‘Hats off to City fans ticket price protest’

This Saturday Bristol City will reacquaint themselves with the second tier of English football for the first time in over two years.

Much has changed in those two years: Vladamir Putin has annexed the Crimea. Andy Murray has won Wimbledon. Iran has agreed to a demilitarisation programme and Britain has done no better in its efforts to win Eurovision.

But an even more remarkable thing has happened in that time; Bristol City are playing attractive, expansive, attacking and, I guess most importantly, winning football.

In a summer which seems obsessed with the brand of how sport is played, most notably of course by our wonderful cricket side, the team have managed to create a playing style which has captured peoples’ imagination. For this reason alone we have much to be optimistic about in the coming weeks and months.

Transfer wise we wave goodbye to one and say bonjour to another. It’s sad to see Greg Cunningham go, but he is a quality player who will surely become a first team regular at Preston, so I wish him all the best.

The signing of Jonathon Kodjia saw a few firsts in my Bristol City supporting career. Never before had I gone straight to a currency converter to see how much we had just paid for a new player.

Nor had I found myself discussing, and showing others, a medley of YouTube clips in an attempt to critically analyse a players strengths and weaknesses, having never seen said player in the flesh. Kodjia looks like a real prospect and City fans will no doubt be relishing his full debut this weekend.

As the transfer deadline draws nearer, and players’ asking prices come down, we will surely be in the market for a few more acquisitions.

Thankfully, it would appear the club are playing it cool and being responsible in their transfer dealings, which must be welcomed. Although I do feel a flurry of late signings may be on the cards which is far from ideal preparation wise, but, alas.

As is often the case with newly-promoted sides, it may well be the players that we have kept and/or signed on new deals, as opposed to those brought, that offers us most solace. Most notably Aden Flint and Joe Bryan.

I take my hat off to those who will make their way up north this weekend to pay the costly £39 to see our opening game.

Sheffield Wednesday are not the first club to have vast discrepancies in ticket prices for away fans. It’s not fair, and something should be done about it. Hats off too for those not going in protest at the prices. In that respect we join an illustrious list of protesting away fans including Liverpool (last season at Hull) and Manchester City (at Arsenal the season before last).

I for one would be happy with avoiding defeat in our opening match, but let’s just see how far last season’s momentum can take us.