Bath City (0) 0 Hemel Hempstead Town (1) 3 – Tuesday 24 March 2026
Enterprise National League South – Cannon Clarke Stadium @ Twerton Park
Match Report by Georgina Morse.
Bath City endured a difficult evening at Twerton Park as Hemel Hempstead claimed a convincing victory in rain-soaked conditions. The visitors capitalised on key moments in each half, while the Romans were left to reflect on missed opportunities.
Heavy rain and windy conditions throughout the match made it difficult, with both sides initially struggling to settle. Hemel Hempstead adopted a high defensive line, looking to press City early, but the hosts showed intent in the opening stages. Within the first five minutes, the Romans worked the ball well from midfield to Owen Windsor, who combined with Scott Wilson before delivering a cross that was comfortably cleared but an early sign of attacking promise.
City continued to win a series of free-kicks in advanced areas during the early exchanges, but were unable to convert them into clear chances. Hemel also threatened sporadically, with a key chance from George Williams finding space on the right and laying the ball off to Isiah Noel-Williams who produced a brilliant cross across the face of goal, although no one was able to apply the finishing touch.
The game developed into an open, end-to-end contest, with both sides creating opportunities. Windsor remained a focal point for City, linking play effectively and creating space. A well-worked move saw him release Wilson on the right, whose driven effort was saved by goalkeeper Michael Johnson. Hemel Hempstead responded immediately, breaking forward and forcing Harvey Wiles-Richards into a smart save from a low strike.
As the half progressed, City began to apply sustained pressure. Jordan Alves went close with a powerful effort that drifted just wide, while a clever flick on from Windsor allowed Wilson another opportunity, only for a crucial defensive intervention from Charlie Rowan to deny what looked like a certain goal, the ball deflecting off the post and out for a corner.
Despite City’s attacking threat, Hemel remained dangerous on the counter and from set-pieces. A scramble in the Roman’s penalty area after a corner saw multiple attempts blocked in quick succession, with Kieran Parselle making a vital last block to keep the scores level.
The hosts suffered a setback in the 37th minute when Luke Russe was forced off with an injury. However, they continued to press, with Ollie Tomlinson testing Johnson with a volley from close range following a long throw from Danny Greenslade, only for the goalkeeper to be well positioned and block the shot.
Hemel Hempstead took the lead just before the break in the 44th minute. A partial clearance from the City defence fell kindly to Williams on the edge of the area, and he produced a composed, curling finish into the left corner beyond Wiles-Richard giving the visitors a 1–0 advantage heading into half-time.
The Romans looked to respond after the break, but the second half began in difficult fashion for the hosts. A loose passage of play inside their own penalty area allowed Hemel Hempstead to sustain pressure, and after City failed to fully clear their lines, Noel-Williams was able to collect the ball inside the penalty box. His shot took a significant deflection off Parselle, wrong-footing Wiles-Richards and trickling into the net to make it 2–0 in the 49th minute.
Hemel nearly extended their lead shortly after, with Vilhete heading against the post from a corner, as City struggled to regain control. The Romans made more changes, including the introduction of Charlie Binns in goal, but found themselves increasingly pinned back as the visitors dictated the tempo.
Despite occasional breaks forward, City were unable to establish sustained attacking pressure. However, the visitors continued to threaten, with Remaye Campbell forcing Binns into a save after cutting in from the left.
Campbell remained a threat, and it was a long ball over the top that finally picked him out again. Showing real determination, he went to ground to keep the ball from running out of play, doing well to keep it alive before cutting inside the box. With time and space and no immediate pressure, he then curled a left-footed effort into the far corner, sealing a third goal for Hemel Hempstead.
The closing stages saw the Romans struggle to create meaningful chances, while Hemel remained organised defensively to preserve their clean sheet. The visitors comfortably saw out the remainder of the match and secured their third consecutive clean sheet.
For Bath City, while there were positive spells of attacking play, particularly in the first half, the hosts were ultimately punished by Hemel’s composure in front of goal. The defeat leaves the Romans with further ground to make up as they look to improve their league position.
Att: 1091
City’s Line-Up: Wiles-Richards (Binns 57), Greenslade, Tomlinson (Sheppard HT), Parselle (c), Alves, S Wilson (Ash 63), Fisher (Sweeten 82), Russe (Pritchard 37), Windsor, Putman, Laqeretabua. Subs not used: Alexander-Walker, D Wilson.
Scorers: City – none; Hemel – Williams (44, 50), Campbell (81)
City Bookings: none
Officials: J Crossley, N Wormleighton, A Bower, J Bromham (4th)
