Chelmsford City (4) 7 Bath City (0) 1 – Saturday 7 March 2026
Enterprise National League South – The Dunmow Group Community Stadium
Match Report by Mark Stillman.
Bath City’s season hit a new low as they were hit for seven at Chelmsford City.
In their biggest defeat since a 7-0 hammering at Wealdstone in January 2020, the Romans were torn apart by the cruising Clarets who added to their 5-0 success at Torquay a week earlier.
Four were scored before the break and the hosts showed no mercy afterwards, with City fortunate to escape without conceding double figures.
Luke Skinner’s first for the club was mere consolation as Darren Way’s side were brushed aside on a chastening afternoon in Essex.
The floodgates opened in the fourth minute. Luke Russe’s slack pass was intercepted by Charlee Adams and collected by Jason Adigun.
After turning two defenders, his tame shot on the edge of the box was poorly beaten away by Charlie Binns straight to Harry Barbrook, who tapped in from close range.
For the next 15 minutes City showed promise, getting the ball in right areas but ultimately lacked ideas in the final third. Unlike Chelmsford.
A second arrived when Adigun somehow made room from a tight spot near the byline, lofted the ball over Binns who couldn’t get a strong enough glove to keep it away from the onrushing Joe Grimwood, who headed in from almost on the line.
Manny Egbo made it three on 36 minutes. Adams’ crossfield ball saw Lyle Taylor’s presence enough to distract Dan Greenslade, with Egbo the beneficiary behind as he controlled and superbly lashed across Binns into the far corner.
The fourth was entirely preventable. Adams’ corner saw Ben Tompkins easily find space and his downward header from 12 yards bounced past Binns.
Changes were predictably made after a sorry first half display with Skinner and Jordan Alves replacing Russe and Greenslade.
Lessons weren’t learned during the half-time team talk as Chelmsford’s first corner of the second half resulted in number five.
This time Grimwood rose highest to nod in his second of the game, though Binns should have done better.
It should have been six on 50 minutes. Archie Tamplin easily threaded through to Adigun who placed wide from inside the box in a rare lapse finish from the otherwise clinical hosts.
Noah Phillips was forced into his first meaningful action on the hour. Matt Bowman won the ball in midfield and Owen Windsor’s first time effort was pushed away by the on-loan stopper, with Ruebin Sheppard not capitalising on the rebound.
The difference in finishing was summed up by the sixth with just over an hour played.
Jaiden Putman miscontrolled on the edge of the Chelmsford box and within seconds Egbo drilled the ball into Adigun, who showed no such issues with his touches before slamming across the helpless Binns.
Bowman’s low strike was deflected just wide with Phillips wrong-footed as City showed some good combination play in the final third.
But it mattered little as once again they were punished with a seventh with still 17 minutes to play.
Again it was a move from back to front in what felt like seconds. Jordan Alves initially did superbly to weave into space before shooting straight at Phillips from a tight angle when he had Moses Alexander-Walker in room.
Chelmsford cleared and with the City defence outnumbered, Adigun played in substitute Jes Uchegbulam who made half a yard and curled in tremendously past Binns, his first league goal for the Essex outfit.
Kieran Parselle threw himself in front of Tamplin’s effort to prevent an eighth before City pulled one back.
The energetic Alexander-Walker found space down the right and played it across to Skinner who placed home from 10 yards, much to the annoyance of Phillips having cost him a third straight clean sheet.
The outstanding Adigun nearly had his second when he was initially denied by the legs of Binns before his follow-up squeezed past the keeper but not Parselle who was propped up on the goal line to clear.
It prevented City conceding eight for the first time in 70 years but didn’t hide the humiliation of a shambolic defeat, extending their winless run to seven and damaging their goal difference in what could become crucial in their battle for survival.
Att: 1713
City’s Line-Up: Binns, Raynes (Sullivan 84), Greenslade (Skinner HT), Batten, Parselle (c), Tillson (Beardmore 75), Russe (Alves HT), Bowman, Windsor (Alexander-Walker 73), Putman, Sheppard. Sub not used: Wiles-Richards.
Scorers: City – Skinner (79); Chelmsford – Barbrook (4), Grimwood (20, 48), Egbo (36), Tompkins (39), Adigun (62), Uchegbulam (73)
City Bookings: Tillson (36), Sheppard (81)
Officials: D Blades, R Chantrill-Smith, H Clark, O Sanders (4th)
