Bristol City v West Ham United
Emirates FA Cup third-round replay, Ashton Gate, Tuesday 16 January 2024, 7.45pm GMT
West Ham United travel to the West Country for the second of back-to-back games against Bristol City on Tuesday evening, following a 1-1 draw in the Emirates FA Cup third round earlier this month that forced a replay under the lights at Ashton Gate.
A home clash against either Nottingham Forest or Blackpool awaits the victors in the last 32, with the former having come from 2-0 down to rescue a replay against their League One opponents in the first game at the City Ground.
Prior to their most recent meeting West Ham and Bristol City hadn’t met competitively for nine years, when a late Diafra Sakho strike settled a tight away contest in favour of the Hammers at the fourth-round stage of the same competition in January 2015.
A share of the spoils against City last time out extended the Irons’ unbeaten run to four games in all competitions, ahead of the mid-season break, while Liam Manning’s Robins sit 14th in the second tier after losing 2-0 at Preston North End on their return to league action on Saturday.
Tickets…
West Ham fans are advised that the Club’s allocation of 3,414 tickets for this fixture sold out to Bondholders, Away Scheme Members and Season Ticket Holders with 18+ Loyalty Points.
Travel…
Travelling by train is the quickest way to reach Bristol from London, with direct services from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads operating approximately every 30 minutes on Tuesday, and taking around an hour-and-a-half.
Supporters should note, however, that the last train back to Paddington is scheduled to depart Temple Meads at 10.40pm, so an alternative travel method or overnight stay may be required.
Temple Meads is about 40 minutes away (two miles) from Ashton Gate on foot, while Parson Street station - serving much of Somerset, South Wales and Bristol - is around a 15-minute walk (0.8 miles) from the ground. Fans can use the postcode BS3 2EJ to plan their route.
Three dedicated supporter bus services operate for the majority of Bristol City men’s first-team home games (services for cup competitions may vary - please check before travelling). These buses operate from Winterstoke Road, just yards from the main entrance to Ashton Gate and at convenient times for those attending games. Service AG3 - priced at £2.95 for adults - runs from Temple Meads station every 20 minutes from two-and-a-half hours before kick-off until 30 minutes before kick-off, and then until three-and-a-half hours after kick-off post-match.
If driving, fans are advised to park at the Portway Park & Ride (ideal for those using the motorway) or Brislington Park & Ride where you can use the matchday supporter bus services AG1 and AG2 to complete your journey, both priced at £4.95 for adults.
Limited official offsite parking is available close to the stadium. To book, call Bristol City Supporter Services on 0117 9630 600 (option 1), Monday-Friday 9am-5pm at the first opportunity. Further parking is also available with Ashton Event Parking HERE, and elsewhere HERE.
Please be aware that central Bristol, including many roads near Ashton Gate, is now part of a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) where non-compliant vehicles will be charged between £9 and £100 per day to drive.
Ashton Gate is also well connected to Bristol, the two train stations and the surrounding areas by an extensive public bus network. The easiest way to plan your route is by using the TravelWest Journey Planner HERE.
How To Follow…
The match will be broadcast live in the UK on BBC1, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport.
If you live outside the UK, it might also be shown in your territory by one of the FA Cup’s international broadcast partners. For more information, click HERE.
You can listen to audio commentary in the UK on TalkSPORT, BBC London and worldwide on whufc.com and our official app.
You can also follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app, and across our social media channels. We will have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle.
Team News…
Assistant coach Billy McKinlay offered an update on the fitness of Lucas Paquetá and Jarrod Bowen in his pre-match press conference.
Paquetá was withdrawn after 14 minutes of the initial third-round game against City - ten minutes after Bowen had broken the deadlock - but neither will be fit to play against the Robins this time out.
“Lucas isn’t available - he took a knock in the last game - and Jarrod’s the same,” said McKinlay, 54.
“They’re the injuries that have come about since the last match, so we’ll see how they progress after tomorrow and across the next few days.”
For full team news, click HERE.
Opposition…
As the largest city in South-West England and the eleventh most populous urban area in the country, Bristol would be a fitting home for a top-flight football club.
However, Bristol City have spent just nine of their 130 years in existence in the top tier, and none since they were relegated from the First Division at the end of the 1979/80 season.
The Robins got within 90 minutes of reaching the Premier League in 2008, when a wondergoal from Hull City’s Dean Windass denied them in the EFL Championship Play-Off final.
Since then, promotion challenges have been rare, with an eighth-place finish in 2018/19 as close as Tuesday’s hosts have got to joining the elite. Indeed, Bristol City even spent two seasons in League One between 2013-15.
Since being formed in 1894 as Bristol South End, the club has produced just four senior men’s England internationals, and none since legendary striker John Atyeo won six caps between 1955-57.
For football’s sake, you hope that one day Bristol City will take their place in the Premier League as, despite having only a succession of mid-table finishes to enjoy in recent seasons, their average attendances have grown to over 20,000 at their smart, 27,000-capacity Ashton Gate stadium located in the south-west of the city.
The FA Cup has not exactly provided much solace for the fans down the years, either. It is 50 years since Bristol City last reached the quarter-finals, in 1973/74, some 104 years since their last semi-final, and 115 years since they experienced their one and only final, which ended in a 1-0 defeat by Manchester United.
While reaching another FA Cup final may be a tall order, Bristol City do have real hope of mounting a fresh challenge for promotion to the Premier League under a head coach who many West Ham United supporters will recognise.
Liam Manning was very highly thought of during his four seasons as West Ham’s U23 coach and assistant Academy director between 2015-19.
Since departing east London, Manning has developed his reputation, first at New York City FC, and subsequently as head coach of Belgians SK Lommel and EFL League One clubs MK Dons and Oxford United.
Manning departed Oxford with the U’s second in the League One table to take charge at Ashton Gate in early November 2023 and, after a slow start, guided City on a run that saw them win three on the spin in December.
After successive league defeats since then the home faithful won’t be getting carried away, but perhaps their long wait to return to the top-flight may soon be over.
Previous Meetings…
The Hammers and Bristol City have met on 36 previous occasions across Football League, FA Cup and League Cup action, with the former winning 17 of those matches and losing just seven - the last of which was in 1978.
Focusing on the three previous FA Cup meetings, as mentioned earlier, Sam Allardyce’s West Ham defeated the-then League One Robins 1-0 in a fourth-round tie at Ashton Gate in January 2015.
Our first head-to-head in this competition came back in January 1969, when two of the Club’s 1966 World Cup heroes combined to see off City’s threat. Martin Peters scored twice, with Geoff Hurst notching the other as the Irons ran out 3-2 winners in a third-round clash.
Last time out, on 7 January of this year, Bowen opened the scoring at London Stadium to put David Moyes’ charges on course for progression from the third round for the seventh consecutive season, but Tommy Conway’s second-half equaliser earned the visitors another roll of the dice back on home soil.
Match Info…
If the scores are level after 90 minutes on Tuesday, two 15-minute periods of extra-time will be played. If the scores are still level after extra-time, the winner will be determined by penalties.
Each manager can name up to nine substitutes, up to five of whom can be used with three opportunities permitted (excluding half-time). Clubs are also permitted to use up to two ‘concussion substitutes’, which are in addition to the five substitutes ordinarily permitted and the three opportunities.
VAR will not be in operation for the tie, however Goal Line Technology will.
Match Officials…
Referee: Darren England
Assistant Referees: James Mainwaring and Alex James
Fourth Official: Stephen Martin
Darren England has been appointed as the referee for Tuesday night’s replay.
The 38-year-old - born in Doncaster - worked in Barnsley FC’s community department as a football development officer before becoming a referee in 2012.
He was promoted to the National List of EFL referees in 2015, having previously assisted, before being added to the Select Group 2 of Championship and Premier League match officials in 2017.
England was promoted again to Select Group 1 for the Premier League at the start of the 2020/21 season, and this will be his fifth West Ham game as the man in the middle.
His last Hammers appointment came little over a year ago, as Moyes’ men fell to a 2-0 defeat at home to Brentford in late December 2022.
England has two showpiece finals under his belt, refereeing the 2016/17 EFL League Two Play-Off final between Blackpool and Exeter City - which Blackpool won 2-1 - and the 2018/19 FA Youth Cup final, which Liverpool won by beating Manchester City on penalties.
For more information about Tuesday night’s officials, click HERE.
