Weymouth (0) 1 Bath City (0) 0 – Monday 10 April 2023 – Vanarama National League South – Bob Lucas Stadium
Match Report by Mark Stillman.
Jerry Gill admitted his side’s play-off chances are over after a disappointing loss at Weymouth.
Tom Bearwish’s late penalty separated the sides as a tired City didn’t record a shot on target against the struggling Terras.
It leaves the Romans eight points from the top seven with four matches remaining
The scoreline was also their ninth 1-0 loss of the season, a record for City during a campaign.
Weymouth made an enterprising start with Tom Blair lofting a free-kick over the bar after he was upended by Jack Batten on the edge of the box.
Bearwish lashed over following Keelan O’Connell’s persistence down the right before Blair dragged agonisingly wide as the Terras made all the early running.
Max Harris made an outstanding save when Bearwish’s strike unwittingly flicked off Brad Ash which forced the goalkeeper to readjust before batting away.
Tom Smith miscued wide from 20 yards on the half volley after Weymouth failed to fully clear Elliott Frear’s free-kick.
It proved to be the closest City would come as in the second half they looked visibly fatigued while Weymouth, desperate for points to avoid successive relegations, fought hard.
A lack of quality in the final third let the hosts down. Ahkeem Rose did well to dispossess Joe Raynes 25 yards out but shot too close to Harris after Kieran Parselle’s attempted intervention put him off.
Blair couldn’t keep his shot down after another promising Terras attack and Rose’s curler was beaten away by Harris as the game entered the final quarter hour.
Teddy Howe bundled home from close range but was flagged offside and Nathan Carlyle ballooned over after Rose knocked down Blair’s free-kick.
The winning goal arrived on the counter. Scott Wilson’s ball inside to Luke Spokes was robbed and set Blair away on the left. He cut inside of the lunging Batten before entering the penalty area. After an interchange with Rose, the latter tried to skip past Batten but went to ground with referee Dale Wootton pointing to the spot.
On initial viewing it appeared harsh but replays showed the centre-back possibly just caught the striker before getting a hefty chunk of the ball.
With three of their last penalties missed there was a nervous hush as Bearwish stepped up, but the captain slammed home to Harris’ right to release an outpouring of joy from most of the crowd and ultimately decide the contest.
The result leaves Weymouth entrenched in the bottom four but gives them hope of survival while extinguishing any chances City had of snatching a place in the top seven.
Att: 1093
City’s Line-Up: Harris, Raynes, Greenslade, Batten, Parselle (c), Hayfield, Smith, Frear, Spokes, Wilson, Morton. Subs not used: Clarke, Lines, Ford, Minzamba.
Scorers: City – none; Weymouth – Bearwish (pen 87)
City Bookings: Morton (26), Hayfield (77)
Officials: D Wootton, J Woolley, A Wilson