Bath City (1)1 Eastbourne Borough (0)0

[Kelston Koppite]

Bath City took three very hard earned points from this competitive encounter with Eastbourne Borough at Twerton Park. Only Robbie Cundy’s 36th minute header separated the sides in a match that was high in endeavour, but low in goal scoring opportunities.

Ryan Hall tried his luck for the visitors in the very first minute, but his highly optimistic effort from long range was well wide of Ryan Clarke’s goal. Despite this, City began to enjoy the greater share of possession, but were unable to trouble the Borough defence. Indeed, it was the visitors who fashioned the next opening when Tobi Adebayo-Rowling made good ground down the right before delivering a cross that flashed untouched across the face of the home goalmouth.

The hosts were playing some neat football in midfield but continued in their struggle to threaten the Eastbourne goal. The first scare for the away side came on 32 minutes when Michee Efete worked his way to the right by-line before pulling the ball back to Ross Stearn. The wide-man failed to make good contact and, consequently, his shot skewed wide of the far post. However, his side were ahead four minutes later following Adam Mann’s corner from the left. Cundy rose at the near post to bury his precise glancing header into the far corner of the net beyond statuesque keeper Mark Smith.

Buoyed by their success, City pushed forward in search of a second score. Another Mann corner on 42 minutes was again met by Cundy but, this time, the ball looped harmlessly on to the roof of the net.

Borough suffered a blow when Adam Liddle was forced from the field through injury, which was no doubt a relief to the home defenders who had been constantly wary of the striker’s pace.

The final action of the half saw Mann race after Frankie Artus’s long ball over the top, only for Mark Smith to advance swiftly out of his area to avert the danger.

When the second period commenced ‘The Sports’ gradually gained the upper hand in terms of possession and territorial advantage, pinning City inside their own half for long spells. Harry Ransom’s shot from distance in the 46th minute was high over Clarke’s crossbar and, on the hour mark, Hall nodded wide of the home goal following a partially cleared corner kick.

Bristol Rover’s loanee Deon Moore replaced Stearn up front with Mann moving to the left, as Jerry Gill’s men looked to gain a greater share of possession, but it was Eastbourne who continued to press forward in search of an equaliser which almost arrived on 62 minutes. A free kick into the City area eventually fell to Tom Gardiner 8 yards from goal, and Clarke produced an excellent reflex save to repel the defender’s goalbound shot.

A cross into City’s box from the left in the 73rd minute picked out substitute Yemi Odubade at the far post, but his header was deflected wide of the target by a home defender at the expense of a corner.

The Romans were unable to keep hold of the ball in midfield and hence Borough continued to dominate proceedings. However, Moore almost made the points secure for the home side with 8 minutes left on the clock, when he chased down Ransom and won the ball inside the away box, before flashing a cross-shot wide of the far post from a tight angle.

Clarke was then called upon to make a comfortable diving save to keep out a long range skidding effort from Hall that appeared to take a deflection, before Tom Smith came on for James Morton on 86 minutes. Despite four minutes of stoppage time, the hosts were able to run down the clock without further undue alarm.

This was certainly a victory that owned more to grit and determination than to City’s preferred free flowing style. Whilst they played some good football before the interval, they were unable to wrestle possession from their visitors for long periods of the second half. Despite this, Ryan Clarke had only one serious save to make, which is testament to the organisation and tenacity of the defence in front of him. Credit must be given to Eastbourne for their approach to the game and, unlike a number of recent visitors to Twerton Park, at no stage in the game did they give the impression that they were happy to sit back in search of a single point.

Bath City: Ryan Clarke; Michee Efete, Robbie Cundy, Jack Batten, Anthony Straker; James Morton (Tom Smith 86), Frankie Artus, Sean Rigg; Joe Raynes, Adam Mann, Ross Stearn (Deon Moore 65). Subs not used: Ryan Brunt, Harvey Wiles-Richards, Mohammad Baghdadi.

Eastbourne Borough: Mark Smith; Tobi Adebayo-Rowling, Kristian Campbell, Kane Wills, Harry Ransom, Tom Gardiner, Dean Cox, Sergio Torres, Adam Liddle (Charlie Walker 42), Ryan Hall, Joel Rollinson (Yemi Odubade 73). Subs not used: Mike West, Andrew Briggs, Daniel Blackmore.

Referee: Mr. Mark Howes.

Attendance: 783.

[2weirdtown]

Thanks for that.  Always look forward to KKs reports as an exile that can't get to all that many games.  Pretty good attendance again.  Amazing to think that 689 is the lowest crowd so far at home for a league match.

[Corstonian]

A good report as usual. I thought Cundy, Batten (who would have been my MoM) and Efete were outstanding, as they needed to be in the second half. Straker had a torrid time but stuck to his task as Eastbourne repeatedly worked a situation where he and Stearn were faced by three opponents. I could understand why Stearn was getting agitated - in all fairness he isn't the best tackler, and Straker isn't the quickest of players - because those two were being easily out-manoeuvred and a stream of crosses was coming in from our left side. I thought their second substitution helped us more than them as the player taken off seemed to me to be carrying the main threat. It was good to see City tough it out for the win on an off-day, but our passing was dire throughout the whole game and needs to improve greatly if we hope to beat teams who have more quality up front.

[Kevin Anderson]

Thanks to Kelston Koppite for a very fair summary.  As I had warned some of my City friends, Borough play quite a lot of football but with little end result, so we tend to be everyone's favourite opponents.  On balance of play and possession a draw might have been fair but that's not what earns the gravy... In the latter part of the first half you had us on the ropes and could/should have finished the game off.

We had a couple of quibbles (puts tin helmet on...). The referee allowed 15 secs of first-half added time when there had been over five minutes of stoppages; and in the second half he gave four minutes of added time, almost two minutes of which was taken up with treatment of an injury!  And I'm not sure how any City player could have earned NLP man of match ahead of Torres.  Oh, and if Liddle (no 9) hadn't been crocked on 10 minutes I reckon he would have run your centre backs ragged. Ok, three quibbles.

Safe travelling to Horsham, where I will (honestly) be shouting for you!

[stillmanjunior]

The first half stoppage time was definitely over a minute, but agree there could have been more in the second half. It’s the second match running we’ve had no board to indicate the length of time added on which is really grating.

I write the NLP report and unless we play especially badly, or an opposition player runs the show, I tend to give it to one of ours. I think three from eight of my reports have had an opposition Player of the Match. I didn’t mention Torres in the report once, and, from my view, he wasn’t head and shoulders above anyone else. But it was a poor game, I didn’t think anyone overly stood out. Compiling the ratings is something I hate doing!

[Kevin Anderson]

Thanks for that, Mark.  Not a dig at you personally.  I agree it's a nightmare giving ratings to opposing sides when you don't really know them. Usually it's about 65 minutes in, and you're just thinking, what shall I give that midfielder, and soddit he gets substituted. (Not to mention having to list the team in playing formation and you're trying to work out whether the number 11 is a winger or a second striker etc.) I start with 6 and only change it - generally upwards - if they are particularly noticeable.  As for MoM, it's one of my little beefs that we always tend to default to a home player. I think this season so far I've given it to an away player 3 or 4 times but it does take a conscious effort.

We thought Torres was hugely involved - a measure of which, dare I mention, was that he was fouled six times!  But yes, it was a forgettable game and no reputations enhanced really.

And to show how OCD I truly am, my stopwatch at half-time definitely showed 45.14.  It's an Argos finest at £5.99 and it's as good as an atomic clock...

Best wishes

Kevin A

[stillmanjunior]

That first paragraph is basically reading my mind for when I do the reports. I was about 60 words short come full-time, which is unheard of. I kept holding off in case there was some drama (learnt from week before) but alas it wasn’t coming.

I might seek confirmation as to why the boards for stoppage time aren’t appearing, as it would solve this. I know it’s not fourth officials carrying out the duties but it hasn’t been a problem until these two weeks. Just check the time, ask the lino, raise board. No matter.

[pete mac]

Joining the debate.....couldn't believe the Ref blew the half time whistle straight after a lengthy stoppage. I was amazed.

I thought Torres pulled the strings second half.

[Marc Monitor]

I thought that Torres was very involved in a lot in the second half but wasn't especially effective. Having said that, I thought that there were better MOTM candidates than Rigg who, I am sure, wouldn't have rated that performance as one of his best himself.

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