BRISTOL City FC have appointed Steve Cotterill as their new manager.

The 49-year-old has agreed a three-and-a-half year contract and takes the reins immediately, with his first game in charge being the FA Cup with Budweiser second round tie at Tamworth on Sunday.

Cheltenham-born Cotterill was unveiled at a press conference this morning, before taking charge of training for the first time.

City vice-chairman Jon Lansdown said: “I'm delighted that Steve has chosen to join Bristol City Football Club.

“I believe he has the drive, energy and ability to get us back to winning ways.

“He is passionate about bringing success to this club and I am looking forward to working with him to achieve that.”

Cotterill began his managerial career with a two-year spell at Sligo Rovers in Ireland, whom he led into Europe.

He moved to Cheltenham Town in 1997, then a non-league club. They were promoted from the Southern League Premier Division to the Football Conference in his first season.

The success continued, lifting the FA Trophy a year later and steering the Robins to second place in the Conference – at a time when there were no play-offs. It mattered little as Cheltenham secured the Conference title in the following campaign to reach the Football League for the first time.

Two successive top half finishes in League Two were to follow before Cotterill then took Cheltenham to the League Two play-off final, where they won 1-0 at the Millennium Stadium against Rushden and Diamonds.

Cotterill remains a hero to fans of Cheltenham, who have never seen their side higher than the heady League One days of his reign.

In the summer of 2002 he was rewarded for his Cheltenham exploits with a move to Stoke City before joining Sunderland soon after as assistant to Howard Wilkinson.

In 2004 Burnley came calling for Cotterill and he maintained their Championship status, despite going through a period where the club’s best players were being sold.

Cotterill spent the last few months of the 2009/10 season at Notts County, where he helped them claim the League Two title – his fourth promotion as a manager.

He then helped steer Portsmouth through a period of financial difficulty, before taking over at Nottingham Forest 18 months later.

Cotterill’s most recent job in football was coaching with Queens Park Rangers under Harry Redknapp’s management last term, but now he’s back at the helm of a club close to his roots.