2020/21 Prediction League; Game 35 v Bristol Rovers (away)

Div3North · 07-03-2021, 22:58

Bristol Rovers

v

Accrington Stanley

2020/21 Prediction League Game 35; v Brizzle (away)

How to acquire your own football stadium - lesson one ........

The Memorial Stadium, also commonly known by its previous name of the Memorial Ground, is on Filton Avenue in Horsfield, Bristol, and is the home of Bristol Rovers F.C. The ground opened in 1921, dedicated to the memory of local rugby union players killed during the First World War, and was the home of Bristol Bears rugby club until 2014. It's the current home ground of Bristol Rovers FC (hereinafter "Brizzle")

Horsfield was a parish in the hundred of Berkeley in Gloucestershire; the name is apparently Anglo-Saxon, and means "filthy open land" (Old English "horu" and "feld"; apologies to any residents of Bristol for any unintended slur) ....... Historically, the area had a reputation as a lawless place - Horfield Wood being the haunt of thieves and vagrants (or as the law called them, "incorrigible rogues and vagabonds"). The area remained rural until the early 19th century, and the site was created on an area of land called Buffalo Bill's Field, after Colonel William Cody's Wild West Show was held there between 28 September and 3 October 1891: two years later in September 1893 Clifton RFC played on the site for the first time.

And if you want to know about "lawless" - Vagrancy Act 1824, and the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 - you may care to know that following the 1831 Bristol Riots, during which the local gaol burnt down, Horfield Prison was completed in 1847, and a permanent military presence was established in the city with the completion of Horfield Barracks, also in 1847. And the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 made various offences punishable by 14 days imprisonment, viz

"Every person who wantonly discharges any firearm, or throws or discharges any stone or other missile, or makes any bonfire, or throws or sets fire to any firework:

Every person who wilfully and wantonly disturbs any inhabitant, by pulling or ringing any door bell, or knocking at any door, or who wilfully and unlawfully extinguishes the light of any lamp

Every person who flies any kite, or who makes or uses any slide upon ice or snow"

And if you used to make ice-slides on the pavement when you were a nipper, please present yourselves to your local Police Station forthwith, bringing with you a signed confession, and pair of handcuffs, and a bedding roll ....

During the First World War the site was converted into allotments, but after the war BB's Field was bought by Sir Francis Cowlin (then the Sheriff of Bristol) and given to Bristol Rugby Club. It was opened as the Memorial Ground by G. B. Britton, the Lord Mayor of Bristol. In 1996, Bristol Rovers moved in as tenants of Bristol Rugby Club, having been nomadically entwined with Bath City at Twerton Park since 1986. Brizzle entered into joint ownership of their new home with the Rugby Club, through the Memorial Stadium Company: after just two years, in 1998, the rugby club was relegated from the Premiership (causing them severe financial difficulties) and under the terms of the agreement Bristol Rovers were able to buy Bristol Rugby's share of the stadium for a 'nominal fee'. The rugby club thus became tenants in their own (previously owned) original home.

By 2005, Bristol were back in the Guinness Premiership, with Bristol Rovers continuing to compete in the lower levels of the Football League. A roof was added to the Clubhouse Terrace (paid for by Bristol Rovers supporters' efforts) and temporary stands at the south and south-west of the ground brought capacity up to 11,916. In 2009 Bristol Rugby were again relegated out of the Premiership. Then in February 2013, after months of speculation, Bristol Rugby announced that they would move and share a ground with Bristol City at the redeveloped Ashton Gate Stadium. The rugby club played their final game at the Mem on 4 June 2014, a Championship play-off final second leg against London Welsh, which they lost 21-20.....

Starter for Ten, then; what was the name of Brizzle's home ground prior to Twerton Park, and how long did they play there?

Brizzle were formed as Black Arabs FC, which was nothing to do with Arabs, but was about the local rugby team and their kit; their first match was an away fixture against Wotton-under-Edge; it was reported in the Dursley Gazette in these terms;

"A match under association rules has been played at Wotton-under-Edge between these clubs, resulting in the defeat of the visiting team. The home team were in every point superior to their antagonists and after a one-sided game Wotton were declared victors by six goals to nil"

In 1899 they joined the Southern League, and in 1920 they were founder members of Division Three, which became Division Three South the year after; they stayed in Div 3 for 30+ years, finally winning promotion in 1952/53 by two points from Millwall and Northampton ........ Accie finished bottom of Div3North (but were re-elected), winning one (1-0 at Port Valiants), drawing two (goalless at Mansfield and 4-4 at Carlisle) and losing 20 games on the road, and (happily for the fixtures), the two relegated sides from Division 2 were Barnsley and Southampton (one North, one South) ...The club has been relegated six times—in 1961–62, 1980–81, 1992–93, 2000–01, 2010–11 and most recently at the end of the 2013–14 season (to the Bananarama); they've been promoted on five other occasions (apart from 52/3): in 1973–74 from the Third Division to the Second Division, again in 1989–90 as Division Three champions, in 2006–07 to the Football League One, in 2014–15 to League Two from the Conference Premier, and then in 2015–16 to League One.

Their highest position in the football ladder is sixth place in the second tier, which they did twice - in 1955–56, and again in 1958–59. The closest they came to the top flight was in 1955–56, when they ended the season four points below the promotion positions. Their lowest league position is twenty-third out of twenty-four teams in the fourth tier, which has occurred twice. In the 2001–02 season, relegation from the Football League was narrowly avoided because it was only "one down", and this position was matched at the end of the 2013–14 season, which this time saw Rovers relegated to the Bananarama / Conference ("BananaCon") for the first time, although they came straight back up at the end of their first Conference season, with a penalty shootout victory over Grimsby Town in the play-off final.

Covid Season 2019/20 saw them finish 14th, with a PPG of 1.29 (same as Blackpool but 12 goals worse off) ....... Over the close season they rid themselves of 22 players (for various reasons), including five to non-League teams (one of whom was CMF Luke Russe who joined Chippenham Town; I think I know his sister, Charlotte ..... ); three joined Crawley (that's three different players, not someone called "Three"), and two joined the Stags, including def Rollin Menayese, who was born in Kinshasa in the DR Congo but has five caps for Wales at u17 ............. In addition they lost striker Jonson Clarke-Harris to the Posh, for whom he's scored 21 goals in 32 games to top the League One list (Dion is fifth on 15) ...

They signed 13, ten of them from League Clubs, one from Colorado Rapids (Scottish LW Sam Nicholson), Kenyan striker Jonah Ayunga from Havant and Waterlooville, and LW Ryan Jones from Weston-super-Mare (which translates as "Weston above the Sea", which is quite good if you live there)

Of their last 14 games they're won two, drawn two and lost 10; their season-long home record is W5 D1 L9 GF17 GA24, and away it's W3 D5 L9 GF13 GA28, giving them P32 W8 D6 L18 GF30 GA52 for 30 points and a place in the Relegation DogFight .......... and sadly for them, Northampton are showing some form (won their last two, including putting four past Pompey in the first half on Saturday) and Burton Albinos, who brought back JimmyFloyd, and have won 7 of nine since he returned, which - if they'd done that all season - would have had them on track for something like 108 points ... 5 points cover the bottom six teams, and Rochdale are the numpties, with two points from their last 5 games and 24th place ...... Brizzle - Joey BadBoy or not - have three points from their last 5 games, and are currently in the Merde

Leading scorers are Brendon Hanlan with 9 (seven in the League) and LB Luke Leahy and LW Sam Nicholson, both with 7 (five in the League) ... Last season we drew 3-apiece at the FilthyOpenLand Stadium (Jordan Clark, Sam Finlay and a 77th-minute penalty from Dion C (and hands up who noticed that Swindon had a player in their team on Saturday called Dion C - only he was Dion Conroy), and the return game didn't happen ...

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is now 7.00pm on Tuesday 9th March ............. There's a bit of belief crept back into the team and among the PL Cognoscenti, as shown by the Swindon PL results, which is good ........ This one needs to be won, as does Saturday's game @ MKDonuts when we go a-visiting .......... it's a very simple game, footie; we stick it in the net at least one more time than them, and we win .... Seemples!

And Brizzle's home ground from 1897 to 1986 was the Eastville Stadium - but you all knew that!

Good luck to everyone! ............ Stay safe and Keep the Faith!............ And thanks for playing!