British Gas Business Football League Premier Division
Tuesday 14 November 2006 - Twerton Park - kick off 7.45pm
half-time: 0-0 result: W1-0 attendance: 505
team: Evans, Rollo (Davidge 27), Green, Coupe (c), Holland, S Jones, Rogers, Hogg, Zarczynski (Phillips 72), Partridge, McKeever. subs not used: York, Pritchard, Fey.
man of the match: Scott Partridge
scorers: Holland (70)
bookings: Coupe (21), Hogg (54), Evans (90)
officials: G Beale (Taunton), R Corpe (Frome), E Hunt (Bristol)
league position: 1st form: DWdWWW next match: Stamford (A)
Report taken from by Richard Gadsby

Bath City moved joint-top of the Southern Premier Division with Mangotsfield after a nervous, if well-earned, win over Cirencester last night.After waiting almost seven months to record a home win, City have now racked up four on the trot and are starting to show glimpses of title-winning form. The best news though is John Relish's side still look like they can move up a gear after failing to kill off Cirencester despite comprehensively outplaying them.

City's best chances of the first half came in the opening ten minutes, with Lewis Hogg steering a good Scott Partridge cross just wide and then Chris Holland heading a pin-point Mark McKeever corner the wrong side of the post. Cirencester came back into it when Jim Rollo was substituted, presumably for an illness, with Steve Jones dropping from midfield into his more usual left-back role. The change in the balance of play was more due to Jones' absence from the centre of the park, where he had again looked impressive, but with Relish fresh out of defenders he had few other options. There were still some chances with Cirencester's long-range efforts all flying high over the bar.

The start of the second half proved much more open. City looked impressive right from the restart and a great McKeever turn and shot forced keeper Kevin Sawyer to acrobatically tip over just three minutes in. Immediately after, Cirencester almost took the lead when Marc Richards' diving header from six yards went well wide. For the next 20 minutes, City swamped the Cirencester goal and really should have run away with it. Arek Zarczynski hit the base of the post with a flick on, Matt Smith was forced to clear off the line from a Craig Davidge cross-shot and then the young winger, who ran himself into the ground, comically smashed a difficult first-time volley from the edge of the six-yard box out for a throw-in near the halfway line. Holland headed narrowly wide on three occasions, all from McKeever corners, despite an ever-growing number of markers. The lanky defender finally made one count with 20 minutes to go, leaping majestically above the Cirencester defence to power past Sawyer. Predictably, the visitors piled forwards after that, but City never looked like conceding. At 1-0, it still made for a nervous final few minutes and, when the whistle finally blew, a relieved Relish punched the air in celebration.