Bath City vs. Hayes and Yeading

[footballexclusives]

Thoughts on the game ahead?

a match preview can be found on the football exclusives website

[Dave]

Football will be the winner

[Beau Nash]

We should try to do a Chelmsford as this is the way to encourage the 1374 from the Community Day to return.

[Luton Roman]

Moore, Simmo, Ball, Gallinagh, Walsh, Connolly, Allen, Keats, Pratt, Watkins, Low, Subs, Bowman, Wilson, Stearn, Brown, Burnell.

[Luton Roman]

Won 3-2, I suspect doesnt tell even half of it. City come from 0-1 and 1-2 down to score in 84th and 90th min to win 3-2 with Pratt 2 and Watkins.

[pete mac]

After a season where late goals have done for us we finally get one going the other way. A couple of defeats/drawsfor Dover and Havant and dare we imagine.....maybe no but still faintly possible.

[Ashley]

Great day ball sponsoring - credit to Bob Chester and everyone else
who makes it happen as it's excellent.

Enjoyable game- feared the worse at 1-2 but great feeling at the end!

Had a horrible moment right by the post when I thought Andy's shot might drift wide- you could hear the crowd's intake of breath before it hit the net!!

[Mcnulty]

Odd game. I was berating the management for playing long ball football when we scored a winner with an assist directly from our keep, so I take it all back. it worked!
We deserved the win on balance of play but I must admit I thought we had blown it.

[Marc Monitor]

Another game that was emblematic of our season. We really shouldn't have won because we could not score a goal where we were dominant and H&Y were camping at the edge of their area and then we were stupidly 2-1 down. However, against the later run of play and, as has been mentioned, contrary to our better tactics, we won. Infuriating, frustrating and exciting and we still aren't out of the play-offs. Madness

[yuffie]

After a very similar first half to the Eastbourne game I thought we were getting increasingly frustrated during the second half at a Hayes side who looked to have no real desire to do anything other than hold on for a point. Therefore it was understandable if the players (under instruction from the management?) started to go more direct rather than trying to pass through the massed ranks of red shirts.

To then get caught on the break was a real sickener but full credit to the players they didn't let their heads drop and what a great finish.

All in all an eventful afternoon - arrived late to get in just as Hayes scored (which looked to me like a Simmo OG), then got told off by the lineman for gently (though quite persistently) reminding him that he wasn't having the best afternoon (Welling-gate all over again) only for him to get his own back by blocking my photo of the winning goal.

[Mark Tanner]

Oh no I have a rival for my football exclusives write up! I'm sure mine will be better when I write it up!

[Beau Nash]

No mention yet of Dave Pratt, yet another gutsy never say die attitude with running and skill aplenty;  deservedly MoM.  

[Marc Monitor]

Oh, Pratt is just brilliant. Doesn't know when he is beaten, doesn't know when he hasn't the ability to try something. I was was going to say that he doesn't give up on anything but, today, I saw him pull up short on a couple of balls. No disrespect to him - he must have been knackered - but it is the first time I have seen that this season. After Mellor's red card, he is definitely in the running for my Player of the Year.

[the demon headmaster]

All sounds a bit dismal guys; cheer up, we won. My correspondent suggested we were dominant and were playing some good stuff.

[yuffie]

the highlights here show that we played pretty well again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mkfZ4XYKG4&feature=youtu.be

the penalty looked softer than i thought at time and watkins' finish was real quality

[Beau Nash]

A game where a few short periods of play were scrappy but then there were a lot of periods when the football, mostly from City, was exhilarating.  Hayes looked dangerous going forward so a mystery why they are 'flirting' with the relegation zone.

The first goal was down to that Irish international Rick O’Shay, Sekani knew little about it.  My second choice for MotM was Sekani, solid in defence and why oh why don’t we see more of Sekani’s silky ball skills going forward?

The Chronicle and official reports are well worth a read.

All credit to the thirty or so Hayes fans who sang all afternoon.  The only small disappointment was, from the stand in the second half, I couldn’t hear the Legion; oh how we miss WSP to lead the march:

Sumus quattuordecimani, legio gemina,
Aufer te, de via decedite,
Cornu sonat pedem inferre,
Milites Romani procedite.

Sive sequimur aquilas, sive progredimur ad cornices soli,
Nostra superbia est in legione
Et pugnans peditatus est domus gensque,
Et pugnans peditatus est domus gensque.

Nos signa sequimur, quocumque nos ducunt,
A barbara Germaniae silva,
Ad Caledoniam caliginem,
Domitores Britannorum procedite.

We are the men of the fourteenth, the twin legion,
Be off with you, get out of the way,
You've heard the trumpet sound, the infantry advance,
The soldiers of Rome march on.

Whether we follow the eagles, or we go to the ravens alone,
Our pride is in the legion,
And the fighting infantry is our family and home,
And the fighting infantry is our family and home.

We follow the standards, wherever they lead us,
From the barbaric forests of Germany,
To the mist shrouded hills of Caledonia,
The Tamers of the Britons march on.

With a few changes to some of the words we could use this, needs a tune...  

[stillmanjunior]

the highlights here show that we played pretty well again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mkfZ4XYKG4&feature=youtu.be

the penalty looked softer than i thought at time and watkins' finish was real quality

And a clear own goal, was certain Cox scored from our angle. Bah. Simpson's second in three games, don't think he had any before that.

Why did we wear last season's kit again?

[pete mac]

Yes great stuff. Late goals and real excitement. Big bounce before Watto took it. Great noise from City fans for the last two goals.

[Mark Tanner]

I managed to do a match report on yesterday's game, please have a read and let me know what you think! http://mtannersport.wordpress.com/

Also you can like and share on facebook now too https://www.facebook.com/mtannersports

[pete mac]

Good report Mark. Sounds like low played well again.

[Mark Tanner]

Yeah like I said, his best performance in a City shirt that I've seen! Very pleased he lasted the 90mins too. He was putting himself about a bit more, just a shame he has been half fit for most of his time with us. If he does stay on next season then I hope for more performances like yesterday!

[Marc Monitor]

I would say that there were periods - one in particular - of exciting and good football but not much more. At the end of the main one, where I was worrying that we hadn't taken advantage and scored, they went and scored their breakaway second goal. Obviously, the route one goal wasn't pretty but necessary and the end was exciting.

On reflection of the main period of dominance, it was probably better than I mentioned yesterday but there were elements of pretty rank football.

[BenE]

My take on the game was that we dominated from start to finish but were somewhat shot shy. There doesn't appear to be anyone in the side who is prepared to give a shot some welly, everyone wants to deftly place it in the net. Well you just don't get that much time.

Also we are dreadful at defending a lead. Hayes could easily have scored twice after we nosed in front having created the best part of bugger all in the rest of the game. We have the goalie to thank for the points.

it was exciting -yes - can't deny that. But we should have been comfortably out of sight before then.

[the demon headmaster]

Glad to hear the goalie played well because I had my doubts after the Eastbourne game.

With posts like those from Beau Nash this has to be one of the most literary forums around. Is there a top forum award?

Thanks to everyone for the links posted above. I couldn't go on Saturday so the lack of Kelston Koppite has been more than made up for.

[Marc Monitor]

Actually, yes, the goalie was good.

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