Bristol City

Marc Webber
Final Score reporter

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When Bristol City went 1-0 down against Burnley on Saturday, there were very few in the stadium feeling the game was over for the Robins.

Even Burnley fans around the press box knew there was still something in manager Michael Skubala's back pocket which could turn the game back towards City.

It is that quiet, understated confidence that he exudes which will become the DNA of a rebuilt Bristol City this season.

Skubala brings a belief missing from Bristol City's recent past. Some fans may not have worked out his tactical philosophy so early in the season. But what they have worked out is he always seems to find a way.

You don't always have to be constantly dynamic to win a football match. Sometimes, it is just about having patience and knowing when to change things up.

His substitutions after Burnley's 56th-minute opener were a case study in that philosophy. And Bristol City now have a squad with competition in most roles to allow him to make those decisions.

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Bristol City manager Michael Skubala spoke to BBC Radio Bristol after the Robins staged a late comeback to win 2-1 at Burnley. For a written selection of his quotes click here.

Burnley are still yet to register a win in their return to the Championship but will be hoping to do so as they host Bristol City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Robins are going strength to strength after a losing start though, coming off two back-to-back wins and seeking a third.

• Burnley have won each of their last eight league meetings with Bristol City. Only against one side have they ever won nine in a row in their league history, doing so versus Manchester United from 1914 to 1921.

• Bristol City are winless in seven league visits to Burnley (D2 L5) since a 1-0 triumph in December 2007.

• Burnley are winless in their last 16 league games (D6 L10), last having a longer run between December 2006 and March 2007 (18).

• Bristol City have won both of their last two league games, last winning three in a row in October 2025.

• Burnley are winless in their first four games of a Championship season (D2 L2) for the first time since 2008-09, a campaign where they ultimately won promotion to the Premier League.

David Pottier
Fan writer, Forever Bristol City Podcast

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A 3-1 victory at Deepdale on Tuesday evening made it two wins in a row for Bristol City after they had beaten Portsmouth by a narrower margin of 2-1 at Ashton Gate on Saturday.

Seven points from the opening four games is a decent start for the Robins and in this back to school week, I would give it a mark of B+.

Both wins have been achieved without the team playing particularly well for long periods, like they most certainly did at Birmingham in their opening away fixture where they could have felt hard done by coming away with just a 2-2 draw.

Two well-taken goals against Pompey detract from the fact the south-coast side kept City penned in their own half for most of the second period.

At Preston, City had the boost of an early lead through Scott Twine, but it was the build-up to that goal involving Lisav Eissat, Lorent Tolaj and Rio Cardines which was particularly easy on the eye.

After taking that early lead, City seemed to involuntarily shrink to a level of performance that a better side than Preston would surely have punished, with the home side missing a host of presentable chances in the first half.

There was no respite for City after the restart and it was the least Preston deserved when they drew level.

City needed to change their approach and boss Michael Skubala did just that with a triple substitution on the hour.

Cameron Pring, Gibson Yah and Jed Wallace came on and immediately City began to wrestle away the initiative from Preston before the points were made safe in the space of seven minutes by Eissat and Dom Ballard.

With the transfer window closing, City will be heartened by the fact they have, for now, retained the services of both Twine and Jason Knight who were subject of much transfer speculation.

It is reflective of a better approach to communicating with the fans since the arrival of sporting director James Ellis that the club released a joint statement with Knight confirming that while no contract extension has been agreed, he will retain the captaincy.

And for the Republic of Ireland international's part, he offered hope he may stay beyond next summer with these words: "What's happening at the club is really exciting and the changes being made are taking us in the right direction.

"We have built a new squad and I'm enjoying being part of that process."

City's new look squad will be tested to the maximum in the next 10 days though, with away fixtures to come at Burnley and Southampton.

Bristol City manager Michael Skubala spoke to BBC Radio Bristol after the Robins recorded their first away win since April in their 3-1 success at Preston North End. For a written selection of his quotes click here.

BBC Radio Bristol discuss the transfer business done by Bristol City and Bristol Rovers on deadline day.

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Transfer deadline day is upon us and today is the final chance for your EFL club to finalise any business until January.

The transfer window closes at 23:00 BST, so we might have some late night scrambles to get deals over the line.

There has already been plenty of movement this summer and whether it's a busy or quiet day for your club, you will be able to keep across it all on BBC Sport.

Follow our EFL deadline day live text coverage throughout the day here

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Sam Fletcher
BBC Final Score

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Bristol city bagged their first win of the season under new boss Michael Skubala on Saturday, the first goal coming from new signing Lorent Tolaj.

Among 10 summer signings at the time of playing Portsmouth, City have signed two of the three top goalscorers from League One last year, as well as a vast majority of players under the age of 25.

It is all part of a three-year plan to make it to the Premier League for the first time, as described by chief executive Charlie Boss.

Some might view players unproven in the Championship as a risk, but so far the two ex-League One strikers in Tolaj and Dom Ballard have both got themselves on the scoresheet and flung open the doors to their Championship accounts.

Time will tell if these signings will be dubbed genius or risky.

Bristol City boss Michael Skubala spoke to BBC Radio Bristol following their 2-1 win over Portsmouth.

"I thought first half in particular we were very good," he said.

"The second goal was a goal we've been working on in training. There were some good performances out there, it's excellent to get the win.

"At the end, I'm not sure it needed to go to 2-1, but the most important thing is to get the three points."

MATCH REPORT: Bristol City beat Portsmouth for first win of season

There will be plenty of intrigue in this game with Bristol City having been strongly linked with Portsmouth boss John Mousinho earlier this summer.

The Pompey head coach confirmed there was contact but remained at Fratton Park with the Robins eventually handing the job to Michael Skubala who arrived from Lincoln City.

• Bristol City have kept a clean sheet in each of their past three league games against Portsmouth (W3), and five of their past six overall since August 2011.

• Portsmouth have lost each of their past three league games against Bristol City, only once before have they lost four in succession in this fixture - a four-match run between November 1974 and April 1976.

• Bristol City have lost five of their past seven home league games (W2), this after losing just six of their prior 25 at Ashton Gate between mid-February 2025 and mid-February 2026.

• Portsmouth have won each of their past two away league games by 3-1 scorelines, they last won three in succession on the road in the second tier in September 2002.

• Portsmouth's Ryan Kavuma-McQueen scored on his first professional start against Lincoln last weekend – he could become the 10th player aged 17 or under to net in back-to-back Championship appearances, but the second to do so on their first two starts after Theo Walcott in 2005.

Dom Ballard says he may never score a better goal than his back-heeled volley, which so nearly secured the Robins' first win of the season at Birmingham.

The 21-year-old summer signing from Leyton Orient came off the bench with 25 minutes to go and, with five minutes remaining and the scores level, produced an exquisite finish from Rio Cardines' inswinging cross from the left, flashing a finish with his back to goal past James Beadle's despairing dive and into the top corner.

The goal has gone viral on social media, with many suggesting it is the front-runner for the Puskas Award - FIFA's prize for the best goal of the year.

Ballard told BBC Radio Bristol it was the best of his young career and added: "I just read it, got the heel on it, and it's probably one of the best goals I'll ever score.

"I believe I am capable of scoring from anywhere. The keeper least expects you to score from there, so that always catches you off guard. The goal doesn't move.

"It's a lovely goal. To do it in front of the away fans, at St Andrew's, in a big game, it's definitely a moment I'll cherish. It was a really nice way to get off the mark."

Many have questioned whether Ballard can make the step up after scoring 23 goals in 40 League One appearances for the O's last season and the forward said: "Everyone talks about a big step into the Championship, and I agree with them. There's a vast step in terms of ability and tactics.

"Ultimately my job is to score goals. I did that a lot last year, so I got my move. Now I believe I can do it at this level as well."

Despite the late wonder goal, City were pegged back by a controversial penalty in added time to draw 2-2, and Ballard added: "We have frustration with the result, not so much with the performance. We should definitely have won that game.

"We don't want to make excuses, but [the penalty] was a big decision to make in that moment."

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Richard Angell
Fan writer

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Football has a habit of compressing an entire afternoon into a few seconds. At St Andrew's, Bristol City's performance will inevitably be remembered for two of them: one moment of extraordinary invention from Dom Ballard and one raised flag that left Michael Skubala describing the eventual penalty decision as "crazy".

Ballard's goal deserved to win any match. With his back to goal, the substitute met Rio Cardines' cross with an improvised flick that looped beyond James Beadle and into the Birmingham net.

It was audacious, instinctive and almost impossible to defend. The sort of finish that momentarily silences a large home crowd because everybody inside the ground needs a second to understand what they have just seen.

It put City 2–1 ahead with five minutes remaining and appeared to have completed an excellent away performance. Then came the fifth minute of stoppage time, a crowded penalty area and an assistant referee convinced that Jason Knight had handled the ball.

Skubala's account was emphatic. Having watched the incident again, he said it was Rob Atkinson who headed it. The officials saw it differently; Demarai Gray converted the penalty, and City were left with a point when they should probably have been travelling home with all three.

A draw at St Andrew's would ordinarily be a respectable result.

Birmingham remains one of the Championship's most ambitious clubs, backed by owners with plans stretching well beyond this division. They controlled 65 per cent of the possession, but City had six attempts on target to Birmingham's two and created the clearer opportunities.

That distinction matters: Birmingham had more of the ball, but Bristol City did considerably more with theirs. The match statistics⁠ support precisely what the eye suggested - this was not a team clinging on and hoping to escape. City repeatedly opened Birmingham up.

After the opening defeat against Millwall, the performance was arguably more important than the point.

The concern following that game was not simply the result but the disjointed nature of City's display. New players are settling, combinations are still developing and Skubala is attempting to give shape to a team that has undergone considerable change.

Patience is necessary, but patience is easier to offer when there are signs of progress. At Birmingham, those signs were everywhere.

There was a clarity to the attacking play that had been missing from the opening weekend. Twine looked more influential; Knight provided drive and leadership, while Wallace brought experience and attacking intent. Cardines also contributed at both ends before producing the cross for Ballard's remarkable finish.

For a young striker, a goal like that can be transformative. It does not guarantee he will immediately become a regular scorer, but it gives him belief and places him firmly in the manager's thoughts. City needs competition across the forward line, and Ballard could hardly have made a more compelling case.

Despite the single point, City must also recognise what they achieved. Birmingham had begun the season without conceding. City became the first team to breach their defence and did so twice. They produced the better chances, restricted an expensively assembled home side and responded emphatically to a disappointing first result.

One point from the opening two matches is not the start anybody wanted. The table will not record the difference between a poor draw and a performance worthy of victory. But after Millwall came questions; after Birmingham came some answers.

This team will take time. There are too many new players and too many developing partnerships to expect a finished product in August. After 10 games will be a far more sensible point at which to begin making firm judgements about Skubala and the direction of the side.

What supporters are entitled to expect immediately is commitment, organisation, and evidence of a plan.

City provided all three at St Andrew's. Ballard supplied the magic. The officials supplied the controversy. Somewhere between them, Bristol City may have produced the first genuine glimpse of what this new team can become.

You can hear more from Richard on the Forever Bristol City podcast., external

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Fleetwood Town have signed Bristol City midfielder Adam Murphy on a six-month loan deal.

Murphy, 21, made five appearances during a loan spell with Swindon Town last season.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international could make his Cod Army debut against Gillingham on Saturday.

"Once I spoke to the gaffer and he outlined what he wanted me to do and how he wants us to play, I felt it aligned with the strengths I can bring," he told the club website.

Birmingham open their home campaign having lost only three of their past 46 league games at St Andrew's with all those defeats coming on their return to the Championship last season.

Bristol City started life under Michael Skubala with a 2-0 home loss to Millwall and, coupled with their Carabao Cup exit to Walsall, are yet to score this season.

• Birmingham City have won three of their past four home league games against Bristol City (D1), keeping a clean sheet in three of those matches which is as many as they managed across their prior 14 attempts combined.

• Bristol City have lost eight of their past 13 away league games against Birmingham City (W3 D2), losing this exact fixture 2-1 last season at St Andrew's.

• Following a 0-0 draw with Sheffield United on the opening day, Birmingham will be hoping to avoid failing to score in each of their first two league matches of a campaign since 2002-03 – losing 2-0 to Arsenal and 1-0 to Blackburn in the Premier League that season.

• After defeat by Millwall, Bristol City will be hoping to avoid losing their opening two league games of a campaign for just the second time over the past 11 campaigns (lost both in 2022-23).

• Last season in the Championship, only title winners Coventry recorded more shots (397) and more shots on target (130) in their home matches than Birmingham.