Bath Saturday

Absolute bargain.....think I might get my free pasty and drink at this one  to make it a real cheap day out

I'm hoping we get a replay, and then win that by loads. A replay would be great for nostalgic reasons and more importantly for Bath's finances.

I'm really not bothered by progress in this competition, but playing Bath is different.

Really can't understand the negativity towards this game. Rovers need to play their best team and win this game Fullstop. It's a chance for players like Balanta to get another game under his belt and the new forwards / signings like Wall to get sharper and raise their confidence levels through scoring a few goals.

And a great article on the excellent Bath City website

bathcityfc.com/news14.htm#1012


Preview 2: Landlord v Tenant FA Cup clash (10/12/14)

Although City and Bristol Rovers had met four times in the Somerset Premier Cup during the first half of the 1990s plus a Coronation Cup match in the early 1960s it was the draw for the 1994-95 FA Cup 1st Round that gave the two clubs by far their highest profile clash. City’s cup exploits the previous season – reaching the 3rd Round proper where they drew 0-0 at 1st Division Stoke City before losing the replay – saw them bypass the qualifying rounds for the only time in their history and when the draw paired them with tenants Bristol Rovers the delight amongst players, officials and supporters was obvious. There was initial disappointment when the game was surprisingly overlooked by Sky for one of their televised games – denying both sides a £48,000 windfall - but this was quickly forgotten as the clubs began preparing for the 12 November tie.

Although City had been drawn as the home side – meaning tenants Rovers would be in the unusual position of using the away dressing room for the day (they even took a coach to the game to replicate a normal away match) - it was clear that the majority of supporters at the game would be backing the Pirates and it was decided that there would be no segregation in any part of the ground. Prices were set at £10 for the main stand, £9 for the family stand and £6 for a place on the terrace. On the pitch the form of the two sides couldn’t have been more contrasting. City had begun the 1994-95 season promisingly – they briefly topped the table during September – but a dip in form had seen hopes of a sustained title challenge fade and they came into the Rovers game on the back of six successive defeats – the last three without scoring a goal. Rovers had only lost three of their opening sixteen Division 2 games and, although eight draws meant they were in mid-table, their last outing was a 4-0 win over Bradford City at Twerton Park.

However, once 6,751 fans had found their way into the ground the clear quality gap was forgotten and for 20 minutes City held their own against the Pirates. City manager Tony Ricketts had already produced a surprise in his starting line-up, fielding a back five for the first time that season, with former Rovers skipper Vaughan Jones at sweeper on his return to the Romans. City were frustrating Rovers and could have grabbed the lead on 11 minutes when top scorer Paul Adcock was put through on goal by Nicky Brooks only for a defender to close him down before he could test keeper Brian Parkin. Slowly, though, Rovers began to gain the upper hand and City suffered a couple of nervous moment before the deadlock was broken in the 19th minute. City keeper Dave Mogg initially did well to keep out Paul Miller’s shot but after Justin Channing’s follow up hit the bar he was powerless to keep out Marcus Stewart’s diving header. Any worries that the floodgates would open proved groundless at that stage and City reached the interval still very much in the game.

Within six minutes of the restart, though, it all began to go wrong for City. A two-footed tackle by Grantley Dicks on Rovers’ Justin Pritchard earned the left-back a straight red card and the game shifted relentlessly in favour of the ‘away’ side. It took them just five minutes to make their man advantage tell, Miller cutting in from the left before shooting past Mogg from 16 yards out. And this time the floodgates did open – although City’s heads never dropped and they kept battling right to the final whistle – Miller turning in Pritchard’s cross on 73 minutes before completing his hat-trick eleven minutes from time with a far post header from Lee Archer’s cross. And the former Wimbledon striker then netted his fourth and Rovers’ fifth in the 84th minute, Archer again the provider with a great low centre.

Remarkably City were back in action just two days later when they finally ended their losing streak with a 2-0 home win over Farnborough but it was Rovers whose FA Cup adventure continued with a win at Leyton Orient in the next round before 1st Division Luton Town knocked them out at Twerton Park by a single goal in a 3rd Round replay.

Totally agree. A winning team is a confident team and they will really want to play if they get into that mindset. Winning, like anything else, is an habit. An habit I would love to see us attain.
On their day, the Romans can play decent football. Jim Rollo is a good friend and I believe his is still club captain. From what he says, nothing could motivate them more than this game. I don't know if gate receipts are shared in this but I'd like to see Romans get a few quid.
I moan about the money situation at our club but we are the wealthy family members in comparison to our country Cousins. I'll be eternally grateful to Bath, for helping us in our hour of need

Thanks buddy,

That makes me feel good. I know it kind of sounds silly but I would love a draw just to play back at Twerton, in a competitive match though I fully expect us to be way too much for them today. I was going to go today, would have been my 1st game back since that awful May Day but my bloody battery is flat. Must be a sign .