Forest Green Rovers have signed Bristol City's Elijah Morrison on loan until the end of the season.
The versatile 19-year-old has made five appearances in all competitions for the Robins, making his first start in their 2-0 win over MK Dons in the Carabao Cup in August.
Morrison can play on the left side of defence and midfield and is available for Rovers' match with Sutton United on Saturday.
David Pottier
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesBristol City's reward for thrashing Watford is an away tie in the FA Cup fourth round against bottom of League One Port Vale.
On paper it is a game City should win to progress through to the last 16, but it also presents the opportunity for the home side to produce an upset, and I have been a supporter long enough to have seen many ignominious exits from the competition over the years.
Before that tie, City have a sequence of five Championship games with the outcome of those likely to define their season.
The loss at home to Preston North End, which saw City tumble down the Championship table, was a major blow and increases the pressure to bounce back quickly.
City take on Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday. The U's will be buoyed by it being new manager Matt Bloomfield's first home game in charge.
A draw is a minimum requirement there as, on Tuesday, City face a long trip to play resurgent Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
That game will see a return to East Anglia for Sam Morsy who was a key member of Ipswich's promotion team, as well as making over 30 appearances during last season's Premier League campaign.
City picked up 34-year-old Morsy as a free agent following his short spell in the Middle East and he earned many plaudits for his contribution in the FA Cup win.
Following their travels, City then have two homes games.
Firstly it is certain-to-be-relegated Sheffield Wednesday who rock up at Ashton Gate and who are, at the time of writing, looking for only their second win of the season - the first was 20 games ago.
It would be so Bristol City for them to end that sequence at Ashton Gate.
Mid-table Derby are the next opponents and there then follows a trip to Hull City.
The Tigers, like City, have play-off aspirations, but will their players be side-tracked by thoughts of causing an upset the following weekend in the FA Cup against their former manager Liam Rosenior's Chelsea? We can but hope.
With 73 points likely to be enough to secure sixth place this season, it is my view that for this run of five games, eight points is the minimum requirement for City to remain on track for this goal.
Even then that would need City to be racking up points at the rate of 1.7 per game across the remaining 15 fixtures.
The closer that ppg requirement gets to two the less chance City have of emulating last season's achievement, and then we might be remembering 2025-26 for a decent cup run, assuming of course that we overcome Port Vale first.
You can hear more from David Pottier on the Forever Bristol City podcast., external
Nick Mashiter
Football reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesMiddlesbrough and Bristol City have made offers for Aston Villa defender Finley Munroe.
The Championship pair are fighting to sign the left-back who has been on loan at Swindon this season.
The Robins' bid is around £350,000, with Boro's offer around the same and includes a sell-on clause.
A move from Villa Park could be finalised this week as Munroe was recalled by Villa on Monday.
Munroe has made 27 appearances for Swindon, scoring twice, with Ian Holloway's side second in League Two, five points behind leaders Bromley.
The 20-year-old joined Villa after leaving Chelsea's academy in 2021.
He has made two senior appearances, making his debut as a late substitute in the Europa Conference League semi-final defeat at Olympiakos, before coming on against Crystal Palace in May 2024.
They came after he signed a new contract while he spent last season on loan at Real Union, Villa's sister club in Spain.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe 2025-26 FA Cup fourth-round draw will take place on Monday, 12 January at approximately 18:35 GMT.
Proceedings will take place before kick-off in the third-round tie between Liverpool and Barnsley at Anfield.
Former England internationals Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole will conduct the draw that will consist of 32 teams live on TNT Sports.
Supporters can also follow the draw on the BBC Sport website and app.
All matches will be played around the weekend commencing Saturday, 14 February.
Unlike in previous years, there are no replays if matches end as a draw. All ties will go to extra time, and if necessary, a penalty shootout.
Non-league Macclesfield are the lowest-ranked team in the draw after beating holders Crystal Palace in a remarkable 2-1 victory.
What are the ball numbers?
1. Wolverhampton Wanderers
2. Southampton
3. Aston Villa
4. Port Vale
5. Wigan Athletic
6. Ipswich Town
7. Wrexham
8. Chelsea
9. Manchester City
10. West Ham United
11. Brentford
12. Fulham
13. Sunderland
14. Liverpool or Barnsley
15. Burnley
16. Norwich City
17. Arsenal
18. Leeds United
19. West Bromwich Albion
20. Salford City or Swindon Town
21. Burton Albion
22. Grimsby Town
23. Hull City
24. Newcastle United
25. Oxford United
26. Leicester City
27. Birmingham City
28. Bristol City
29. Stoke City
30. Macclesfield
31. Brighton & Hove Albion
32. Mansfield Town
Pundits Dion Dublin and Rob Green join host Jason Mohammad to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's FA Cup ties.
And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:
Image source, Getty ImagesBristol City boss Gerhard Struber has praised his side for their "statement" 5-1 win against Watford in the third round of the FA Cup.
The Robins upset a seven game undefeated spell for the Hornets, with striker Emil Riis scoring his first hat-trick for the hosts.
"With performances like that, my personal expectation grows and also the boys' expectation. What is in the bottle, what can you bring on the day, I think today we showed it many, many times," Struber told BBC Radio Bristol.
"When we play like that, especially with Watford, a really big team with outstanding pace, with so much dynamic, it's not easy to deal with and my boys did it at a great level.
"Performance wise, we have been for the last two weeks on a really good level. I think every single player went a little bit out of their personal comfort zone.
"We can dream for the next round and also for the Championship. But also I think with performances like that, this is a statement. For us, for ourselves but also in all directions."
There are 18 third-round ties in the FA Cup on Saturday - 16 involving Premier League and Championship teams, who all enter the competition at this stage - and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.
Cheltenham v Leicester (12:15) - BBC Radio Leicester
Everton v Sunderland (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2
Macclesfield v Crystal Palace (12:15) - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Radio Manchester
Wolves v Shrewsbury (12:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3 & BBC Radio WM
Boreham Wood v Burton Albion
Burnley v Millwall - BBC Radio London
Doncaster v Southampton - BBC Radio Solent
Fulham v Middlesbrough - BBC Radio 5 Live
Ipswich v Blackpool - BBC Radio Suffolk
Man City v Exeter City - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Newcastle v Bournemouth - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 & BBC Radio Newcastle
Salford P-P Swindon
Sheff Wed v Brentford
Stoke v Coventry - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3, BBC Radio Stoke & BBC Radio CWR
Bristol City v Watford (17:45) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Three Counties Radio
Cambridge United v Birmingham (17:45) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2
Grimsby v Weston (17:45)
Tottenham v Aston Villa (17:45) - BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London
Charlton v Chelsea (20:00) - BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London
Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated
Follow all of the action and reaction here
And find out how to follow the FA Cup across the BBC this weekend here
You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Middlesbrough" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Tottenham v Aston Villa", for instance.
Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds
Bristol City are keen on Middesbrough's Dutch forward Delano Burgzorg, 27. (Northern Echo - via subscription, external)
Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Friday's gossip column here.
Image source, ShutterstockOlly Thomas has come up through the Bristol City academy system
Bristol City forward Olly Thomas has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract extension with the Championship side.
The 20-year-old has also agreed a loan deal to Scottish Championship side Dunfermline Athletic that will run until the end of the season.
Thomas made his Robins debut as a substitute in October and has gone on to make three appearances in total.
"We are pleased Olly has signed an extension after what has been a positive few months for him, including a first team debut," Bristol City technical director Brian Tinnion told the club website., external
"Dunfermline is a great loan for him and one where he can get valuable first team football. We look forward to seeing how he does."
Championship clubs including Watford and Bristol City are on high alert as Chelsea attacking midfielder Leo Castledine could be sold. The 20-year-old has starred on loan at League One Huddersfield, scoring 12 goals in 27 appearances, but has a January break clause in his deal and is out of contract in the summer. (The Athletic, external)
Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Wednesday's gossip column here.
David Pottier
Fan writer
Image source, ShutterstockAn intense programme of league fixtures - nine in 37 days - came to a disappointing end as City faltered at the weekend, losing 2-0 at Ashton Gate to play-off rivals Preston North End.
City fell short across all areas of the pitch, with the players looking quite jaded but that cannot be used as an excuse as their Lancashire opponents had been through a similarly exacting schedule.
Thirteen points from those nine games. I would rate at C+ but with 20 fixtures remaining and, by my estimation, 74 points being needed this year to secure sixth, the maths dictate they will likely have to win 10 of those.
This coming weekend sees City entertain Watford in the FA Cup third round.
Few would argue that over the past two decades this competition has lost the "magic" label that was once attached to it.
The match should see both clubs give minutes on the grass to players who have been on the fringe of first-team action and, with the transfer window now open, perhaps an opportunity to give any early acquisitions a chance to integrate with the team in a competitive game.
The term is often bandied about of this or that team being a "good cup side" with history showing famous giant-killing acts or a fairly consistent ability to reach the latter stages of the competition.
This label cannot be applied to City who, in my 58 years of supporting the team, have a record I do not think I am being harsh in calling abysmal.
You can count the number of memorable days on one hand, if you say cup success is to reach the sixth round.
In 1974 they beat the then mighty Leeds United in a replay at Elland Road played on a Wednesday afternoon during the "three-day week".
City hosted Liverpool in the next round and Bill Shankly's team came away with a 1-0 victory and went on to win the cup. That's it.
Yes, their have been some famous wins in earlier rounds like Chelsea in 1990, Liverpool in 1994 and more recently West Ham in 2024 but, for City fans, it would be fair to say the FA's competition is certainly not a cup that cheers.
You can hear more from David Pottier on the Forever Bristol City podcast., external
Image source, ShutterstockBristol City boss Gerhard Struber said his side were "not ruthless enough" after their defeat at home to Preston North End which saw the Robins drop to 10th in the Championship table.
Goals from Lewis Dobbin and Alfie Devine, either side of half-time, meant City went down to a home defeat just three days after their thumping 5-0 victory against Portsmouth.
"Big frustration. My boys are really disappointed right now. Between the two boxes, we created a good game but we made it easy for them, the goals that they scored," Struber told BBC Radio Bristol after full-time.
"These two times, we were not sharp enough to come out and clear the moments. I think we could be more pragmatic in these moments.
"In the opponents' box, we were not ruthless or clinical enough today. Preston are a really good, organised team, with great physical power, and the early goal did not help us today."
On Sam Morsy's debut for the club, Struber added: "There were really good actions, really good developments in his game, exactly the picture I would have of him."
Image source, ShutterstockBristol City manager Gerhard Struber has described midfielder Adam Randell's performance level as "crazy right now".
Randell opened the scoring for City during their 5-0 thrashing against Portsmouth, adding to his strike against Millwall on Monday.
Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol, Struber said: "Adam Randell is crazy right now.
"He is at an outstanding level and I am super happy with how he is growing and that he has had a really good development."
Struber said he was "really happy" about the team performance too.
"This result could be nearly perfect. We executed the high press so well and this is what makes me really happy," he added.
"We gifted Portsmouth nothing today. We got a clean sheet, we were stable and in control, and killed every hope they had."
