David James admits he was drunk when he first contacted Bristol City about moving from Portsmouth.

The goalkeeper secured a move to Ashton Gate in July after deciding to leave Portsmouth following their relegation from the Premier League at the end of last season.

His decision to join another Championship outfit therefore raised a few eyebrows, especially after being heavily linked with a switch to Celtic.

"I thought I would either stay with Portsmouth, move to a Premier League club or go to Scotland," he said in the Daily Star.

"In between thinking about all that, there was my wedding to Amanda to organise.

"Somehow it all converged at a single point, the morning after my stag do.

"I received a phone call from an unknown number. I don't usually answer those, but I was still drunk and so I picked it up.

"Much to my astonishment the man on the other end was Steve Coppell. He said, 'All right Dave, I'm the Bristol City manager, and was wondering if you'd be interested in having a look at the club?'

"If it had been anyone else, I would not have considered it, but such was my respect for Steve that Bristol City became a serious contender."