'Inspired Robins signings being welded together'

David Pottier - Fan writer, Forever Bristol City PodcastTue, September 8, 2026 at 9:17 AM UTC

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The last time we won at Turf Moor was in December 2007 and that season we made it to the play-off final, losing to Hull City thanks to Dean Windass's super strike.

The Robins have not got that close to the Premier League since, while the Tigers have made it there three times during this period.

Continuing that link, City's injury-time winner on Saturday was Yu Hirakawa, who was somewhat bizarrely loaned to Hull in the January transfer window and who provided the assist for their winning goal in May's play-off final.

His goal capped a fine performance by City who did everything but score in a dominant first-half display.

When the Clarets took the lead early in the second half, City continued to play with an assuredness that suggested the goal was just a minor inconvenience and they scored the equaliser when centre-half Rob Dickie headed in from a corner.

That dead-ball kick was taken by Rio Cardines who was signed on loan from Crystal Palace in the summer. He has now clocked up four assists already and looks another inspired signing.

With 11 new players signed in the summer window, Michael Skubala already seems to have welded them together as a unit and that includes effective utilisation of the bench during the game.

Yu Hirakawa made a match-winning contribution at Burnley, having spent the second half of last season on loan away from Ashton Gate

Striker Laurent Tolaj ran himself into the ground for 80 minutes and gave the Burnley defenders a torrid time.

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And when he was subbed with 10 minutes to go there was no respite as they had to deal with the sheer physicality of Elijah Adebayo, who is at Ashton Gate seeking to overcome his injury setbacks and get back to the form that saw him score 10 goals for Luton in the Premier League three years ago.

Another of City's inspired summer signings is defender Lisav Eisaat. Although just 21, he has already earned four full caps for Romania despite having only played around 60 games in the Israeli Premier League with Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Hadera.

He is fast becoming a fan favourite with his pacy aggressive style and is forming a solid partnership with the experienced, but less mobile, Dickie.

Some supporters view the club's communication with fans as poor but one of new sporting director James Ellis's many positive impacts is to address this.

Jason Knight had been subject of much transfer speculation in the transfer window with his contract running out next summer.

With the window shut and Knight still at Ashton Gate, the club and Republic of Ireland international issued a joint statement with the former clarifying that no agreement had been reached on a new contract but saying he remains an important part of their plans, with Knight reaffirming his commitment to helping the Robins enjoy success.

With three games coming up in the space of seven days, City will hope to maintain the positive vibe that three wins in a row have brought before they enter the extended first international break.

You can hear more from David Pottier on the Forever Bristol City podcast.

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Source: “AOL Sports”