Bath City (1) 1 Truro City (0) 0 – Tuesday 3 September 2024 – Vanarama National League South – Twerton Park
Match Report by Mark Stillman.
Sol Wanjau-Smith’s second goal of the season saw Bath City inflict Truro City’s first defeat since the opening day.
The striker smartly converted four minutes before the break to confirm a third 1-0 home win this term for Jerry Gill’s team.
Harvey Wiles-Richards’ astonishing block from Connor Riley-Lowe proved crucial late on.
It preserved three points to move City up to 14th, three points shy of the play-offs.
Elliott Frear made his first start of the campaign while the bench saw welcome returns for Josey Casa-Grande, on loan from Bristol City, and Luke Russe after six months on the sidelines.
A frantic opening saw the Romans make the brighter start.
Truro failed to clear a Frear free-kick which led to Billy Phillips shooting wide on the turn with Wanjau-Smith arriving too late to poach.
A second set-piece saw Frear go for goal from 18 yards, but Dan Lavercombe clawed it away.
Truro’s effort saw Seidou Sanogo show good balance to shrug off Jordan Tillson before firing over from 30 yards.
All that was in the first eight minutes, and the game settled into a lull with neither goalkeeper overly tested until the latter stages of the first half.
A Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain cross from his initial long throw ended with Tyler Harvey’s acrobatic volley being charged down by the well-placed Jack Batten.
City took the lead on 41 minutes. Frear’s floated ball over the top saw Wanjau-Smith hold off Tom Harrison before cutely finishing past the advancing Lavercombe from 18 yards.
Shooting up the slope in the second half, the Romans showed positive intent with Tillson’s cross beautifully collected by the impressive Phillips, whose snapshot was tipped away by Lavercombe at his near post.
Moments later Ewan Clark went to ground in the box after a tussle with Harrison. No penalty was awarded, and the alert Phillips’ shot was well blocked by Sam Sanders in the aftermath.
A miraculous escape kept the lead intact on 56 minutes. Harvey’s driven cross unwittingly hit Dan Greenslade and ricocheted off Kieran Parselle towards his own goal, but Wiles-Richards somehow reacted sharply enough to prevent the ball crossing the line.
Frear half volleyed over when Clark’s corner was only partially cleared before Wiles-Richards was called upon again, parrying Harvey when the striker was left unmarked 12 yards out from Andrew Neal’s ball inside.
Truro changed to a 4-2-4 formation to try and rescue a point and their gamble nearly paid off with four minutes remaining.
Three of their five substitutes were involved. Neal chested wide to Dom Johnson-Fisher, whose drilled ball found the free Riley-Lowe inside the six yard box, but having taken a touch his follow-up effort was magnificently repelled by Wiles-Richards, keeping the former Roman out.
Wanjau-Smith flashed over in added time with Oxlade Chamberlain, brother of former England international Alex, seeing his overhead kick fly over as City recorded their fourth clean sheet in seven matches.
Att: 1055
City’s Line-Up: Wiles-Richards, Raynes, Greenslade, Batten, Parselle (c), Wanjau-Smith, Humphrey-Ewers, Clark, Frear, Tillson, Phillips (Fisher 76). Subs not used: Casa-Grande, Sweeten, Davies, Russe.
Scorers: City – Wanjau-Smith (41); Truro – none
City Bookings: Parselle (11)
Officials: A Merchant, M Underhay, D Spyer, J Duffy (4th)