Bath City (0) 0 Hungerford Town (2) 2 – Vanarama National League South – Monday 28 December 2020 – Twerton Park
Match Report by Mark Stillman.
Early goals from Ryan Seager and Craig Fasanmade helped Hungerford Town record their first ever win against Bath City.
The front men struck within 20 minutes before a combination of determined defending and lax finishing helped earn their seventh clean sheet in the league this term.
Tom Smith had a second half effort disallowed as the Romans piled on the pressure after the break, but they created little in the final 20 minutes against a resolute defence.
The defeat was City’s first in five games and moves them down to 16th in the division.
Unchanged Bath were making their first league outing at Twerton for a month, and they started positively with Smith’s shot from 20 yards well gathered by Luke Cairney.
Having withstood early pressure, Town took the lead on 12 minutes. Matt Partridge’s crossfield pass was volleyed across goal by Rhys Tyler perfectly to the onrushing Seager, who expertly planted it beyond Will Henry from six yards before the ball hit the ground.
City had a penalty appeal turned down when Cairney collided with Tommy Conway, with the keeper reacting strongly to deny Donovan Wilson on the follow-up.
The visitors made it 2-0 on 20 minutes after City made a mess of clearing Tyler’s long throw. Fasanmade took advantage as his shot heavily deflected off James Taylor and dipped over Henry.
Conway stabbed wide in response before a half-time tactical change to match Hungerford’s 3-5-2 appeared to do the trick as City burst out of the traps.
Smith’s 51st minute tap-in was ruled out for offside on Ryan Harley in the build-up, with Conway’s low drive squirming past Cairney who was relived to see it trickle past his post to force one of several corners in Bath’s favour.
Wilson had a snap shot blocked by Cairney on 68 minutes which proved to be the goalkeeper’s last meaningful action as Town smothered the Romans thereon in. On the counter the energetic Fasanmade drew a decent save from Henry down to his left.
It wasn’t the ideal way to end 2020 but Bath City will have more pressing concerns about whether the season continues for much longer in response to possible government restrictions.
Att: n/a
City’s Line-Up: Henry, Taylor, Grant, Smith, Batten, Artus (c) (Ball HT), Wilson, Harley, Conway, Horton, Mehew. Subs not used: Clarke, James, Pope, Bahadur.
Scorers: City – none; Hungerford – Seager (12), Fasanmade (20)
City Bookings: none
Officials: R Martin, S Ford, J Clench