handsofclay

Yes that could be him. The pics I have generally of him he is in his mid twenties but the one in this pic could be of a younger, 20 year old Clay with a bushy moustache.

Further to my previous post, in other team photos of the period it's the captain who is holding the ball. Clay wasn't the captain so I would pretty well rule out the player who looks slightly like Clay. So would plump for 1901-02 season pic taken at the start of that season.

I cannot see Harry Clay the goalkeeper on that picture. The only one who looks a bit like him is the player with the ball between his feet. The picture is a bit fuzzy so I wouldn't swear on it not being him. The relevance to Clay not being in the picture is that he joined City in November 1901 and was first choice keeper pretty much thereafter during the rise to the First Division and until the drop back to the Second. Team photos were obviously taken at the start of the season in August/September. Back then the football season started in September. So with all the other evidence etc I would plump for this being the 1901-02 season team pic taken in August-September 1901 two months before the arrival of Clay.

I think I am right in saying that Donnie Gillies is the only Bristol City player to ever have his picture on the front page of The Times (for scoring the winner v Leeds, it was considered such a shock).

Some good points made by everyone thus far and I see your point, Fordy, as if I was an Arsenal fan I wouldn't think the keeper, Ramsdale, needs improvement. However, being a Bristol City fan I agree Max has room for improvement. In that way, you are correct, the situations aren't comparable. I suppose another twist on this conundrum was supplied by England in the 1970s when the two outstanding keepers, Shilton and Clemence, took it in turns to wear the number one jersey. The main problem I would assume would arise from this solution is that it could unsettle the defenders around them.

An interesting debate has been initiated by Arteta's signing of Raya from Brentford on a season long loan to compete with Ramsdale. Arteta states that there are no number ones at Arsenal, that there are two great goalkeepers, two great wingers, two great strikers etc so that every player knows that he has to give 100% or he will lose his place. Peter Schmeichel argues that the goalkeeper position is a reactive one so a keeper can only react to what's thrown at him so cannot necessarily go out and try to impress as outfield players can do with an extra bit of eye catching inventive play and that keepers work on the confidence gained from knowing that they are the number one, whereas if they constantly believe their place in the team has shaky foundations then they are more prone to make mistakes. It will be interesting to hear your thoughts on this as obviously it has a bearing on the situation at Ashton Gate where Max O'Leary is the firm number one and quite a few believe we should invest in another keeper of at least equal ability to compete. Personally I can see both sides of the argument but would lean towards the keeper thinking he is safe in that position and not having to constantly impress. I would think the confidence gained from that knowledge would produce more consistent and secure performances. Obviously, if the keeper makes several howlers then they would lose their place regardless. It will be interesting to see if Ramsdale's performances drop now he has very strong competition for his spot or he actually becomes better still.

Wedlock wasn't really fat at all, as you say, more short and squat. Lee Tomlin wasn't fat when he played for us but he attracted all sorts of jokes about his weight. Wedlock was also nicknamed 'The India Rubber Man' due to his ability to be quickly in defence or helping the attack.

In the 1980s there was an article in the Evening Post telling the story of someone well into their 90s who attended the final. Iirc he went up by train and had a snack or cup of tea at a Lyon's Corner House. His memory had played tricks with him because he said in the article that Bristol City played in white, when that was obviously Manchester United.

Also lost the crucial World Cup Qualifier 2-0 in Poland in 1973 wearing yellow and blue.

The away kits I have seen that Stoke had in this period were all white shirts and all had the Stoke badge on the chest. The yellow and blue kit Bristol City wore that day didn't have a badge and neither did the one I seen Bristol City wear in that charity match at Hartcliffe in the winter of 73-74. I fancy they were effectively an early Bristol City third shirt/kit but weren't embellished with a badge because they would rarely be worn.

As far as I can ascertain Stoke's change kit between 1971-76 was a white top with black shorts. Changed in 76-77 to a white top with a diagonal red and black stripe, first used in a league match v Bristol City, our first home game back in the top flight (Cheesley injury).

As regards borrowing that kit from Stoke if you read my post earlier on here you will see that I watched them play in that same kit in the same season at Hartcliffe. Unless they took it home to wash for Stoke before returning it and it had an extra outing. Although somewhat doubt it. Plus there's no Stoke badge on the kit, surely there would've been had it been their second kit.

I recall seeing City wearing that kit in 73-74 in a charity match on Hartcliffe School playing fields v Teyfant United. A young boy (about the same age I was at the time) lost his life in Teyfant School when the strong winds blew the roof off. Iirc City won 2-0 and Alan Dicks played for City.

Bill Athey the ex Yorkshire and Gloucestershire batsman (batter in modern parlance) was born in Middlesbrough. That was in the days when only Yorkshire born players could represent the county and there were stories of cricket loving fathers from the white rose county making sure their heavily pregnant wives were in Yorkshire at the time of delivery, sometimes even flying them home early from holidays abroad (and abroad in this context means overseas not over the Pennines).

I remember at Twerton Park when the Gas were playing there very early nineties with Devon White up front someone used the F word near the Rovers dugout. Gerry Francis went apoplectic and used his influence to have the miscreant banned for life. I'm assuming the F word is 'Football' ?

Makes a bit of difference not playing the promoted sides in the first few fixtures as we have had to do most seasons.

Cornick with the long throw again

Any chance of us hijacking the deal now we have the Scott money?

That's about the only club whose last FA Cup Final appearance was longer ago than ours!

Booked two places in The Heineken Lounge for the Leeds game in Feb for me and my partner. Cost £204. Buffet style. Hopefully Bielsa won't be there as a guest because if I see him crouching down I won't be touching any of the food.

Apparently the injury to Scott is genuine. Someone told him there's a 160 page thread about him and the poor lad unfortunately read it. Now suffering from PTSD.

Apparently that is the height of a traditional London double decker bus. Modern London double decker buses are 20 cms taller. Hopefully Bournemouth when they're forming their stack of £20 notes make the mistake of building it 32.25 (modern) London double decker buses high which means we will obtain an extra 6.45m high stack of £20 notes. I don't mind if this post is deleted by the mods so as not to alert Bournemouth about this potential error. Obviously if West Ham buy him they will know all too well the sizes of traditional and modern London double decker buses.

By my reckoning that still isn't quite enough to get a seat at the table in the Alex Scott talks.

If I remember a bit more correctly than my last post, it was in one of those 3-1 defeats that Clive Thomas was the referee and after City went close to scoring he was caught on camera expressing exasperation at how close it had been. It was pointed out in the letters section on Brian Moore's the Big Match as the person who composed the letter wondered if that meant Thomas had shown bias towards Bristol City. But Thomas answered that he enjoyed watching the football he refs like anyone in the crowd and just reacted to a very close effort in the same way as had he been a neutral spectator in the crowd.