City Serve Up Pre-Christmas Cracker

City produced a pre-Christmas cracker this afternoon at Twerton Park with a 4-0 win over Welling United. Goals from Scott Wilson, Jordan Thomas, Dan Hayfield and a Cody Cooke penalty ensured the Romans would end their 2023 home campaign on a high.

The visitors enjoyed the majority of possession during the game’s opening exchanges but never looked like turning this into clear openings. City by contrast saw Thomas force a great save from Charles-Cook with their first sight of goal on eleven minutes. And on 23 minutes they took the lead when Elliott Frear’s cross was headed home by Wilson. From that moment City took control of the game. Frear’s header from a Tom Smith cross was brilliantly saved by Charles-Cook at his near post then Hayfield couldn’t keep his shot down from another great Frear cross. The second goal arrived in the final minute of the half when Welling failed to deal with a Frear centre and Thomas steered the ball home from five yards.

Will Buse produced a vital save four minutes after the interval standing up well to block Abrahams’ shot after he got clear of the City backline. And seven minutes later Frear made it a hat-trick of assists with the cross that saw Hayfield loop a header over Charles-Cook. Jordan Dyer then saw his header strike the bar before Thomas’ shot flew narrowly over the bar. City would not be denied a deserved fourth goal though as, with three minutes left, Thomas capped his man-of-the-match performance winning a penalty from Tanga’s desperate attempt to stop another surge into the box. Cooke made no mistake from the spot to cap a perfect afternoon for the Romans and set them up for the Chippenham Town double-header over Christmas and New Year.