Football Riis hungry for more goals after getting off the mark with City

SATURDAY, May 3, 2025 will be a day that lives long in the memory of Bristol City supporters.

- Dan CARTER

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 playoff finish.

Of course, the Robins 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 areal 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 on to 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.

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 Robins’ 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.

“1 didn’t know anything about (the interest) then) the forward continued to the Bristol Post. “It was only the start of June that I was told of the interest, so I didn’t know it at the time.