Bath City (1) 2 Larkhall Athletic (0) 2 – Tuesday 15 October 2024 – Somerset Premier Cup 1st Round – Twerton Park
(City won 4-2 on penalties)
Match Report by Mark Stillman.
Bath City squeezed through to the 2nd Round of the Somerset Premier Cup on penalties after seeing off a brave Larkhall Athletic side.
Jordan Alves put the Romans ahead in first half added time against their Bath rivals.
A dramatic finale saw three goals in the final six minutes of normal time before City prevailed in a shootout, which included debutant Massimo Sardo saving Evrard Yao’s kick.
One negative from the evening saw captain Kieran Parselle limp off at half-time, a concern for Jerry Gill ahead of Saturday’s trip to Hornchurch.
Parselle was one of five players remaining in the starting XI having began the FA Cup defeat at Aldershot Town.
Three academy players were given debuts with Tresor Mabika and Shaniel Mwuara starting alongside goalkeeper Sardo.
Former City youth midfielder Ethan Cannings wasted Larkhall’s first chance on 15 minutes, lashing over from Yao’s delivery having made a bursting run into the box.
Sol Wanjau-Smith tested former Romans stopper Adam Forster with a first time strike having latched on to Alves’ reverse ball.
Parselle missed a glorious opening to break the deadlock when Latrell Humphrey-Ewers’ cross following a short corner was headed wide by the unmarked skipper, stood six yards out.
Sardo’s first save saw him keep out Yao well at his near post before he made a meal of a corner, flapping into danger only to see Reggie Evans hammer over from 20 yards as City tried to clear their lines.
Eben Mortimer-Taylor tried to manufacture an opening in the latter stages of the half. His ball down the right saw Yao and Parselle meet it together, with referee Adam Wilson awarding a free-kick in City’s favour with both players down.
The centre-back limped on until half-time, allowing him to witness City’s opener.
Lewis Graham’s poor ball from the back was pounced on by Alves, who cut across the edge of the box before his low drive had too much for Forster, the keeper helping it into the roof of the net.
Dan Greenslade replaced Parselle at the break with Joe Raynes moving to centre-half.
It didn’t disrupt City’s rhythm as they largely contained the visitors. Substitute Elliott Frear hunted for a second when his shot across goal was parried by Forster with nobody on hand for a rebound.
Brad Norris, another ex-Bath City man, found room down the left for Larkhall after Humphrey-Ewers had been charged down, but he shot over via a deflection from a tough angle.
Wanjau-Smith ballooned off target having created room with an intelligent spin away from Alex Peapell as the game began to open up in torrential rain.
Evans shot just over from 20 yards and Jake Hicks’ curler was well batted wide of goal by Sardo.
Graham’s intervention blocked Raynes’ goalbound shot from Frear’s initial corner, before the Larks stunned Twerton Park with an 84th minute leveller.
Yao’s header from six yards crept through the hands of Sardo, who could only help it off the inside of the post with Raynes’ desperate attempt to clear from the line in vain.
With Larkhall in celebratory mood, they dropped their guard and allowed City to retake the lead within 90 seconds.
Frear’s cutback from the left wasn’t cleared and Humphrey-Ewers punished the visiting defence, drilling low from 15 yards inside Forster’s right post.
Louis Sweeten nearly marked his first start with a goal, his fizzing effort from distance pinged off the base of the post with Forster beaten.
Graham was sent up front by the visitors in desperation, and it paid off handsomely in the first minute of additional time.
A ball swung in from the right was missed by the otherwise impressive Raynes and Graham controlled brilliantly before thumping into the roof of the net to send the tie to penalties.
Respective centre-backs Graham and Nick Grimes converted their kicks confidently before Larkhall blinked first, Harvey Pritchard dragging his wide of the left post.
Humphrey-Ewers’ penalty sneaked past Forster and the next two kicks were successful, Spencer Dymond-Hall for the Larks before Frear walloped his into the top corner.
Yao’s spot-kick was too close to Sardo who saved well to his right, giving Wanjau-Smith the opportunity to send City through.
Having missed against the Romans last year for Maidstone, this year he made no mistake as he effortlessly wrong-footed Forster to send his side through to the last 16 – City’s first victory in a Somerset Premier Cup shootout since February 1999 having lost their last five.
Att: 369
City’s Line-Up: Sardo, Mabika, Raynes, Grimes, Parselle (Greenslade HT), Alves, Humphrey-Ewers, Wanjau-Smith, Sweeten, Mwuara (Frear 56), Russe (Pritchard 78). Subs not used: Wiles-Richards, Lewis, Brooks, Athanasiou.
Scorers: City – Alves (45+1), Humphrey-Ewers (85); Larkhall – Yao (84), Graham (90+1)
City Bookings: Parselle (32)
Officials: A Wilson, K Mann, K Rood