Bath City (1) 1 Hemel Hempstead Town (1) 2 – Vanarama National League South – Saturday 7 November 2020 – Twerton Park

Bath City (1) 1 Hemel Hempstead Town (1) 2 – Vanarama National League South – Saturday 7 November 2020 – Twerton Park

Mark Report by Mark Stillman

Injury and absentee ravaged Bath led through Donovan Wilson’s blistering finish but Matt Bateman’s penalty soon extinguished their advantage and Young’s late dinked finish sealed the contest. Lee Bircham’s men saw out the closing stages comfortably to move them above the Romans in National League South.

City took the lead when Freddie Grant’s incisive ball down the left saw Wilson burst wide of goal before superbly steering across Danny Boness, the ball snuggling just inside the post. Hemel levelled within eight minutes. JJ Lacey’s through ball was collected by the lively Young, who was caught by Callum Evans in the box. Matt Bateman stepped up to convert his third penalty of the season, Ryan Clarke’s outstretched arm not enough. Stephen Duke-McKenna’s stunning defence-splitting pass saw Young clean through but Clarke parried with his legs.

The second half was bereft of chances. Jake Evans came inches from giving Town the lead on the hour when his 30-yard free-kick hit the post and caught Clarke before rebounding wide. Tom Smith’s daisy-cutter was well gathered by Boness before Hemel clinched victory with 10 minutes left. Kyle Ajayi’s through ball saw Frankie Artus and Clarke collide which allowed Young to nip in and touch home from close range. Boness wasn’t troubled thereafter as City succumbed to their fourth successive defeat in all competitions, their worst run of form in nearly five years.

Att: n/a

City’s Line-Up: Clarke (c), Grant, Smith, Artus, Evans, Wilson, Pope, Leak, Hinds, Tomlinson (Richards 81), Buse (James HT). Subs not used: Henry, Watts, Bahadur.

Scorers: City – Wilson (13); Hemel – Bateman (pen 22), Young (80)

City Bookings: Artus (20), Hinds (49), Grant (57), Evans (88)

Officials: G Rollason, M Senior, J Gould