Bristol City
League Position (League One): 1st (2013/14: 12th)
Average league attendance: 12,056 (2013/14: 11,929)
Top league goalscorer: Aaron Wilbraham (18)
Bristol City had a vintage campaign in 2014/15, resulting in them being crowned as Champions of League One and winners of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy at Wembley. This was the third time they had won the trophy, a first for the competition competed by lower division clubs.
Aaron Wilbraham finished top scorer for The Robins with 21 goals, which justified his move from Crystal Palace in the summer, where in the previous two campaigns he had failed to find the net.
They started their season in style, winning six matches and drawing two from their first eight league games, remaining unbeaten in the league until 15 November, when Swindon Town were victorious 2-1 at The County Ground.
They shrugged off that loss, and one at home to Preston North End the next week, to win the Championship with two games to spare, having gone the last 16 matches of the season without defeat. Prior to that they brushed aside Walsall 2-0 in the Final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. City won in front a crowd of 72,315, which was one of the highest in the competition’s 31-year history.
Similar to Brentford’s Championship campaign, Bristol City used only 24 players in their league season. Cotterill opted for a settled first eleven throughout the campaign, with four ever presents (Luke Freeman, Frank Fielding, Aiden Flint, and Luke Ayling), plus two more (Korey Smith and Derrick Williams) who missed only two league matches.
Manager Steve Cotterill has built a squad, which with some quality additions, may challenge again for promotion.