese” formed a lethal striking partnership with Tom Ritchie during their promotion season as the two shared 33 goals.  Cheesley scored the only goal in their famous win at Highbury on the opening day of the season.  Three days later Stoke City came to Ashton Gate.  Cheesley went up for a cross to challenge Peter Shilton, and although he got there first the clash would have disastrous consequences for the young striker.  He landed badly, ripping his cartilage, tearing ligaments and chipping a bone in his knee.  He was taken off and would never play professional football again.  At the age of 23 he had a promising career ahead of him, having been named in the Second Division team of the year in 1976 and had caught the eye of national manager, Don Revie, but it all ended on 24^th August 1976.

City finished 3pts clear of the drop the following season too, and in 1978-79 finished 13^th.  But in 1979-80 the dream came to an end and they were relegated.  This preceeded an alarming fall from grace as they suffered three successive relegations before they were virtually bankrupt in 1982. 

But that is for another story.