Next Match – Merthyr Town (H) – FA Cup
Bath City begin their 2024/25 FA Cup campaign full of renewed hope this Saturday, when Merthyr Town are the visitors to Twerton Park for the Second Round Qualifying Round.
City have yet to reach the First Round proper of the FA Cup under Jerry Gill, and the manager is eager to give the fans a Cup run they can be proud of this season – and one that would bring some welcome extra revenue into the club.
Saturday’s opponents play their league football one level below the Romans, but this is far from an easy first draw for the home side. The Martyrs have a good record against the Romans, and a better recent FA Cup record. In 2022/23 they reached the First Round for the first time since they reformed as Merthyr Town in 2010.
The most recent meeting between the clubs – with the Welsh side still playing as Merthyr Tydfil – came during City’s Southern League title-winning 2006/07 campaign. City had already exited the FA Cup at Penydarren Park that season and the Martyrs completed an impressive double thanks to a Jonathan Kift brace – the first direct from a corner. Chris Holland was on target for City, having been red carded in the FA Cup tie. Remarkably this was City’s only defeat in their final 25 league games that season.
You have to go back to the 1933/34 season for the last time City faced the club under the name Merthyr Town. They had dropped out of the Football League three years earlier and would fold at the end of the season but still ran out 4-1 winners.
Saturday is the 115th meeting between Bath City and Merthyr Town/Tydfil, and 14th in the FA Cup.
Overall record v Merthyr: Pld 114 W44 D25 L45 F191 A188
Bath City’s record v Merthyr in the FA Cup:
| Season | Round | H/A | Res | F | A | Att | Scorers and minute(s) |
| 2006-07 | 2Qr | A | L | 2 | 3 | 553 | Mike Green 34, Lewis Hogg 78 |
| 2006-07 | 2Q | H | D | 0 | 0 | 645 | |
| 2002-03 | 2Q | H | W | 5 | 0 | 744 | Jim Rollo (2) 3, 20, Gary Thorne 40, Adrian Foster (2) 74, 80 |
| 1983-84 | 2Q | H | L | 0 | 1 | 689 | |
| 1977-78 | 4Q | A | W | 2 | 1 | 1766 | Martin Wheeler, Peter Rogers |
| 1964-65 | 4Q | H | W | 4 | 1 | n/a | Charlie Fleming 2, Ron Walker, Len Phillips |
| 1954-55 | 4Q | A | L | 1 | 3 | n/a | Selwyn Watkins |
| 1947-48 | 4Q | H | L | 1 | 2 | 11679 | Dave McCulloch |
| 1946-47 | 4Q | A | L | 1 | 7 | n/a | Stan Merritt |
| 1920-21 | 5Qr | H | W | 1 | 0 | 6000 | Joe Dallimore |
| 1920-21 | 5Q | A | D | 0 | 0 | 10000 | |
| 1913-14 | 4Qr | A | L | 0 | 3 | n/a | |
| 1913-14 | 4Q | H | D | 1 | 1 | n/a | Charlie Gould |
Quirks:
- Jim Rollo (original tie) and Chris Holland (replay) received their only red cards for City in the FA Cup meetings in 2006. They made 691 appearances combined for the club.
- The astonishing attendance of 11,679 is unsurprisingly a record at Twerton Park for an FA Cup qualifying round tie.
Merthyr have made a bright start this season. They currently sit fifth in the Southern League Premier South after scoring eight goals with only one reply in their last two league games. Prior to collecting those six points, they beat Cribbs 3-2 in the FA Cup First Round Qualifying to set up this trip to Twerton. Ex-Bath City striker Ricardo Rees scored in that match. Their squad also includes former Romans goalkeeper Will Fuller.
You can save up to £2 on tickets for this must-win Cup clash here.
Come and cheer on the Romans this Saturday as they take their first steps in this season’s FA Cup campaign!
