THERE were mixed fortunes for Town as they completed a quickfire Bristolian double.

While a 2-0 Good Friday defeat by Rovers at Eastville all but ended Town's promotion hopes, a 3-2 win over City at Ashton Gate the next day all but condemned the home club to relegation from Division II.

While Rovers' victory in front of 16,083 was a pretty straightforward affair, City's defeat, watched by 17,722, was action-packed.

Under the managership of Bert Tann, who stayed in the hot seat for 18 seasons from 1950, Rovers were a solid Second Division side.

With Ray Mabbut, whose two sons Gary and Kevin both followed him into the professional game, a mainstay, they played an early version of `route one' soccer with the ball propelled towards strikers Geoff Bradford and Alfie Biggs as quickly and often as possible.

Both were on target against Town, whose manager Eddie Boot was still adjusting to the previous month's transfer of Scotland starlet Denis Law to Manchester City for a British record fee of £55,000.

Bradford, the only Rovers player ever to represent England, notched the first after 15 minutes.

Having picked out teammate Dal Ward with a lobbed pass, he was on hand to sidefoot a low cross past the helpless Ray Wood.

Biggs sealed the home win three minutes into the second half.

Wood, having pulled off a fine save from Ward late in the first half, allowed a daisy-cutter by winger George Petherbridge to slip out of his grasp into the path of Biggs, who gleefully slotted home.

Les Massie and Bob Ledger were involved in some bright build-up play for Town.

But all too often the moves fizzled out when the ball arrived in the Rovers penalty box.

With Brian Gibson, Ray Wilson, Ken Taylor, John Coddington, Bill McGarry, Kevin McHale, Chris Balderstone and Jack Connor the other players on duty, boss Boot made just one change for the City contest, Willie Sinclair coming in for youngster Balderstone.

England international Wilson had a nightmare start when just two minutes in, he inexplicably prodded a harmless-looking cross by Malcolm Graham into his own net.

But Town were let back into the game on the 15-minute mark when Bristol half-back Bobby Etheridge made exactly the same mistake from a tricky Massie centre.

Both sides produced chances before City, who had recently sacked Irish manager Peter Doherty, the former Town star, appeared to have thrown themselves a lifeline with seven minutes to go.

Hard-working John Atyeo, who won six England caps despite never playing in the top flight, rose high above the Town defence to nod home from a corner.

With City needing a win to preserve any chance of retaining Division II status, there was pandemonium on the terraces.

But the celebrations were cut short as Town struck twice in as many minutes to claim victory.

First the lively McHale broke free of his marker to stab home a Ledger cross, then Massie seized on a midfield slip by Graham to charge forward, beat off an Alan Williams challenge and slide the ball beyond despairing keeper Tony Cook.

While City finished bottom, Rovers were ninth and Town sixth in a table topped by Aston Villa.