Can Bristol City Make A Surprise Top Flight Return?

The Championship is full of surprises every season. This year, Luton’s shocking campaign and Blackburn’s tremendous fall off have caught the eye, but near the top of the table, most of the stories have been on script. One team that is going a little bit under the radar at the minute is Bristol City. This weekend, they moved into the top six with a 2-1 win over Watford and cemented themselves in the battle for the playoffs this season. The Robins have been in the Championship for ten years and never really showed any likelihood of getting promoted, but now is their chance.

Bristol City’s Season So Far

There weren’t particularly high expectations at the beginning of this season for Bristol City’s chances in the promotion hunt. Having been in the Championship for ten consecutive seasons, you would have expected them to at least have had one appearance in the playoffs, but their highest finish has been eighth in that time.

The season started off with the club selling two incredibly important players, Andreas Weimann and Tommy Conway. Weimann had made over 200 league appearances at the club, but at 33 it was decided that he wasn’t a part of the club’s future in the league. Conway on the other hand had just broken into the first team and was getting regular appearances, but he was allowed to leave after a 12 goals season up top.

BREAKING: Middlesbrough have agreed a fee in the region of £4.5m with Bristol City for striker Tommy Conway 🚨 pic.twitter.com/AOlVXZnLAa

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 14, 2024

The league season started in very average fashion, with two wins, two defeats and two draws in their opening six matches. From there they managed to go unbeaten in seven matches, although just two of these games were wins. In total they have managed 15 draws this season so far, one of the highest totals in the league. The issue that they are facing this season, that is holding them back from becoming a serious promotion contender, is that there is nothing that they do particularly well. Burnley’s attack isn’t outstanding, but their defence is the best in the country, so they are at the top of the table. Similarly, Leeds don’t have a good goalkeeper, but they have scored 79 goals in just 40 matches this season.

A recent turn in form has seen The Robins lose just three league games since Christmas, and all of them have been 1-0 defeats. This is showing the beginning of consistency, but it may have come a little too late in the season to allow Bristol City to reach the promised land come the end of the campaign. Of their seven most recent wins, five have been by a single goal, with the other two ending 2-0. The pattern seems to be that City’s games are always incredibly close, which can make it unbearable to watch if you are a fan of the club.

Who Is Bristol City’s Best Player?

This season there have been quite a few stand out performers for Bristol City. Jason Knight has been one of just three players to have played every minute for the club in the Championship this season, but not only is he consistent, he is also contributing to the attack, with eight goal involvements from the middle of the park. His midfield partner, Max Bird, has also contributed to eight goals for the club this season, but he stands out as the club’s top assister in the league with seven.

𝑨𝒏𝒊𝒔 𝑴𝒆𝒉𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕! ❤️#BristolCity pic.twitter.com/9GoKjOFtMs

— The Championship Chat Podcast (@Champchatpod24) March 27, 2025

Anis Mehmeti is the club’s top goalscorer this season with 12 goals in the league, putting him level with the likes of his former teammate Conway and Josh Maja of West Brom. Mehmeti is not a natural number nine, often playing off the left, which means that his goal conversion rate is significantly lower than those around him in the scoring charts. The Albanian winger is in his second season at the club, but already his form is drawing the attention of some Premier League teams.

When Were Bristol City Last In The Top Flight?

Bristol City’s history is a modest one. They have never been in the Premier League, and never even been considered a ‘big team’. In total, they have spent just nine seasons in the English top flight, with their first stint coming back before the First World War. Their best league finish in that period was second in the 1906-7 season, but they quickly fell down to the third tier where they struggled to return to the heights of their pre-WWI form.

Their most recent stint in the top flight was in the late 70s where they managed four seasons in the division. This time they were less successful and only managed to finish in 19th, 17th, 13th and then 20th, when they were relegated. What followed was one of the biggest and most sudden declines in football history as they suffered three consecutive relegations all the way down to the fourth tier for English football. They only managed 27 wins in 130 matches during that time and by the time they reached Division Four they were declared bankrupt.

Can Bristol City Reach The Premier League?

With six games to go in the league this season, Bristol City have put themselves in a good position to earn a playoff spot, however they do have some difficult games coming up. Their next match is against West Brom, who could overtake the Robins if they win. On top of that, they still have to face Leeds United and Sunderland, both of whom are above them in the table. West Brom and Coventry are both breathing down City’s necks and behind them are Millwall and Watford who have an outside chance of reaching the playoffs.

Tomorrow night: West Brom at Ashton Gate. ✨ pic.twitter.com/GEWIHP9Wex

— Bristol City FC (@BristolCity) April 7, 2025

Mehmeti’s goals have been drying up as of late and so Bristol City have had to rely on others to find the back of the net. The goals are being shared around at the moment, which can be a good thing, as it allows the manager to keep changing the team around to avoid complacency, however it does mean that they are relying on moments to win them games rather than individuals. The playoff race is so hard to call in the Championship, but I think that Bristol City might just miss out this season.