Chris Lines' long-term future at the club where he made his professional debut as a teenager in 2006 is unclear but what remains certain is how beloved in Bristol the midfielder is.
Lines made his 500th career appearance against Barnsley after he emerged as an 83rd minute subtitute having been out of the first-team picture since February following a strained relationship with manager Grahan Coughlan.
The 33-year-old is out of contract next month and will attend a meeting with Coughlan on Monday to discuss his prospects but even if Saturday was his final bow in a blue and white shirt, it was a memorable moment.
Especially judging by the response Lines has received on social media with even former Bristol City players such as Joe Bryan, Bobby Reid and Scott Murray , plus notable Robin, Joe Joyce of Bristol Bears, offering their respect to the Gas favourite.
Lines was 19 when he first stepped onto the turf in a Rovers shirt during a League Two match against Chester City and after stints at Sheffield Wednesday and Port Vale he returned to the club he supported as a boy to play a major role in earning successive promotions from the Conference Premier to League One under Darrell Clarke.
