Bristol Sport Progress Report - October 2017
Posted on: 16 Oct 2017Bristol's sporting sides are enjoying varied success in 2017/18, with Bristol Rugby flying high in the Greene King Championship, Bristol City keeping pace at the top of the Sky Bet Championship, and Bristol Rovers pushing for the playoffs in Sky Bet League One. As the league campaigns quickly approach the vital Christmas period, we measure each team's progress so far.
Bristol City
City are enjoying one of their best campaigns to date this season, boasting an impressive League Cup run as well as a superb league showing. Unbeaten since a league defeat away to Birmingham City on 12th August (their only loss so far this season), The Robins have gone from strength to strength, seeing off a number of top sides.
Sitting fourth in the Championship, just three points separate them from an automatic promotion spot. Fans can't be blamed for starting to dream of this season ending with the chance to progress to the Premier League promised land, but won't be getting too carried away just yet with a long way still to go.
As well as a great league position, City have also advanced to the Carabao Cup Fourth Round, having already seen off Premier League outfits Watford and Stoke City. Roy Hodgson's Crystal Palace will be the next side looking to derail the Robins' Cup run when they visit Ashton Gate this month.
Upcoming Fixtures
Leeds United (H) Saturday 21st October
Crystal Palace (H) Tuesday 24th October
Sunderland (A) Saturday 28th October
Tickets for upcoming matches are available here.
Bristol Rugby
Following their disappointing relegation from the Premiership last season, Bristol Rugby are looking to go straight back up at the first time of asking. Albeit with a long way to go, Pat Lam's side have done exactly what's been asked of them so far with a 100% record after the first six matches. Their most recent league win came in the form of a comfortable 47-26 result at Ashton Gate against London Scottish, another encouraging run-out following a winless pre-season period that was cause for concern among fans and management.
Bristol's British & Irish Cup campaign also got off to a winning start this weekend with an away victory against Cardiff Blues Select. They will be expected to progress through their group, with the most dangerous challengers coming in the form of Doncaster Knights, who travel to Ashton Gate in the next B&I Cup matchup.
Upcoming Fixtures
Doncaster Knights (H) Sunday 22nd October (B&I Cup)
Jersey Reds (A) Saturday 28th October
Rotherham Titans (H) Saturday 11th November
Tickets for upcoming matches are available here. Bristol Rugby are currently offering up to 2,500 free tickets for schoolchildren to attend their B&I Cup match against Doncaster Knights. For more information visit their website here.
Bristol Rovers
.jpg "Rovers celebrate scoring during their 6-0 win away to Northampton")
Rovers have had a mixed bag of a season so far in 2017/18, sitting 13th in the league table. A strong Christmas period could see them mount a credible promotion charge though, with just three points currently separating them and the playoff places. While Wigan Athletic and Shrewsbury Town appear to be running away with the two automatic promotion places at this stage, the final promotion spot is firmly up for grabs in a tight top half of the table.
Although the Gas most recently suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss at home to Oxford United, they previously enjoyed two encouraging wins against Plymouth Argyle and Northampton, with the latter coming in the form of a blockbuster 6-0 away win. Darrell Clarke's side will be looking to establish some consistency in coming weeks if they are to push on towards the right end of the table, having already shown signs that they are capable of doing so.
Upcoming fixtures
Shrewsbury Town (A) Tuesday 17th October
Rochdale (A) Saturday 21st October
MK Dons (H) Saturday 28th October
Tickets for upcoming matches are available here.
Bristol Flyers
Bristol Flyers' season has gotten off to a mixed start, with one win and two losses against Plymouth Raiders, Leicester Riders and Cheshire Phoenix respectively. It's early days, but the Flyers will be looking to improve on last year's 7th-place finish, and the first three matches have been encouraging in terms of results and work rate. Bristol did well to see off the challenge from Plymouth Raiders in their first fixture, and were unlucky not to get something out of their BBL Cup matchup against Cheshire Phoenix, narrowly losing out on the win by just three points.
Despite a tough run of three away matchups to come, the Flyers should be looking to pick up some points in coming fixtures against Glasgow Rocks and winless Leeds Force before hosting league leaders Newcastle Eagles in November.
Upcoming home fixtures
Glasgow Rocks (H) Saturday 11th November
London Lions (H) Friday 17th November
Newcastle Eagles (H) Saturday 25th November
Tickets for upcoming matchups are available here.
You can contact Bristol City, Bristol Flyers or Bristol Rugby via Bristol Sport on 0117 963 0600 for ticket information or any other queries.
You can contact Bristol Rovers for ticket information or any other queries on 0117 909 6648.
Article by:
Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.
