Bristol City Hit by Home Defeat After New Year High

Bristol City Hit by Home Defeat After New Year High

January 5, 2026

Bristol City's rollercoaster start to 2026 continued as Gerhard Struber's side suffered a 2-0 defeat to Preston North End at Ashton Gate on Saturday, just days after a thrilling 5-0 demolition of Portsmouth on New Year's Day.

The Robins had kicked off the year in spectacular fashion, thrashing struggling Portsmouth with a dominant display that moved them within touching distance of the Championship play-off spots. Goals from Jason Knight, Sam Bell, Anis Mehmeti, and a brace from substitute Sinclair Armstrong delighted the home crowd and signaled intent for a strong second half of the season.

That momentum evaporated against Preston, however, as defensive errors proved costly. Lewis Dobbin capitalized on a mix-up to open the scoring in the first half, while Alfie Devine sealed the victory with a well-taken strike after the break. Despite introducing new signing Sam Morsy from the bench for his debut, City lacked the cutting edge to mount a comeback.

Manager Gerhard Struber expressed frustration post-match, noting his team were "not ruthless enough" in front of goal and failed to match the intensity shown against Portsmouth. The result sees Bristol City drop to 10th in the Championship table with 39 points from 26 games, now two points adrift of the top six.

January has already seen activity in the transfer market for the Robins. The club secured the services of experienced midfielder Sam Morsy on a short-term deal following his departure from Kuwait SC. The former Ipswich Town captain brings leadership and Championship know-how, having been training with the squad in recent weeks.

Additionally, young winger Ranel Young joined from his previous club, signing a contract until 2027 with an option for a further year. Technical director Brian Tinnion praised the 19-year-old's quality and potential, highlighting him as an exciting addition to the ranks.

Struber has indicated the club remains active in the window, particularly in search of a new striker to bolster the attack. With injuries impacting the squad and the FA Cup third-round tie against Watford looming next weekend, reinforcements could prove crucial.

Despite the setback, Bristol City remain in contention for a play-off push, building on last season's semi-final appearance. Fans will hope the highs of the Portsmouth win become the norm as the team navigates a congested fixture schedule.

The Robins return to action in the FA Cup on January 10, hosting Watford at Ashton Gate, before resuming league duties away to Oxford United. Struber will demand a response to keep their promotion ambitions alive in what promises to be an intriguing second half of the campaign.

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Home of Bristol City FC

Opened 1887

Capacity 27,000

History (from Wikipedia)

Ashton Gate was the home of Bedminster F.C. until their 1900 merger with Bristol South End who played at St John's Lane, and the merged club played at St John's Lane until the end of the 1903–04 season, when they moved to Ashton Gate.[2]

The ground has also played a part in the history of rugby in the city. Bristol played there on a number of occasions since the 1920s, one occasion being on 27 December 2006 when they defeated local rivals Bath Rugby 16–6 whilst selling out the stadium for an all-time record Premiership crowd outside of Twickenham. Several rugby internationals have been held, starting with England versus Wales in 1899. 100 years later, the All Blacks took on Tonga in a 1999 Rugby World Cup pool match. As of the 2014–2015 season, Bristol Rugby permanently moved to Ashton Gate.

It has hosted two England under-21 international friendlies. The first was against Romania's under-21s on 21 August 2007. It ended in a 1–1 draw with Matt Derbyshire giving the hosts the lead on the eighth minute but Joe Hart's 25th minute own goal gifted the visitors a draw but they had Cristian Scutaru sent off on the seventy second minute for a second bookable offence. There were 18,640 in attendance. The other was against Uzbekistan's under-21s on 10 August 2010. The hosts beat the visitors 2–0 with Danny Rose scoring on the 64th minute and Martin Kelly scoring on the 78th minute. There were 9,821 in attendance.

Current stands[edit]

Lansdown Stand
The West Stand was completed in time for the start of the 2016–17 season and when it was completed was renamed The Lansdown Stand[3] in honour of the majority shareholder, Stephen Lansdown, who funded the Ashton Gate redevelopment. It marked the completion of the redevelopment of Ashton Gate and the Lansdown Stand is the largest in the stadium and has a capacity of 11,000. It has two tiers and is equipped with multiple executive boxes. The roof is covered in solar panels to provide a renewable energy source to power the entire stadium. The stand houses the tunnel, team benches, and beneath the stand are the changing rooms and offices. 3 blocks of the upper tier of the Landsdown stand is designated as the family area for football matches, and 1 block of the lower tier is designated as the family area for rugby matches.
Dolman Stand
The Dolman Stand, which lies opposite the Lansdown Stand, was built in 1970, making it the oldest stand at Ashton Gate. At that time it was built it had a small, flat Family Enclosure in front of it, which was later built up and converted to seating. In the summer of 2007, the original wooden seats in the upper area were replaced by modern plastic seats. It is named after the former club chairman and president Harry Dolman. This stand was redeveloped over the summer of 2015 as part of the redevelopment of Ashton Gate and has a capacity of around 6,200.
Atyeo Stand
The Atyeo stand is the smallest in the stadium with a capacity of around 4,200. It was built in 1994 to replace an open terrace and still contains the old dressing rooms and a large gymnasium. It is named after Bristol City legend John Atyeo, who played 645 times for City and scored 351 goals, making him the club's top goalscorer ever. He died in 1993, a year before the new stand opened. After the demolition of the Wedlock Stand, the north-east section of this stand was used to house the away fans. After construction of the Lansdown Stand, away fans were situated in the western three-quarters of the Atyeo stand. The whole stand was made available for away fans from the 2017/18 season onwards and is closed for rugby matches.
South Stand
The South Stand was completed just after the end of the 2014–15 season as part of the redevelopment of Ashton Gate. It has a capacity of 6,071. Unlike the other stands at Ashton Gate, it is not named after a person who had strong ties with the club. The stand is linked to the neighbouring Dolman and Lansdown stands via a concourse.

Things to do in Bristol.