Emil Riis scored his first and second Bristol City goal in the Robins’ Championship win over Hull City at Ashton GateEmil Riis joined Bristol City as a free agent this summer(Image: Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

Saturday, May 3, 2025 will be a day that lives long in the memory of Bristol City supporters. What many initially expected to be a dead-rubber final day clash with Preston North End at Ashton Gate instead proved to be the afternoon in which the Robins ended their 17-year wait for a play-off finish.

Of course, the Reds didn’t go about things the easy way. City found themselves two goals behind just 15 minutes into the second half, and falling at the final hurdle was a very real possibility. Fortunately, a Ross McCrorie brace was enough to secure a point for the Robins; a point which they ultimately didn’t need as results elsewhere in the division ensured Liam Manning’s side finished sixth.

Immediately, the home support poured onto the pitch to celebrate the Robins’ achievement. The magnitude of what the City achieved that day perhaps overshadowed the fact that with the point they secured, Preston dodged the drop into League One, with Paul Heckingbottom’s side finishing a single point above Luton Town and the relegation zone.

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The scorer of the Lilywhites’ opener in that 2-2 draw? One Emil Riis.

While the now City forward had no idea he would be plying his trade in BS3 a matter of weeks on from almost derailing the Reds’ top six push, that game helped make his decision simpler when looking for a new club this summer.

“Obviously, for us, we didn’t know if we were staying up or not,” Riis explained when asked about that dramatic final day at Ashton Gate. “I knew that I was leaving, but it was strange because all the crowd came on the pitch, and we just wanted to get off, and we didn’t really know if we were staying up or not.

“They were all my mates playing in that team, so I didn’t want to see them go down, so it was a strange feeling.

“I didn’t know anything about [the interest] then,” the forward continued to Bristol Live. “It was only the start of June that I was told of the interest, so I didn’t know it at the time.

“But obviously, when I was told of the interest, I was looking back at the game and thought that they played really well as well. For me, it was an easy choice in the end. They talked me through the project, how they saw me, and how they saw me fitting into the team, the club, and what they wanted to achieve.

“I liked the idea of all that, and that’s why I chose Bristol.

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“It’s been tough the first couple of months,” Riis admitted on the switch to the West Country. “I’ve been in a hotel on my own, my Mrs has been back home with the dogs, so I’ve been on my own.

“But the boys have been really great to take me in; they’re so open and welcoming. I’ve finally got a place now, my dogs are coming over, and my girlfriend is coming over, so finally getting back to my normal life again.”

After putting pen to paper on a three-year contract in south Bristol, a matter of days after Gerhard Struber was named City’s new head coach, Riis immediately got to work with his new teammates. The 28-year-old travelled to the Algarve for a warm-weather training camp with the rest of the Robins’ first team and impressed over the course of pre-season, scoring twice against Plymouth Argyle and once against Real Valladolid at Ashton Gate.

Through a combination of that strong form over the course of the friendly fixtures and his status as a proven Championship striker, the former Preston man was given the nod in City’s opening day win over Sheffield United.

On his competitive debut for the Reds, Riis impressed as he played a crucial role in Ross McCrorie’s first-half strike and picked up the assist for Anis Mehmeti’s first of the season moments after the restart. However, the Dane missed a golden chance to open his own account for the season when he blazed over the bar from close range, fortunately, when City were already 4-1 up.

Similarly good performances followed against MK Dons, Charlton Athletic, and Derby County, but still, the forward’s goal tally remained at zero… until Hull City visited Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon.

Having turned home his first in red and white from a McCrorie cut-back with 18 minutes on the clock, Riis grabbed his second 14 minutes later when he stole possession in the Tigers’ half before rolling a right-footed effort into the bottom left corner to really kickstart his City career.

Bristol City’s Emil Riis and Scott Twine celebrate in the Reds’ win over Hull City(Image: Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

“It’s great to be off the mark,” the forward admitted. “As a striker, I want to prove myself, so to get off the mark on a day like this is great.

“To get the first goal in the season is almost the most important one,” Riis continued. “I wanted to leave that zero and get off the mark, so I’m happy to do that.

“To get that zero out of the way, I’m just hungry to get even more. That’s why I came here, to score goals, and I just want to get more.

Although the new Championship campaign is only four games old, the Robins’ early performances and results have ensured that the sense of optimism built over the course of last season has only grown further in the run-up to the September international break.

Struber’s side are one of just four teams in England’s second tier yet to taste defeat in the league, have scored more goals than all but one of their Championship rivals – Coventry City, and currently sit sixth in the table with eight points to their name. Of course, how much league position matters at this stage of the term is more than up for debate, but the early signs are positive.

“If you would have said before the start of the season that we’d be in the play-offs after the first four games, we’d have definitely taken that,” Riis said on the opening block of fixtures. “But looking back, we could have got even more points in some of the games, definitely last week.

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“But I’m happy that we’re unbeaten, and I think the boys are as well so we just need to continue like this. It’s unfortunate there’s a break now because you just want to continue the way we’ve been playing.”

Most supporters are expecting the second tier to be a much more competitive division this term. Although all three relegated clubs, Ipswich Town, Southampton, and Leicester City, are being backed among the early favourites for promotion, Championship newcomers Birmingham City and Wrexham are looking to compete at the top end of the division, given their financial backing.

As demonstrated by their approach to the summer transfer window, the Robins are not one of the league’s big spenders. However, there remains a sense of confidence within the Reds’ playing group that they can punch above their weight once more this time around.

When asked if this current squad could push for the play-offs this term, Riis replied, “Definitely. I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t think so.

“That’s my goal as well to be up there, and the team that we have now is definitely a good team, so I think we can be up there.”

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