Farnborough (0) 0 Bath City (1) 2 – Friday 18 April 2025 – Vanarama National League South – Saunders Transport Community Stadium
Match Report by Mark Stillman.
Joe Raynes and Elliott Frear scored their first league goals of the season as Bath City eased to a Good Friday success at Farnborough.
The result made it back-to-back away wins for Darren Way’s much-changed side.
Raynes, on target for the first time since Good Friday last year, was forced off soon after opening the scoring through a hip injury.
It was a rare blip during an otherwise hard-working victory, rounded off by Frear in the final 10 minutes.
Frear was one of five changes to the eventful 2-2 draw with Dorking six days previous, a result which confirmed City’s survival, with Louis Sweeten also in to become the second youngest starter for the Romans in National League South.
Another player in from the off, Jack Batten, headed Raynes cross over on 13 minutes, but Farnborough’s reprieve was brief as a siege on the home goal eventually led to an opener.
Mitch Beardmore’s corner from the left was powerfully headed towards goal by Alex Fisher, but Jack Turner performed heroics to keep it out via the bar and Ricky Holmes heading away from the line under pressure.
Raynes’ follow-up from the angle was so woefully misplaced that Beardmore kept it in near the corner quadrant and he played it back to Fisher, whose smart strike again saw him kept out by Turner.
The keeper was given no help from his defence as Raynes reacted quickest to downward header home from close range, scoring his first away goal since December 2018.
Ollie Tomlinson headed Beardmore’s next corner just over before Raynes was forced to withdraw, with Luke Russe on to fill in at wing-back.
The switch possibly contributed to a rare lapse at the back as Jonny Stuttle cleverly flicked into the path of Matty MacArthur, with City’s defence at sixes and sevens.
It left the Australian one-on-one with Harvey Wiles-Richards but he wastefully shot against the keeper’s legs.
The move was kept alive as City failed to clear their lines properly but Boro’ didn’t take advantage as Holmes scooped over.
The unsighted Turner kept it at 1-0 after half-time when Ewan Clark’s teasing ball saw the keeper’s view blocked off by Batten’s run across the box, and he was fortunate his uncomfortable parry rebounded to safety.
The home side should have equalised on 65 minutes.
Kieran Parselle’s slack pass was intercepted by Reggie Young, and with room on the right he drew the defence out of position before laying it on a plate for Holmes, who fired over from 12 yards when he should have hit the target.
They received another golden opportunity to level just after when Batten’s backpass was handled by Wiles-Richards and deemed as deliberate and resulted in an indirect free-kick on the six yard line.
The decision appeared harsh, as opposed to a clearer offence by the same defender just after half-time which left Farnborough’s players aghast.
With 10 players on the line including Wiles-Richards, Holmes touched the ball to MacArthur whose thunderous effort was deflected behind via the City keeper’s shin.
Parselle’s strike from Clark’s short free-kick some 35 yards out was well taken by Turner but he was powerless to prevent a second, as dreadful defending from the hosts proved costly.
A throw-in from Dan Greenslade bounced in favour of fellow substitute Jesse Nwabueze, and he scampered clear down the right.
Both Jack Bateson and former City loanee Richard Chin made a meal of clearing his ball across and Frear punished them, setting himself before side-footing home off the inside of the post.
It was his first league goal for just over a year and repeated his feat of scoring at Farnborough last term.
That clinching goal knocked the stuffing out of Spencer Day’s side as Way celebrated his first league double as City boss, having beaten Boro’ at Twerton Park on New Year’s Day.
Att: 1227
City’s Line-Up: Wiles-Richards, Raynes (Russe 34), Batten, Parselle (c), Frear, Fisher (Wilson 83), Sweeten (Greenslade HT), Alves (Clark HT), Tomlinson, Beardmore, Ash (Nwabueze 70).
Scorers: City – Raynes (16), Frear (81); Farnborough – none
City Bookings: Russe (59), Tomlinson (71), Frear (72)
Officials: S Hughes, C Britton, S Smith, J Barry (4th)
