Next Match – Farnborough (H)

Bath City welcome Farnborough to Twerton Park for the Her Game Too event this Saturday, looking to add another three points to their tally as they continue to push for a play-off position with 11 games of the regular season left to play.

Last season, the points were shared after both sides won 1-0 away from home – Alex Fletcher sealing City’s win in Hampshire in August – but this is a fixture that tends to produce goals. Historically, there have been more goals in Bath v Farnborough matches than with any other opponent we face in the National League South this season. That statistic was boosted considerably in 2014-15, when City won 7-4 at Twerton Park and 7-2 at Farnborough, which remains to this day their biggest away win in the division.

This season’s away match was played in November and ended in a 2-2 draw, with Elliott Frear and Jack Batten replying after the hosts had twice taken the lead. A rare miss from the penalty spot by Cody Cooke in the last ten minutes denied City a win.

Boro have been in good form of late. A five-game unbeaten run dating back to the beginning of February came to an end at home to league leaders Yeovil Town last Saturday, but the Yellows bounced back to beat Welling United 1-0 home on Tuesday. That said, six of those seven games have been at home, and away from home they have only won twice this season. Neither is their record against Bath City particularly good. Of 26 games played between the teams, City have won fourteen and Boro only seven.

Both clubs have a manager who has been with them for a while now. Jerry Gill has been at Bath City since October 2017, while Spencer Day took charge at Farnborough in November 2011, which makes him the longest-serving manager in the NLS. He saw Boro relegated in 2015 and demoted to Step 4, but got them back up to Step 2 via the play-offs in 2022. They finished 12th last season.

On loan forward Hady Ghandour scored six goals in nine games after coming in at Christmas, but he has just been recalled to Aldershot Town to help them with their promotion bid in the National League.

For City, last week’s abandonment means Tom Smith is still on 249 appearances so could hit the milestone this weekend. Isaac Vassell also returns to the fold.

Tickets for the Farnborough game, and for Tuesday’s match against Hemel Hempstead, and for the Weymouth match on Good Friday, are available here and, as always, you can save money on the entry fee by buying in advance.