Andi Weimann opens up over Bristol City departure 18 months on from final Robins appearance | Bristol Live

Andi Weimann spent six years at Ashton Gate before leaving Bristol City as a free agent last summer

Andi Weimann has opened up about his move away from Bristol City 18 months on from his last appearance for the Reds, admitting his time at Ashton Gate didn't end in the way he wanted.

The Austrian international, who joined the Reds in the summer of 2018, spent six years in BS3. In his time in the West Country, the 33-year-old featured under all of Lee Johnson, Dean Holden, Nigel Pearson and Liam Manning and in 216 appearances for City in all competitions, he scored 51 goals and laid on 29 assists to secure his status as a modern Reds legend.

Having played reasonably regularly in the first half of the 2023/24 season, the Robins' club captain left south Bristol to join West Brom on loan in the January transfer window. With his contract at Ashton Gate expiring that summer, a 13-minute cameo off of the bench away to West Ham United in the FA Cup proved to be the final game of his City career as he was released at the end of his temporary spell at The Hawthorns.

Although it was Weimann who was keen to get the loan switch over the line that January, he insists it was the Reds who made it clear that the versatile forward's future lay away from City.

Speaking on the One Stream in Bristol podcast, Weimann said: "It ended obviously not how I wanted to end it, leaving the club. Obviously yeah, there was an option in the contract that the club didn't want to trigger.

"It was a bit strange to be fair because it was almost like I wasn't allowed to play because if I played two or three more games I'd get another year so again, that's what we spoke about earlier when I said I'm not happy sitting on the bench. I could have happily stayed until the end of the season and seen the contract out, but I didn't want to do that, so I made it quite clear that either you honour the contract or let me go and play.

"Obviously, in the end, if you look back, it worked out well because I went back home to the Midlands with West Brom, ended up in the play-offs and managed to get into the Euros squad as well. Like I said, it worked out well, but it probably didn't end as I wanted it to, to be fair.

"I don't want to say too much, but it was coming from the club, it wasn't from me," the Austrian international continued. "It was more like from the club and that's when I said I'm not happy just sitting here not playing.

"I wanted to go on loan and like I said, I had the big dream of going to the Euros and I knew if I'd only played 10 minutes every week, there was no way I was doing that."

Weimann did manage to make the Austria squad for last summer's Euros, and while his opportunities were limited, he came off the bench to make a short cameo as Ralph Rangnick's side beat the Netherlands to top Group D.

A move to Blackburn Rovers followed in the summer, and in his only season at Ewood Park, the former City forward impressed as he scored nine goals in 34 appearances. One of those nine goals came against the Robins at Ashton Gate in January, as strikes from Scott Twine and Nahki Wells helped the Robins to a 2-1 win over John Eustace's side.

Unlike his former teammate Tommy Conway, Weimann was given an excellent reception on his return to the West Country. Even after he beat Max O'Leary in the Reds' net, sections of the home crowd opted to clap the former club captain, who didn't celebrate his leveller.

Having not been able to get the send-off his City career deserved, the ovation he received as an opposition player that day truly touched the forward.

"I didn't get the chance to say goodbye, really, and it was strange coming back for the first time to be fair," the 33-year-old explained. "Just being in the away changing room, seeing everyone in the stadium, seeing all the staff you've seen for the last five-and-a-half years, it was a bit strange. Even warming up on the other half of the pitch just felt strange.

"I was never going to celebrate because, like I said, I had the best five-and-a-half years, one of the best of my career, so I was never going to celebrate, and it was really nice.

"Especially when I got substituted, I think the whole stadium pretty much gave me a standing ovation. It was really nice, and I really appreciated it."

City will again have to face the former talisman next term, but this time around, he will be lining up for another one of his previous clubs, Derby County.

Weimann has put pen to paper on a one-year deal at Pride Park and will have his first opportunity to get one over the Reds when Gerhard Struber's side travel to the East Midlands on Friday, August 22 in game that will now be broadcast live on Sky Sports Football.

If you would like to listen to One Stream in Bristol's full interview with Andi Weimann, you can find it HERE