Bath City (2) 4 Concord Rangers (0) 0 – Saturday 15 April 2023 – Vanarama National League South – Twerton Park
Match Report by Mark Stillman.
Scott Wilson’s double helped Bath City return to winning ways against bottom markers Concord Rangers.
The front man netted either side of half-time with Harvey Beckett putting through his own goal in the middle of a collapse from the visitors who now look certain for relegation.
Dan Hayfield’s neat header wrapped up the win with 14 minutes remaining.
Academy product Ben Ford was rewarded with his first league outing late on with victory assured.
Concord arrived having edged out fellow strugglers Hungerford Town on Thursday night, and despite a gruelling near 180-mile journey so soon after that win, they started promisingly.
Naya Kyei shot straight at Max Harris inside three minutes before the keeper was given a sterner test by Quinten Monville. The midfielder, one of five changes from their previous match, had time to chest down Kyei’s cross but his low drive was flicked behind for a corner.
Away stopper Mitch Beeney showed sharp reflexes to palm over Tom Smith’s deflected effort on 20 minutes as the Romans gradually gained superiority which grew as the contest wore on.
They were finally rewarded five minutes before the break. Rex Mannings, back after two months on loan at Yate, fizzed a ball across goal which Hayfield collected before calmly playing inside to Wilson who side-footed home between Beeney’s legs from six yards.
The lead was doubled four minutes later. Elliott Frear’s teasing ball from the left missed Wilson but was inadvertently volleyed in by centre-back Beckett at the near post.
Kyei curled harmlessly wide after the interval before Concord were undone by a third on 51 minutes.
Batten’s ball down the right was collected by Wilson who sold Joe Burton before shooting too close to Beeney. Somehow the ball squirmed from under the keeper’s body and Wilson reacted quickest to slam home past Aron Pollock on the line and all but wrap up the win.
The leading marksman should have claimed a first Romans hat-trick when James Morton slipped him through but the forward lost his composure and blasted over.
Kieran Parselle’s header from Frear’s corner was batted over by Beeney but the big keeper was given no chance with City’s fourth on 76 minutes.
Wilson showed more hunger to beat Tosan Popo to the ball on the byline, he played it back to Frear whose dug cross was superbly finished by Hayfield, who readjusted his body to nod in via the underside of the bar.
It wrapped up a thoroughly deserved success in City’s penultimate home game to move them back into the top half.
Att: 945
City’s Line-Up: Harris. Greenslade, Batten, Parselle (c), Hayfield, Smith (Spokes 80), Frear, Lines, Mannings, Wilson, Morton (Ford 73). Sub not used: Clarke.
Scorers: City – Wilson (40, 51), Own Goal (43), Hayfield (76); Concord – none
City Bookings: none
Officials: S Parkinson, D Pilling, G Dunn