September 1962 was a huge month for both our Bristol clubs with eight league fixtures in Division Three and one League Cup tie to negotiate, all within 30 days.

City were still looking for their first win of the season as Port Vale arrived at Ashton Gate on September 1, hoping to make it a third league win on the bounce and extend their unbeaten away record.

It fell to the Robins strikeforce of John Atyeo and Brian Clark to kick-start the campaign with a 2-0 victory. The added bonus was that Tony Cooke kept a clean sheet for the first time in 10 games.

An away trip to in-form Bournemouth, under the guidance of former England international Bill McGarry, came next and City picked up a valuable point through an Atyeo goal in a 1-1 draw.

Three days later, on September 8, Fred Ford's boys embarked on their fourth match of the month with a 3-0 win at Reading's Elm Park. There was a goal from Clark and a brace from Atyeo, which gave him eight goals in seven games. Former Bristol Rovers goalkeeper Ron Nicholls, in his second season with City, played his first match of the campaign.

Bournemouth came to Bristol with a record of only one league win at Ashton Gate in 21 previous encounters for the return fixture on September 11 before an attendance of 13.281, and Atyeo provided the winner. It set the Robins up perfectly for a derby with Rovers.

The Pirates, meanwhile were still coming to terms with life in Division Three following relegation when they lost 5-2 in their first league visit to Wrexham on September 1. It was their third straight defeat on their travels.

All this was put aside for the next two matches as the Gas kept their unbeaten home record intact with some fine play while wearing the new white and blue pin-stripe shirts instead of their famous blue and white quartered strip.

Rovers started with a 3-1 win over Peterborough with goals from Ian Hamilton, Keith Williams and a Bobby Jones penalty. Four days later, on September 8, Halifax were trounced 5-2 before a crowd of only 9,578. New goalscoring sensation Terry Oldfield netted twice and there was a goal apiece from Harold Jarman, Hamilton and an own goal from Alex South.

September 15 saw a bumper crowd of 20,708 packed into Eastville for the first league meeting between Rovers and City in three seasons. It was the visitors who took both points in a 2-1 win with goals from Brian Clark and a Bobby Etheridge (penalty), while Keith Williams was on target for Rovers.

City travelled to Meadow Lane five days later where they suffered a 3-2 defeat against Notts County, which halted a run of three straight league wins.

Watford picked up their first point at Ashton Gate since the 1951-52 season with a 3-3 draw. Atyeo and Bobby 'Shadow' Williams were joined on the scoresheet by Watford's Vince McNeice, who had previously failed to score for his side in over 230 league games.

Division Two side Rotherham provided the opposition in the second round of the League Cup on September 25, as Ashton Gate staged only its second home tie in the fledgling competition. And for the second season it was an early exit for the Reds as they went down 2-1 before a crowd of nearly 7,500.

The month ended in style with a last league trip to Bradford Park Avenue, where two goals each from Clark and Jantzen Derrick, his first strikes of the season, and one from Alex Tait secured the points in a 5-2 win.

The City defeat brought about a change in fortune for Rovers however, as Barnsley lost their first league match at Eastville. Jarman and Hamilton were joined on the scoresheet by another opposition own goal, this time from Tykes' striker Tony Leighton, in a 3-2 win.

Between the two 1-1 draws that followed, firstly away at Brighton, where Williams netted his fifth of the season on September 22, and a Bobby Jones effort which earned a point against Carlisle at home on September 29, Rovers began their League Cup campaign on September 27 with a 2-0 Eastville win over Port Vale. Hamilton and Bobby Jones provided the goals.