# 2017–18 Bristol City F.C. season

The 2017–18 season was Bristol City's 120th season as a professional football club and their third consecutive season back in the Championship. Along with competing in the Championship, the club also participated in the FA Cup and EFL Cup, reaching the semi-finals of the latter competition. The season covered the period from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018.

## Month by month review
### June

On 27 June, Bristol City agreed to sign right-back Eros Pisano on a two-year deal, with it being officially confirmed on 1 July when his contract with Hellas Verona expired. On 28 June, City broke their transfer record to sign striker Famara Diédhiou from Angers for a £5.3 million transfer fee.

### July

On 7 July, Aaron Wilbraham signed a one-year contract with the club. On 13 July, attacking midfielder Lee Tomlin transferred to Cardiff City for an undisclosed fee. On 28 July, defender Nathan Baker, having previously spent the 2015–16 season on loan from Aston Villa, signed for City on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

### December

After beating three other Premier League sides, Bristol City were drawn against holders Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup. The game was played at Ashton Gate on 20 December and marked the first time City and United had met competitively since 1980, when City were last in the top flight. City took the lead through a thunderous Joe Bryan strike just after the second half began. Zlatan Ibrahimović equalised only seven minutes later. City sealed a dramatic and famous win as Korey Smith beat goalkeeper Sergio Romero with a 93rd-minute strike to make it 2–1 to the Robins. At the final whistle, fans invaded the pitch and lifted City players onto their shoulders.
After the match, City manager Lee Johnson said the result was "a historic occasion" and Smith's winner would "live in the memory for many generations". In defeating United, Bristol City became only the second side from a lower division to eliminate four top-flight teams in one League Cup campaign, after Sheffield Wednesday in 1990-91. City were drawn against United's city rivals Manchester City in the semi-finals of the competition, with the first leg at the Etihad Stadium.
On 26 December, Bristol City finished the day second in the Championship table as they defeated Reading 2–0 at home. Jamie Paterson scored the first, before Lloyd Kelly's first goal for City in stoppage time sealed the win. On 28 December, Bristol City lost at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

### January

On 9 January, Bristol City travelled to the Premier League leaders to take on Manchester City in the semi-final first leg of the EFL Cup. The 7,680 Bristol City fans who arrived set a record for the most away fans in the Etihad Stadium's history. Manchester City were overwhelming favourites, unbeaten in the Premier League and having won 20 of their 22 matches so far. Bristol City played well and took a shock lead after Bobby Reid won and scored a penalty just before half-time. Kevin De Bruyne scored ten minutes into the second half and Bristol City looked to have secured a memorable draw before substitute Sergio Agüero scored with a 92nd-minute header to seal a 2–1 win.
The return leg was another entertaining affair at a sold out and noisy Ashton Gate, although Manchester City were comfortable for the most part. Leroy Sané scored just before half-time and Agüero scored just after to give Manchester City a 4–1 aggregate lead. Marlon Pack reduced the deficit before Aden Flint scored in injury time to give Bristol City hope. De Bruyne scored shortly after to kill the game, make it 3–2 on the night and 5–3 on aggregate.
After the game, Lee Johnson said Bristol City were a "Premier League club in training." Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised Bristol City and Lee Johnson after the two-legged affair: "It was a nice game, beautiful game, and all my credit to Bristol City. Big congratulations. He [Johnson] came here to try to play. They arrived, they created chances".

### April

After a goalless draw against Nottingham Forest, Bristol City could no longer mathematically reach the playoffs, ending their chances of promotion.
A 3–2 home loss to fellow mid-table side Sheffield United on the last day of the season saw City eventually finish 11th. While this was disappointing after being 2nd on Boxing Day, this was the club's highest finish for eight years since 2009-10, when Lee Johnson was playing for the club and his father, Gary Johnson, was manager.

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Name | From | Fee |
| 1 July 2017 | Famara Diédhiou | Angers | £5,300,000 |
| 1 July 2017 | Eros Pisano | Hellas Verona | Free |
| 28 July 2017 | Nathan Baker | Aston Villa | Undisclosed |
| 8 August 2017 | Niclas Eliasson | IFK Norrköping | £1,800,000 |
| 31 August 2017 | Luke Steele | Panathinaikos | Free |
| 31 August 2017 | Tyreeq Bakinson | Luton Town | Undisclosed |
| 31 August 2017 | Rory Holden | Derry City | Undisclosed |
| 20 September 2017 | Antoine Semenyo | SGS | Free |
| 5 January 2018 | Liam Walsh | Everton | Undisclosed |

### Out

| Date | Name | To | Fee |
| 30 June 2017 | Mark Little | Bolton Wanderers | Released |
| 13 July 2017 | Lee Tomlin | Cardiff City | Undisclosed (~ £2,900,000) |
| 3 August 2017 | Aaron Wilbraham | Bolton Wanderers | Undisclosed |
| 31 January 2018 | Diego De Girolamo | Unattached | Contract terminated by mutual consent |
| 31 January 2018 | Ivan Lučić | Unattached | Contract terminated by mutual consent |

### Loan in

| Date | Name | From | End date |
| 17 August 2017 | Cauley Woodrow | Fulham | 6 May 2018 |
| 28 August 2017 | Jonathan Leko | West Bromwich Albion | 2 January 2018 |
| 12 January 2018 | Ryan Kent | Liverpool | 6 May 2018 |
| 25 January 2018 | Loïs Diony | Saint-Étienne | 30 June 2018 |

### Loan out

| Date | Name | To | End date |
| 28 July 2017 | Jake Andrews | Chippenham Town | 28 September 2017 |
| 28 July 2017 | Aden Baldwin | Weston-super-Mare | 28 September 2017 |
| 28 July 2017 | Ashley Harper | Weston-super-Mare | 29 April 2018 |
| 28 July 2017 | Connor Lemonheigh-Evans | Bath City | 28 September 2017 |
| 28 July 2017 | Shawn McCoulsky | Newport County | 6 May 2018 |
| 5 August 2017 | Jonny Smith | Solihull Moors | 29 April 2018 |
| 10 August 2017 | Gustav Engvall | Djurgårdens IF | 6 November 2017 |
| 11 August 2017 | Cameron Pring | Merthyr Town | 11 October 2017 |
| 25 August 2017 | Joe Wollacott | Bath City | 24 October 2017 |
| 30 August 2017 | Diego De Girolamo | Chesterfield | 31 January 2018 |
| 30 August 2017 | Freddie Hinds | Cheltenham Town | 3 January 2018 |
| 30 August 2017 | Taylor Moore | Cheltenham Town | 6 May 2018 |
| 30 August 2017 | Joe Morrell | Cheltenham Town | 6 May 2018 |
| 31 August 2017 | George Dowling | Torquay United | 29 April 2018 |
| 31 August 2017 | Scott Golbourne | Milton Keynes Dons | 14 January 2018 |
| 28 September 2017 | Harvey Smith | Weston-super-Mare | 23 November 2017 |
| 19 October 2017 | Cameron Pring | Aldershot Town | 16 November 2017 |
| 20 October 2017 | Cameron Allen | Mangotsfield United | 6 January 2018 |
| 24 October 2017 | Opi Edwards | Bath City | 19 December 2017 |
| 24 October 2017 | James Morton | Chippenham Town | 1 December 2017 |
| 24 October 2017 | Alhaji Sesay | Paulton Rovers | 23 November 2017 |
| 16 November 2017 | Cameron Pring | Hereford | 29 April 2017 |
| 23 November 2017 | Max O'Leary | Solihull Moors | 1 January 2018 |
| 1 December 2017 | James Morton | Bath City | 13 January 2018 |
| 1 December 2017 | Lochlan Robertson | Cribbs | 1 February 2018 |
| 8 December 2017 | Joe Wollacott | Woking | 8 January 2018 |
| 5 January 2018 | Max O'Leary | Solihull Moors | 29 April 2018 |
| 18 January 2018 | Zak Vyner | Plymouth Argyle | 6 May 2018 |
| 19 January 2018 | Opi Edwards | Solihull Moors | 29 April 2018 |
| 20 January 2018 | Antoine Semenyo | Bath City | 20 February 2018 |
| 30 January 2018 | Kel Akpobire | Guernsey | 28 February 2018 |
| 31 January 2018 | Jake Andrews | Cheltenham Town | 6 May 2018 |
| 31 January 2018 | Scott Golbourne | Milton Keynes Dons | 6 May 2018 |
| 31 January 2018 | Connor Lemonheigh-Evans | Torquay United | 29 April 2018 |
| 31 January 2018 | Tin Plavotic | Barnet | 6 May 2018 |

## Pre-season
### Friendlies

Pre-season match details :
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 8 July 2017 | Guernsey | A | W | 1–0 | Reid | 933 |
| 9 July 2017 | Bristol Manor Farm | A | W | 11–0 | Hinds, Pisano, Reid, Brownhill, Morrell, O'Dowda (2), De Girolamo (2), McCoulsky (2) | 1,400 |
| 11 July 2017 | Bath City | A | W | 3–0 | Paterson (pen), Reid, Bryan | 963 |
| 12 July 2017 | Torquay United | A | L | 0–2 | | 1,258 |
| 15 July 2017 | Yeovil Town | A | W | 3–1 | Reid (2), Magnússon | 2,636 |
| 22 July 2017 | Atlético Unión de Güímar | A | W | 6–0 | Pisano, Diédhiou, Reid (2), Wright, Hinds | — |
| 25 July 2017 | Cheltenham Town | A | W | 3–0 | Engvall (2), Reid | 1,883 |
| 28 July 2017 | FC Twente | H | W | 2–0 | Pack, Bryan | 5,330 |

## Competitions
### Championship

Championship match details :
| Date | League position | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 5 August 2017 | 1st | Barnsley | H | W | 3–1 | Reid (2), Diédhiou | 18,742 |
| 12 August 2017 | 9th | Birmingham City | A | L | 1–2 | Reid | 21,269 |
| 15 August 2017 | 10th | Brentford | A | D | 2–2 | Brownhill, Reid | 9,811 |
| 19 August 2017 | 11th | Millwall | H | D | 0–0 | | 18,230 |
| 25 August 2017 | 10th | Aston Villa | H | D | 1–1 | Paterson | 21,542 |
| 9 September 2017 | 9th | Reading | A | W | 1–0 | Flint | 18,650 |
| 12 September 2017 | 12th | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | D | 3–3 | Flint, Diédhiou (pen), Reid | 23,045 |
| 16 September 2017 | 8th | Derby County | H | W | 4–1 | Woodrow, Reid (pen), Paterson, Diédhiou | 19,473 |
| 23 September 2017 | 8th | Norwich City | A | D | 0–0 | | 25,715 |
| 26 September 2017 | 7th | Bolton Wanderers | H | W | 2–0 | Diédhiou, Flint | 17,203 |
| 30 September 2017 | 5th | Ipswich Town | A | W | 3–1 | Brownhill, Diédhiou, Reid | 15,256 |
| 13 October 2017 | 3rd | Burton Albion | H | D | 0–0 | | 18,212 |
| 21 October 2017 | 6th | Leeds United | H | L | 0–3 | | 24,435 |
| 28 October 2017 | 4th | Sunderland | A | W | 2–1 | Reid, Đurić | 27,317 |
| 31 October 2017 | 4th | Fulham | A | W | 2–0 | Reid, Smith | 17,634 |
| 4 November 2017 | 4th | Cardiff City | H | W | 2–1 | O'Dowda, Flint | 21,692 |
| 18 November 2017 | 4th | Sheffield Wednesday | A | D | 0–0 | | 25,916 |
| 22 November 2017 | 5th | Preston North End | H | L | 1–2 | Woodrow | 17,355 |
| 25 November 2017 | 5th | Hull City | A | W | 3–2 | Flint, Reid, Brownhill | 14,762 |
| 3 December 2017 | 3rd | Middlesbrough | H | W | 2–1 | Bryan, Paterson | 18,752 |
| 8 December 2017 | 3rd | Sheffield United | A | W | 2–1 | Paterson, Flint | 24,409 |
| 16 December 2017 | 3rd | Nottingham Forest | H | W | 2–1 | Pack, Bryan | 20,128 |
| 23 December 2017 | 4th | Queens Park Rangers | A | D | 1–1 | Reid (pen) | 13,683 |
| 26 December 2017 | 2nd | Reading | H | W | 2–0 | Paterson, Kelly | 23,116 |
| 30 December 2017 | 3rd | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | L | 1–2 | Reid | 25,540 |
| 1 January 2018 | 4th | Aston Villa | A | L | 0–5 | | 32,604 |
| 13 January 2018 | 5th | Norwich City | H | L | 0–1 | | 21,282 |
| 19 January 2018 | 4th | Derby County | A | D | 0–0 | | 26,525 |
| 27 January 2018 | 4th | Queens Park Rangers | H | W | 2–0 | Diédhiou, Bryan | 21,492 |
| 2 February 2018 | 5th | Bolton Wanderers | A | L | 0–1 | | 14,172 |
| 10 February 2018 | 6th | Sunderland | H | D | 3–3 | Flint, Diédhiou (2) | 22,580 |
| 18 February 2018 | 6th | Leeds United | A | D | 2-2 | Diédhiou, Reid | 28,004 |
| 21 February 2018 | 6th | Fulham | H | D | 1–1 | Reid | 21,236 |
| 25 February 2018 | 6th | Cardiff City | A | L | 0–1 | | 21,018 |
| 3 March 2018 | 6th | Sheffield Wednesday | H | W | 4–0 | Reid (3), Brownhill | 22,022 |
| 6 March 2018 | 7th | Preston North End | A | L | 1–2 | Diédhiou | 11,264 |
| 10 March 2018 | 7th | Burton Albion | A | D | 0–0 | | 4,575 |
| 17 March 2018 | 7th | Ipswich Town | H | W | 1–0 | Đurić | 21,509 |
| 30 March 2018 | 7th | Barnsley | A | D | 2–2 | Diédhiou, Brownhill | 12,236 |
| 2 April 2018 | 7th | Brentford | H | L | 0–1 | | 22,049 |
| 7 April 2018 | 8th | Millwall | A | L | 0–2 | | 16,081 |
| 10 April 2018 | 8th | Birmingham City | H | W | 3–1 | Pack, Reid, Taylor | 20,288 |
| 14 April 2018 | 11th | Middlesbrough | A | L | 1–2 | Đurić | 24,812 |
| 21 April 2018 | 10th | Hull City | H | D | 5–5 | Pack, Diédhiou (2), Reid, Bryan | 21,136 |
| 28 April 2018 | 10th | Nottingham Forest | A | D | 0–0 | | 24,722 |
| 6 May 2018 | 11th | Sheffield United | H | L | 2–3 | Flint, Bryan | 23,902 |

#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 9 | Brentford | 46 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 62 | 52 | +10 | 69 |
| 10 | Sheffield United | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 62 | 55 | +7 | 69 |
| 11 | Bristol City | 46 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 67 | 58 | +9 | 67 |
| 12 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 57 | 60 | −3 | 60 |
| 13 | Leeds United | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 59 | 64 | −5 | 60 |

### FA Cup

FA Cup match details :
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Ref |
| Third round | 6 January 2018 | Watford | A | L | 0–3 | | 13,269 | |

### EFL Cup

EFL Cup match details :
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance |
| First round | 8 August 2017 | Plymouth Argyle | H | W | 5–0 | Hegeler, Baker, Smith, Hinds, Paterson | 9,838 |
| Second round | 22 August 2017 | Watford | A | W | 3–2 | Hinds, Reid, Eliasson | 9,003 |
| Third round | 19 September 2017 | Stoke City | H | W | 2–0 | Diédhiou, Taylor | 13,826 |
| Fourth round | 24 October 2017 | Crystal Palace | H | W | 4–1 | Taylor, Đurić, Bryan, O'Dowda | 21,901 |
| Quarter-finals | 20 December 2017 | Manchester United | H | W | 2–1 | Bryan, Smith | 26,088 |
| Semi-final first leg | 9 January 2018 | Manchester City | A | L | 1–2 | Reid (pen) | 43,426 |
| Semi-final second leg | 23 January 2018 | Manchester City | H | L | 2–3 | Pack, Flint | 26,003 |

## Squad statistics

    Source:
    Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute.
    Players with squad numbers struck through and marked † left the club during the playing season.
    Players with names in italics and marked * were on loan from another club for the whole of their season with Bristol City.
    Players listed with no appearances have been in the matchday squad but only as unused substitutes.
    Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | | |
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | EFL Cup | EFL Cup | Total | Total | Discipline | Discipline |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Frank Fielding | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | DF | ITA | Eros Pisano | 13 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 (3) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Joe Bryan | 42 (1) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 (1) | 2 | 46 (2) | 7 | 12 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Aden Flint | 38 (1) | 8 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 45 (1) | 9 | 7 | 1 |
| 5 | DF | AUS | Bailey Wright | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Nathan Baker | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (1) | 1 | 37 (1) | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Korey Smith | 44 (1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 (2) | 2 | 49 (3) | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Josh Brownhill | 41 (4) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 47 (4) | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | SEN | Famara Diédhiou | 28 (4) | 13 | 0 | 0 | 3 (1) | 1 | 31 (5) | 14 | 4 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Matty Taylor | 4 (14) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 (2) | 2 | 7 (16) | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | MF | IRE | Callum O'Dowda | 13 (11) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 17 (11) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | MF | ENG | Liam Walsh | 3 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 4 (4) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | DF | ENG | Scott Golbourne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | ENG | Bobby Reid | 46 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 4 (2) | 2 | 50 (2) | 21 | 9 | 0 |
| 15 | GK | ENG | Luke Steele | 3 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | FW | SWE | Gustav Engvall | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | ENG | Cauley Woodrow * | 3 (11) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 (11) | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | SWE | Niclas Eliasson | 3 (11) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 (1) | 1 | 6 (12) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | ENG | Jamie Paterson | 34 (7) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 (2) | 1 | 37 (9) | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | ENG | Marlon Pack | 36 (6) | 3 | 0 (1) | 0 | 5 | 1 | 41 (7) | 4 | 12 | 0 |
| 22 | FW | BIH | Milan Đurić | 4 (12) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 1 | 4 (13) | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | ISL | Hörður Björgvin Magnússon | 15 (9) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 23 (9) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | GK | ENG | Max O'Leary | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | ENG | Lloyd Kelly | 7 (4) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 9 (5) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | ENG | Zak Vyner | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | FW | CMR | Paul Garita | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | ENG | Gary O'Neil | 0 (4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 (4) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 † | GK | AUT | Ivan Lučić | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | MF | ENG | Tyreeq Bakinson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | GER | Jens Hegeler | 3 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 (1) | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 32 | MF | WAL | Joe Morrell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | FW | ENG | Freddie Hinds | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 (2) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | MF | WAL | Connor Lemonheigh-Evans | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | MF | ENG | Jake Andrews | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | FW | NIR | Rory Holden | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | MF | ENG | Opi Edwards | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | GK | ENG | Joe Wollacott | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | FW | FRA | Loïs Diony * | 1 (6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (6) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | MF | ENG | Ryan Kent * | 6 (4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 6 (5) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 42 | FW | ENG | Antoine Semenyo | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 45 † | FW | ENG | Jonathan Leko * | 5 (6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 (6) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Players not included in matchday squads :
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name |
| 17 | DF | ENG | Taylor Moore |