Three Bristol City players are set to be in international action over the course of the next few days
10:30, 04 Sep 2025
It would be fair to say that for Bristol City, the September international break has come at a frustrating time. For fans, and no doubt players alike, it feels as if things have been brought to a stop just as they really began to get up and running.
Having kicked off their Championship season with an electric opening day win over Sheffield United, the Robins were left frustrated by draws with both Charlton Athletic and Derby County. However, last weekend saw supporters’ spirits lifted once more as an Emil Riis brace, as well as goals from Anis Mehmeti and Max Bird, secured a 4-2 win over Hull City.
Gerhard Struber will have almost certainly wanted to bounce straight from that win over the Tigers to Hillsborough to face Sheffield Wednesday. Instead, the Reds have a blank weekend on their calendar where they will be afforded the first of three breaks to come in the first half of the campaign.
That is, of course, unless you're on international duty. For those lucky (or unlucky) enough to have gotten the call-up to represent their country, it is almost business as usual with friendly fixtures and World Cup qualifiers to be played over the course of the next week or so.
With Ross McCrorie not included in Scotland's squad this time around, Max O'Leary injured, Yu Hirakawa left out of Japan's selection and both Mark Sykes and Sinclair Armstrong not travelling with Ireland, City don't have too many players away this week.
But to help keep you across who is in action, where and when, Bristol Live have compiled a list of what the September international break holds for Struber's squad...
Jason Knight - Ireland
We don’t need to tell you that Jason Knight always plays an awful lot of football. The Bristol City captain played every minute of every Championship game last season and has started this term in a similar manner under Gerhard Struber, even playing the full 90 minutes in both of the Robins’ two Carabao Cup matches.
With 540 minutes of domestic football under his belt already, the 24-year-old will be keen to add to that tally as he links up with Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side for the September international break.
Having won their promotion/relegation Nations League play-off against Bulgaria in March, Ireland enjoyed two friendly fixtures in the last international break in June. This month, however, attention turns back to competitive matches with World Cup qualifying getting underway.
The Boys in Green kick off their campaign to reach next summer’s tournament when they welcome Hungary to Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on Saturday, September 6, before they travel to Yerevan to face Armenia on Tuesday, September 9.
Alongside the two sides mentioned above, Ireland are joined by Portugal in Group F. Cristiano Ronaldo and company are understandably viewed by most as favorites to top the group, so picking up points against both Armenia and Hungary will likely be crucial if Hallgrimsson’s side have any hopes of keeping their World Cup dream alive.
Of course, City supporters will just be hopeful that Knight returns to the High Performance Centre in one piece next week.
Jamie Knight-Lebel - Canada
You may have noticed that when his loan move to Swindon Town was announced on deadline day, there were no photos or videos of Jamie Knight-Lebel in his new side’s kit. Instead, the Reds posted a quick video of the Bristol City defender explaining his excitement about the move whilst decked out in a Canada training kit.
That was because the 20-year-old has once again linked up with Jesse Marsch’s side this month as he looks to add three caps and potentially earn his first international start.
Given their status as one of the host nations of next year’s World Cup, Canada don’t have to qualify for next summer’s tournament. While the majority of teams will this month kickstart their run to the competition, Marsch’s side instead have two friendly fixtures on their agenda, as they look to bounce back from their Gold Cup disappointment last time out.
Knight-Lebel and his international teammates first travel to Bucharest to face Romania on Friday, September 5, before heading over to South Wales to face Craig Bellamy's side at the Swansea.com Stadium on Tuesday, September 9.
While the City academy graduate featured for Gerhard Struber’s first team during pre-season, he hasn’t made a competitive appearance for the Robins yet this term. Any minutes that he manages over the course of the international break will mark his first senior outing of the campaign.
Adam Murphy - Ireland U21s
Another Bristol City youngster who made the move to Swindon Town on loan on deadline day, the announcement surrounding Adam Murphy’s switch to the County Ground was similarly limited because of his involvement with Ireland Under-21s this September.
The Young Boys in Green kick off their UEFA European Under-21s Championship qualifying campaign over the coming days. Jim Crawford’s side first travels to Nisporeni, where they will take on Moldova on Thursday, September 4, before welcoming Andorra to the Tallagh Stadium on Tuesday, September 9.
Although his first-team opportunities have been limited since he arrived in south Bristol in January of last year, Murphy enjoyed a reasonably successful summer. The 20-year-old travelled to the Algarve with Gerhard Struber’s side, featured throughout pre-season, and was even named in a Championship matchday squad for the first time in the opening day win over Sheffield United.
Having started the season plying his trade for City’s Under-21s, the midfielder will be keen to get some valuable minutes during the September break before trying to force his way into Ian Holloway’s thoughts during his loan spell with Swindon.
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