Since I was a Babby I ave always connected Bristol City and theys Wurzels. Thee two do’s go together, they’m co-extensive tantamount like, instantly associated wiv tuther like. I can member going down the Gate as a little Uncle Erns with me Uncle Ern and sitting quietly out of the way in the Rising Sun while Uncle Erns Uncle Ern went to thee bar. Back then the Riser was divided inta the Lounge and bar leading inta thee Skittle alley. The lounge was allways packed wiv smoky and thee juke box wud be blarin out thee Wurzels.

I can remember on days v thee Gas and Kaaadiff song after song being sung by the entire pub full of blokes of all sorts and sizes from real big units wiv huge gert hands and donkey jacketed skinheads ta thee old flat capped boys smoking they rolled up Old Oldbourne .It was wonderous ta see um all singing Virtuet Et Industrial -

“ Oh, we be Bristol kiddies, We comes from Bristol City, Where all thee blokes is handsome, And all thee birds is pretty, Weem proud of our 'ome town, It never gets we down,and we got a little motto

What we sing up Bedminster Down,Virtute et Industrial, Three cheers fer Novers Hill

If thee City don't win Saturday, Rovers never will, Virtute et Industrial, Shout it ta thee neighbour, Virtute et Industrial, An' see thee down the Labour”

And all thee pub wud know thee words wiv thee real keeners doin a little sideways dance ta “ um de ah um de ah” . As soon as theys first “Drink up thy zider George, pass us round the mug” was eard you knew this was thee cue fer all ta ready umselves fer that thur rousing chorus almost like a call to arms in case any Gashead be fick enough venture that close ta Greville Smythe Park fer a very likely smacking like. Fer me it were like a mazin rites of passage thing and un day I wud be taking my place at that thur bar leaving me bottle of coke and crisps behind and replacing it wiv zider, fags and song.

Apart from that trip hop Bristol City sportin cove Robert '3D' Del Naja's heavy, dark and very brooding Massive Attack no tuther band is so clearly identified wiv Bristol and Bristol City FC than they Wurzels. Looking through them Wurzels lyrics they’m constanly littered wiv references ta North Zummerset and Bristol. Avonmouth, Arnos Vale, Ashton Gate, Ashton Park, Bedminster, Broom Hill, Clifton, Hartcliffe, Malagoo ….. it’s all thur kids and on they do go ferthur.

The song Cheddar cheese from 1977 features the line “Now Bristol City football side, Down Ashton Gate theym the pride, 'Cause they all train on good old Cheddar Cheese” But thy flipside ad a certain “One for the Bristol City” ritten and released to celebrate thee previous years promoshun to top flight football. Wiv this song the Wurzels clearly showed their true colours ta all ta see . The Wurzels were nailed on Bristol City mind. Ta do this day “One for the Bristol City” as been identified as BCFC’s club anthum. Song was re-recorded and released in 2007 to celebrate Wurzel City’s promoshun from thee First Division to the Championship reaching number sixty six in three in they national charts wiv profits being donated ta BUI Prostate Cancer Care Appeal.

Fer us fans the very wonderous “drink up thy zider” as been the fans anthum slippin easily of zider loving lips thus “Drink up thy zider George, pass us round the mug, Drink up thy zider George the garden's ver'nigh dug, Thy cheeks bin gettin' redder From Charter'ouse to Cheddar An' thur's still more zider in the jug” Followed by the charming chorus alluding to those North of the cut. Tis beautiful this song written by Adge Cutler and ringing out from fans at Ashton Gate fer decades upon decades.

Despite all of this the likes of they basturd Heathen thee dirty non Wurzel Gas, Bloody CORNWALLS Plymuff Gargoyle and them Whickerman burning folk of Yeovil ave tried at times ta lay claim ta the epic anthum of North Zummerset drink up thy zider. This be like Citys fans suddenly adopting that thur bloody dirge Goodnight Irene or Fortunes always hiding, wrong be this! Yeovil peepaw being from Zummerset praps can lay claim to being Wuzels of a sort , Plymuff know nuffin about nuffin bout Geography and casn’t pacifically be Wurzels anyways and eventually they Numpty Gasheads werked it all out and ceased their bastdurd filthy deviant practices by butchering our song.

Thee Wurzels ave played ums gigs in Ashton Gate itself, on our pitch along wiv the Ship n Castle swell as the Riser/Bar BS3. They’m even played at West Street’s 3 Lions a pub which probably wud ave seen something like the peasants stormin Frankensteins Castle if they’m Wurzels were associated wiv any body else but City.

Thur is yet more Wurzelness displayed around our Gate. Some do’s refer ta the Eastend as thee Cow shed, the Wurzels Blackbird is sometimes eard being sung, I am a zider drinker as been again sung verse and chorus faithfully in our Eastend fer the past season, flags are sighted at City games bearing clear refurences to the Wurzels and they’m Forza Eastend lot ave adopted the phrase “When the moon shines” as their motto in homage.

Prior to City’s appearance at Wembley v Ull one and alf thousund City fans met at Silverspoons nite club fer what felt like a Wurzel fest. They dj’s played record after record by the Wurzels along wiv stuff from Wurzel inspired bands like the andsome Surfin Turnips fer fans many dressed as Yokels.

Fick fans of tuther teams still refer ta Citys fans using Wurzel as a derogatory term trying to get a rise, “, DUH, Lessun ere We really are Wurzels mind and care little fer your strange ways like polluting zider wiv ice and olding ands wiv other blokes instead of Ummen”! We are proud of us cider swillin culture and make light of adversity using thee holy fermented apple ta turn life into a festival. Wurzel nowse what he be. And We shall celebrate our Wurzelness in zider and song .

“Drink up thy zider George, pass us round the mug, Drink up thy zider George the garden's ver'nigh dug, Thy cheeks bin gettin' redder …….

UP THE CITY

Uncle Erns favourite games in

the Eastend

27/10/07 Wurzels 1 Stoke City 0

This un confirmed that even after all that effort of trying ta get thee Eastend open ta all and failing seemingly just 242 fans could make a difference. Thy stand had surreal feel ta it, it wer a bit like an away game in them eighties as City support dissolved leaving only thee fanatics, there was a real away match at home to it.

Been watching City fer three decades plus and the effort put in by thy 242 has probably never been matched. It wer good with a virtual empty stand v Scunthorpe, Burnley, Sheffield but Stoke confirmed stuff mind. The chanting was incessant almost like all wur trying to show BCFC they was wrong, there was point being made by fans and sending out a clarion call to others that this is thy home end, always was and always thine be as long as Bristol City play ere.

A momentum was built up after this which saw tuther fans wanting in and others starting ta see what our little corner was all about.

Now? Well look at the Gate. Thee entire ground has had a boost it has been revitalised all harking back to a small group willing to take on BCFC with petitions back in 2006 and take the jibes and insults of tuthers "fans" like the now ex Chairman of the supporters club. We now have a admittedly dilapidated end that others do look at and admire fer its commitment ta the team. If they original 242 had simply given up Wurzel City fc would not now have thee support that we can all be proud of wether you go in the Eastend or not.

I SALUTE THEE FELLOW EASTEND WURZELS