Feel the Potential?
If last season saw City bottom out this was the campaign
that you really believed it: we're roaring back !
PRE-SEASON
After all the turmoil of recent pre-seasons this one was remarkable, if only for
what looked a like stability by comparison. Chris Burns had kept most of
his squad together and the only really significant departure was that of Luke
Prince. Despite only having lost one player it was enough to have most fans
fretting wildly about where the goals would come from. Last season's top scorer
had been Hosky with a not exactly mighty ten goals. Four of them came against Bilston
in one game - and even he was banned for the start of the season. Baylo was still
partially crocked and we looked decidedly light weight up front. Spirits weren't
particularly lifted by the arrival of 38 year-old Adie Harris from Cinderford. As the season unfolded I think we all got to realise that this is why we don't
actually manage the team.
The one really interesting signing had been that of Lyndon Tomkins from
Cinderford, but that quickly became less thrilling for all concerned as his
season ended with a ricked knee in the opening minutes of our first pre-season fixture at
Brockworth. The pre-season programme held little excitement, with only the visit of
Yeovil and Bristol City to swell the coffers. Results were erratic and
performances equally patchy. With little to judge our progress by the fans
guessed the season held anything from relegation to promotion. However on the
eve of the campaign came two bits of news to lift the spirits. First came the signing of
Neil Mustoe who agreed to play while looking for a return to League football,
and secondly came the signing of Jimmy Cox from Weston. Suddenly the questions
over where the pace and goals were to come from had been answered and the season
couldn't start soon enough.
AUGUST
As always with City, it is best to protect yourself from anything as dangerous
as hope. The season started badly as we crashed 2-1 at home to Atherstone,
captain Neil Griffiths' red card marking the start of the chairman's campaign to
improve our disciplinary record with suitable aplomb. Things improved markedly
as Lee Smith smacked in a brace to beat pre-season favourites Taunton away. His
two goals were as many as he'd managed in the whole of the previous season -
perhaps we did have a goalscorer in our midst after all. Once again though
optimism gave way to despair as City slumped 4-0 to local rivals Cinderford in
the most inept performance of the season. Now it looks like a blip, then it
looked like the beginnings of disaster. The general mood wasn't helped by having
Tommy Callinan rejoicing in our discomfort - what a nice man he is. The month
ended with an entertaining 2-2 battle against newly relegated Merthyr, our
performance lifted by the return of Matt Bath in goal after he started the season
suspended. The defence looked happier with him there and we could well have won
until Gary Marshall got himself sent off in entirely predictable circumstances.
Four points and two red cards under our belts, things were not looking quite as
planned.
SEPTEMBER
If things were looking less rosy than hoped for in August, by mid-September
pre-season ambitions were being replaced by anxious examination of the wrong end
of the early season tables. Jimmy Cox had returned, but far from being the goal
scoring Messiah he simply looked like a very naughty boy indeed as he petulantly
got red carded in a tantrum when denied a penalty. Two more league defeats found
City in 19th and with just one league win before an unexpected but well deserved
FA Cup win over Bashley suddenly lifted the confidence and inspired two much
needed league wins to drag us back up the table.
The end of the month brought the opportunity to test our mettle against
Newport County in the FA Cup. The home tie was closely contested and showed that
the side had improved and settled. Hoskins and Harris played out of their skins
while Mustoe was finding some rhythm and he covered every blade of grass on the
pitch. However the whole occasion was marred by a bizarre collection of
Newport's worst freak show residents whose ugly antics killed the atmosphere
before they headed off into the city centre to confront the local constabulary's
wholly incompetent response to their arrival. And inevitably we got beaten in
the replay just to wrap things up nicely.
OCTOBER
The turn of form in September was confirmed with some really spirited and
uplifting results in the next few months. First City scrapped their way through
a difficult Trophy tie at Atherstone, in-form before financial woes ruined their
season, and City were again inspired by a performance from Mustoe that was again
full of both graft and sublime passing. We then faced promotion favourites
Solihull at home and overcame all obstacles and expectations, not even the
sending off of Jenks in the opening minutes could hold us back as Cox scored all
four goals to underline the resurrection. However in true Gloucester City style
our star forward then went on to celebrate in style, falling through a shop
front window and missing the next month after having the tendons in his arm
stitched back up. However even this blow could not derail us in irresistible
form, two more victories on the road saw us claw our way back into the top half
of the table.
NOVEMBER
We were still a long way from realising the Trophy would play a significant
part in our season, but the trip to Banbury was none the less a welcome
distraction from the league. The match was one that showed our newly developed
guts, we matched a strong side and weathered a real storm with some fantastic
defending to take the tie back to Meadow Park where we won 2-1. The actions of a
handful of travelling 'fans' caused the club real embarrassment though, being
ejected for racist behaviour and invading the pitch. Perhaps if we'd handled it
better the later problems that dogged our Trophy success would never have
happened, but it's easy to be wise after the event. Back in the league we were
continuing to make progress, steadily picking up points. An unbeaten league run
of 8 matches came unstuck at Redditch, only for us to bounce back to defeat
Taunton 4-2. Lee Smith scored again, his first goal since he last scored against
the Somerset side in August. Fans were disappointed as Craig 'ambitious' Hampson
traded in Meadow Park for the greater glories of Kings Stanley. The team
meanwhile just shrugged and carried on getting better.
DECEMBER
The Trophy draw had disappointed with the visit of league leaders Merthyr
Tydfil, not only familiar visitors but every prospect of defeat. City were by
now a better side than one that would roll over and looked to have the Valleys
outfit on the ropes but could not find the killer blow against ten men. Not to
worry though, our form on the road was already at least as good as that at home
and we gritted our teeth to battle our way to a bruising 1-0 win on their
ground. The pre- Christmas games did not inspire a great deal, but where as last
season we only played well against the better sides we now seemed to have found
a sense of professional pride. Well disciplined performances saw Shepshed and
Stourport rolled over and a top six spot in our hands before a return to league
leaders Merthyr on Boxing Day. We exchanged an early flurry of goals but this
time the Welsh were simply too strong and we lost 3-2, but as a yardstick of how
much we needed to do to match the top side the answer was simply, not a
lot.
Back
to top
JANUARY
One festive fixture had fallen due to the state of the pitch so it was a
great credit to all concerned that our New Year's day match against Mangotsfield
was on at all. The resulting 4-3 City win was one of the most entertaining games
at Meadow Park for a long while, and also underlined that our attack was potent
enough to outscore one of the division's best sides. The dodgy pitch postponed
our Trophy tie with Lewes, but when it did come City rode their luck to edge out
the Sussex outfit 3-2 to set up a visit from Conference side Woking.
In the middle of the month the inevitable happened and Neil Mustoe headed off
for Conference football and City fans braced themselves for a loss of form and
confidence. However the young City side showed that this recent success was not
about the form of one player and went on to improve yet further. Any wobbles
were got out of the system as a patched up side ground out a tough 1-0 win over
Gresley, but the real test of their mental strength came at promotion chasers
Bromsgrove. Rovers went two up after only 15 minutes, but were overhauled 4-2
with Smith and Webb to the fore in a momentous victory. A few days later and
poor old Warwick got hit for six to take City into fifth and our young side
suddenly looked rather special.
FEBRUARY
The start of the month brought the eagerly awaited visit of Woking in the
trophy and the pride felt by the City fans as our young side equaled the
Conference outfit in a 0-0 draw was palpable in the applause they earnt at the
final whistle. No-one, players included, could have really believed they would
win the replay. But all that work and effort over the previous months had given
this side a huge amount of self-belief. Tom Webb epitomised the character of
the team as he stepped up to fill the creative void left by Mustoe's departure.
When he opened the scoring with his first ever City goal the Cards collapsed
like a pack of ... and by the time the ageless Adie Harris added a second it was
clear this was a very special night for the club. Burns' Babes, as dubbed by all
and sundry, had come of age. Potential was starting to turn into achievement.
We won both our league matches of the month to keep in touch with the chasing
pack, but while promotion was starting to look like a dream still worth dreaming
the attention was now fixed on the Trophy. Our next opponents were Southport,
like Woking in the Conference but on a poor run, and after Woking, they were
there to be beaten. Southport couldn't live with the pace of Cox or the clever
probing of Webb and we took the lead, the Merseysiders a little fortunate to
nick an equaliser. That game was marred by more violence from the less than
faithful and least welcome elements of City's support. A coach load of City fans
shrugged this off to make the long midweek trip to Southport and were rewarded
by another virtuoso Gloucester performance. Despite going one behind City scored
three and entirely outplayed their higher ranked opposition in earning a second
famous scalp and pointing out to the non-league media that Woking had been no
flash in the pan. We really were quite good after all!
MARCH
If City were on cloud nine courtesy of those Trophy wins it was March when
everyone came tumbling back to the ground. We opened the month with a crunch
encounter against Weston, if City won this our games in hand meant promotion was
within reach - defeat would leave an awful lot to be done. Weston played a
brutal and unattractive style of football and it was no surprise our players
limped off bruised, bullied and defeated, or that the match closed with a bad
tempered brawl as City players sought revenge for a match of having lumps kicked
out of them. This was a harsh lesson, we may be good but at this level sometimes
you need to be able to assert your right to play the ball around. That defeat
seemed to burst the bubble and a draw and defeat on the road dismissed any
lingering promotion hopes and didn't exactly bode well for the Trophy
quarter-final at Aylesbury.
City went into the game with some slightly odd tactical team selections, and the
match was all but lost in the opening 20 minutes when the Ducks scored twice and
City looked all at sea. Playing Baylo instead of Smith left his old legs
stranded in midfield, while Aussie centre back Stephen Chipps has been missed
even before Steadman got his marching orders. 
The
vast City travelling support had their day out further spoilt by the return of
the self-styled CDB, so dumb they couldn't even manage to find the ground
without the help of a police escort to show them the way. At least their
presence finally alerted the club and the police to the potential scale of this
problem and perhaps the Ch@#tenham loving scum can be encouraged to go and play
their games back wherever they came from.
The rest of the month was to put it mildly, inconsistent. Evesham were on the
end of a well deserved 6-1 thrashing with Hosky grabbing four as the Trophy
disappointment was exorcised. Off the pitch the side was lifted by news Jimmy
Cox had turned down an offer from Kidderminster to see out the season with us.
Bromsgrove visited and were edged out in a 1-0 win, but these triumphs were
mitigated by defeats to Stourport and Solihull. Marshall probably but the final
punch into his City career as he was dragged kicking and screaming from the
Atherstone pitch after another red card.
APRIL
& MAY
A season that had promised so much seemed to be drifting out of control but
we did manage to salvage some pride as the players fought back to finish
the season in a highly credible 5th place. There were some welcome scalps in the
final month too. Cinderford were on the end of some sweet revenge as they got a
precise 4-0 retaliation in the local derby. City went to Mangotsfield and served
up a timely reminder to the rest of the division
that the Bristol side were not the only attack to be feared in this division as
they were on the end of a 4-1 demolition job. Lee Smith's swerving, dipping goal
of the season contender was topped by a Hoskins brace to mark his 100th
appearance. Then in the last match of the season against Cirencester our lads
sought to illustrate all that this exhilarating and at times frustrating season
had been about. We ran up a 5-1 lead including a Cox hatrick before some
slapdash defending saw us end the match clinging on to a 5-4 victory.
This
was a season where you really felt the club was on the verge of a genuine
upswing. Ultimately it was a season that once again ended without any silverware
and next season we will still be in a division below that we all believe is the
least we deserve. This though would be a view of undeserved pessimism and gloom.
This season our young players showed skill, loyalty and character to take us to
the last eight of non-league football's premier knock-out competition, an
achievement unparalleled by a club from our level. We built on last season's
progress in the league to finish 5th, a great platform for next season. Many
players made visible progress from last season - Hoskins hit over twice as many
goals, Tom Webb came of age and Lee Smith found a new and more successful role
on the right wing. Adie Harris showed Burns to be an astute manager and struck a
blow for all those told they may be knocking on a little - showing as much
energy and effort in his performances as those half his age and well deserving
of his player of the year award.
Off the pitch there was much to celebrate too. The club now looks stable, a new
board is set to take the helm and years of financial trouble may finally be
coming to an end. The Supporters Club has not gone stale but has instead
continued to bring in a steady stream of cash. The club has diversified and
moved closer to a genuine community role with closer ties to City Ladies, who
won promotion, and a new set of junior boys teams. Gates are slowly increasing
to match the steady improvement of our team and there is much to be optimistic
about. If we can hold on to our players and maintain the behind the scenes
stability next season promises more tangible rewards. In a few years time we may
look back and say, really it all started in 2003...
