Bits on Bristol City and Rovers, Hereford, Oxford, Swindon ... and Bristol Rugby Club!

Swindon’s highly rated young full back Nathan Thompson, 20, has extended his contract by another year as the club start to re-build for life in League Two, although Michael Timlin, 26, looks set to join former Robins boss Paul Sturrock at Southend. Sturrock signed the midfielder while boss at Swindon and also took him on loan last season for a spell.


Away from the pitch and the dressing rooms, Bristol Rovers have announced that they hope to move to a new stadium from the start of the 2013/14 season.

Rovers current home is the Memorial Stadium which they share with Bristol Rugby Club and is so named – and was built in 1921 - in honour of rugby players of the city who died in the two world wars.

As football fans we can get a little sentimental when a club (not necessarily our own) moves to a new stadium. In Rovers case though, they have only been residents since 1996 and so the ties aren’t as great. However, the rugby club will also be upping sticks and moving to the new site and given the reason for its development in the first place, I hope that the Memorial Gates and the moving monument listing the names of the fallen are both re-located to the new place and given the deference they deserve.

Leaving them in place outside a new supermarket or housing estate that replaces the Mem just wouldn’t seem right.

Meanwhile Hereford boss Jamie Pitman and Oxford chief Chris Wilder are attending a course in Cardiff this week in an effort to obtain their UEFA ‘A’ coaching badges.

Bristol City manager Keith Millen has admitted he has had calls regarding some of his players, but “ … no phone calls about any of those players I want to keep, which is pleasing.” Of those players he wants to keep, striker Nicky Maynard presumably tops the list. Maynard had an injury hit season, but picked up where he left off by hitting the net regularly. He has one year left on his contract and I know from talking to him that he loves the place. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him sign a one year extension, but then get signed up by a Premier club in January if he does the business for City.