27th October, 2010

Match Report by bathcityfc.com reporter Ben Pearce


Bath City FC 3 vs 4 Swindon Supermarine


City were faced with some minor set backs for tonights game: they had to host Swindon Supermarine without in-form Kaid Mohamed (ankle injury) and Marc Canham, who picked up a knock on Saturday. City were, however, still expected to win. Sadly, this was not to be the case. This epic game was a massive contrast to Saturday’s stalemate, featuring goals, drama, and controversy. Surprisingly, Swindon nabbed the first goal within 3 minutes as Stanley popped up to put away the first of the evening’s six headers. City looked to have sorted themselves out when they reached a 3-1 lead featuring goals from Jombati (5 mins), Russell (21 mins), and Mackie (33 mins) but before the half was up, the score was levelled at 3-3 – the result of two badly defended corners scored by Matt Robinson (41 mins) and Henry (46 mins). The second half was still packed full of chances but only one goal was conceded. Lapham scored the winner in stoppage time to conclude the close match up. Whether or not this goal should have been allowed is another issue, as it was unclear if the ball passed the goal line.


The game took no time to get started. After just three minutes, Gosling could be seen on the left flank in a seemingly innocuous position, being held up by Joe Edwards, who was having to keep on his toes as the Swindon midfielder repeatedly dummied crosses and pulled off multiple Cruyff turns. Somehow, Gosling worked some space and was able to stick in a great cross with his right foot, finding – to Ryan Robinson’s disbelief – Nick Stanley positioned between the City centre halves who was poised to nod the ball from 8 yards over the keeper and in to the net. A dream start for the travelling side.


Both team’s defence started unconvincingly, however, as the Romans took merely two minutes to equalise. It was Scott Murray who stepped up to take over Canham’s usual duty, curling the ball in to the Swindon box from a free kick, 35 yards out, on the right side. Jombati kept his eye on the ball well and rose fantastically at the far post, scoring the second headed goal of the game as he precisely aimed the ball back across the goal and low from 10 yards, allowing Scott no chance.


More slack City defending continued. Gosling took advantage of this, using his ability to hold up the ball and take players on to get in behind the home side’s back line. Cutting in to the box from the right wing, Gosling had an effort from 8 yards that was bravely blocked and diverted to Holgate who, stood beside the penalty spot really should have done better (taking no credit away from Robinson) as his tame shot was palmed away to the left for a corner that was subsequently dealt with.


Just one minute later, Bath came from behind to take the lead in what was an end-to-end game. Connolly, with support in front of him, confidently approached the Swindon box that was filled with defending Supermarines. The away team failed to close Connolly down, which inevitably led to the midfielder having a pop; a shot-come-cross from the edge of the box on the right side had Scott scrambling to his right post and he could only watch the ball as it glanced in off the upright. Twenty-one minutes had passed and it appeared the Romans had regained control against a team that, on paper at least, they should walk over.


Against the run of play, following some incessant Supermarine pressure, City got a bit of luck and acquired a two goal lead as Mackie made the most of a defensive blunder. A communication breakdown between Scott and Lapham let Mackie, on 33 minutes, head in a ball played over the top that the keeper came for but never got anywhere near.


The game’s scoreline soon reflected the openness of play, however, as Swindon snatched two goals in five minutes just prior to the end of the half. Swindon’s Ben Wells whipped in a left-sided corner, near-post, that met the head of sprinting left-back Robinson who did well to lose his marker and convert the cross from 6 yards on 41 minutes. Four minutes later and a similar sight was witnessed at Twerton park. This time on the right side and delivered by Taylor, a Swindon corner was again too much for City to handle. The ball flew straight up in the air and hovered ominously over the mass of bodies in the area after a misdirected defensive header. Six yards out, the ball dropped to the head of Henry whose contact wasn’t great but, amazingly, the ball managed to bobble in to the right corner of the goal.


The first half was thoroughly exciting for both fans and neutrals alike and more of the same was eagerly anticipated after the break. The game remained as open as before but the second half wasn’t quite the goal-fest one might have expected. City manager, Britton, decided it was time for a tactical shake-up and swapped Canham for Murray (despite his injury from Saturday) and Webb for Harris.


City experienced a decent chance after 54 minutes whereby a one-two played back by D.Edwards to Mackie resulted in a well struck shot from 16 yards but the attempt was too central to trouble Scott. Warning signs were evident for City as the break hadn’t resolved their jittery set-piece defending. Successive Swindon corners on 58 minutes were both won by Swindon players as Lapham forced a much needed save from the City keeper, and Matt Robinson would have scored if he could have just kept the ball a few inches lower.

From hereon in it was anyone’s game as the chances were shared aplenty. City’s best chance to regain the lead fell to Darren Edwards on 62 minutes. A great cross from the left side byline, courtesy of Russell, avoided hapless Swindon defenders and landed to the feet of the number nine who, eight yards out, had time to take a touch or two before striking the ball, but the striker still missed the target and lashed the ball over. The D.Edwards and Russell partnership was working positively and led to a couple of Russell shots within the next 20 minutes, but, both straight at Scott, didn’t affect the scoreline.


Whenever a Swindon cross was floated in to the home side’s box, City fans would nervously cringe with apprehension. The organisation of their defence and assuredness of usually reliable Robinson was inconsistent to say the least. It was this facet of their performance that inevitably caused the most incredulous of turnarounds that the Supermarine have achieved in a long time, and carried the Swindon team to the farthest round of the FA Cup in their relatively short history.


Stanley nearly capped off a superb individual performance with a winner as he got on the end of Lapham’s cross from the right flank. At full stretch the Swindon player did well but his volleyed flick from 10 yards – with Robinson rooted – just missed the target and skimmed the roof of the net as the ball dipped. City just couldn’t cope with balls in to the box.


The dramatic stoppage time winner and seventh goal of the game occurred in the 91st minute from yet another corner. It was Taylor who drifted the ball in from the right and Lapham who leaped 8 yards out, central, to head the ball slightly to the left. A controversial goal, City will feel hard done by as Robinson got a hand on the ball and pushed it into the underside of the crossbar, seemingly making a brilliant save. The linesman refused to raise his flag but referee Lee Collins deemed the ball to have crossed the line. The linesman certainly had a better view than Collins – stood 30 yards out and central – and it didn’t look like a goal from the press box, so all in all Swindon should be thankful.


Another twist was on the cards in the fourth minute of added time, but tonight was clearly meant to be Swindon’s night. Canham’s free-kick from 20 yards, slightly to the left, was masterfully struck with bags of whip but it turned out Mark Scott was saving his best til last as he superhumanly got his right hand to a ball that was bound for the top left corner, single handedly saving the game.


Supermarine played well, and were understandably up for the contest, but it was essentially City’s defensive inability that let them down.



Attendance: 665


Bath City: 1. Robinson, 25. J.Edwards, 3. Rollo (c), 5. Jones, 20. Jombati, 7. Murray, 8. Connolly, 6. Harris, 12. Mackie, 9. D.Edwards, 28. Russell, Subs: 16. Canham, 10. Phillips, 14. Webb, 17. Borhy, 26. Hart, 19. Burnell


Swindon Supermarine: 1. Scott, 2. Lapham, 3. M.Robinson, 4. C. Allen, 5. Henry, 6. Horgan, 7. Wells, 8. Gosling, 9. Holgate, 10. Taylor, 11. Stanley, Subs: 12. Cook, 14. Hopper, 16. D. Allen, 17. Morris, 18. McKKay, 19. Bampton