Enfield Town (0) 1 Bath City (1) 1 – Saturday 18 January 2025 – Vanarama National League South – Dave Bryant Stadium
Match Report by Mark Stillman.
Bath City were held by Enfield Town in a battling performance at the Dave Bryant Stadium.
Jordan Alves put the Romans ahead just before half-time before Sam Youngs deservedly levelled for the hosts.
Ewan Clark and Alex Fisher made their comebacks from injury on a tough afternoon against a dogged side who looked keen to complete a league double over City.
The point keeps Darren Way’s charges 10 points clear of the bottom four, all of whom failed to win.
City were unchanged for a fourth game running under Way, their longest sequence of picking the same starting XI since December 2018-January 2019.
Enfield Town, who’d used 37 different players in 27 games, were spirited from the off with Adam Thompson heading Lennon Peake’s free-kick over from close range.
They nearly took the lead in extraordinary circumstances on nine minutes. Kieran Parselle’s clearance was blocked by Mickey Parcell some 35 yards out and looped back over the backtracking Harvey Wiles-Richards, who was grateful to see it come back off the top of the bar.
Alves curled a free-kick past everyone and wide a congested penalty area as City tried to make inroads in tough circumstances, the ball heading out of play regularly at Town’s athletics stadium causing several pauses in play and preventing any flow.
The smoothest move from the Romans eventually led to an opener on 42 minutes. Scott Wilson’s crossfield ball was collected by Joe Raynes, who cut inside of Henry Hawkins before being upended by the centre-back on the edge of the box.
Having scored from similar range against Boreham Wood two months ago, Alves once again stepped up and made no mistake, tidily curling into the bottom left corner with Rhys Forster unable to get across in time.
Town had a chance to level in first half added time when Peake’s corner was scrambled towards goal by Amaru Kaunda under pressure from Wilson, with Wiles-Richards fully stretched to his left to gather.
The City keeper had to be alert again three minutes after the restart when Billy Leonard’s cross shot nearly dipped in, forcing the keeper to glove away from danger.
Alves’ appeal for a penalty following a slight shove from Bayley Brown was ignored and his drive from cutting inside from the right was fumbled around the post from Forster.
Way’s side created another opening when Wilson capitalised on Town, with the worst defensive record in the league, making a hash of a clearance allowing the forward to cut inside before drilling a yard wide.
The crosses from the hosts kept piling in and kept City on their toes with Ollie Tomlinson, Parselle and Dan Greenslade all excelling.
Peake’s ball from the left was helped out as far as Kaunda but after a neat first touch the Cambridge United loanee blasted over from 15 yards.
Youngs headed Bayley Brown’s cross off target from close range before Way freshened up his troops, replacing the tiring Elliott Frear with Clark, making his first appearance since 28 September after 20 matches on the sidelines.
He’d barely had enough time to collect mud on his studs before the home side levelled.
Parcell’s hoisted ball to the right was collected by Leonard, his inviting centre missed Kaunda but not Youngs, as the top scorer gleefully fired in at the far post to bring the hosts deservedly level.
Fisher was introduced for Wilson in his first outing for a month with Mitch Beardmore also on for his debut as City looked for a late sting in the tale.
They were nearly gifted it in the last seconds as Forster bizarrely tried to sidestep Fisher from Parcell’s pass back and was nearly dispossessed before shanking out of play.
The final whistle swiftly followed as City’s upturn in fortunes continued, stretching their run to one defeat in five, with a first point in the road in 2025.
Att:782
City’s Line-Up: Wiles-Richards, Raynes, Greenslade, Parselle (c), Wilson (Fisher 80), Frear (Clark 75), Tillson, Russe, Alves, Tomlinson, Ash (Beardmore 83). Subs not used: Batten, Horsell.
Scorers: City – Alves (42); Enfield – Youngs (77)
City Bookings: Raynes (13)
Officials: E Heaslip, A Ibrahim, N Garside, M Tingey (4th)