FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round
Saturday 25 November 2006 - Twerton Park - kick off 3.00pm
half-time: 0-1 result: D1-1 attendance: 547
team: Evans, Rollo (c), Green, Coupe (Simpson 69), Holland, S Jones, Rogers, Hogg, Davidge (Clarke 90), Zarczynski, McKeever. subs not used: York, Pursall, Tyers
man of the match: Mike Green
scorers: Zarczynski (90)
bookings: none
officials: to follow
league position: n/a form: WWWWLD next match: Tooting (FAT) (A)
Report taken from by Richard Gadsby

The reasons behind John Relish's desperate search for a new striker were all too clear as Bath City were given a glimpse of life without leading scorer Scott Partridge.Controlled, possession football backed by calm competent defending with the odd sprinkling of wonderful free-flowing football served to create chance after chance against Tooting - but it was all rendered meaningless by a failure to stick the ball in the net in the absence of stomach bug victim Partridge. In fairness, this was one of City's best Twerton Park performances this season with some delightful football in the first half that saw them carve the visitors open time and time again. Unfortunately, it came on the back of one of the worst results at Twerton this season, and there are already a few to choose from. Against a Tooting outfit currently struggling a division below City in the non-league pyramid, Relish's side should really have put this tie to bed and had ample opportunity to do so in the first 45 minutes. After a cagey opening ten- minute spell, it was one-way traffic for the next half an hour.

Tooting's penalty area was peppered with shot after shot and only a combination of last-ditch defending and inspired goalkeeping, from the gigantic Dave King, kept the scores level. Craig Davidge wasted Bath's first opening on ten minutes, smashing the ball too close to King from ten yards out after being put clean through by Lewis Hogg. The Tooting titan then made an excellent double save, first diving low to stop Scott Rogers' 20-yard effort and then saving Arek Zarczynski's shot from the rebound with his legs. Romuald Bouadji hooked a goalbound chip from Davidge off the line and the colossal King then made another fine double save, this time both strikes coming from Hogg. It became a question of when, not if, City would score, but they decided to make the game more interesting by charitably giving Tooting the lead with their first shot on target just five minutes before half-time. Allan McLeod weaved his way into a good position on the right, but his cross was deflected off the head of Steve Jones. The ball bounced perfectly into the path of Paul Vines who, just 16 yards out, seemed to have far too much time to drill the ball low and hard into the bottom right corner. It was very harsh on City going into the break, but then they have already proved they are amongst the Southern League's most generous hosts this season.

Tooting had opportunities to make it 2-0 at the start of a slightly tighter second half. First, a close-range effort from Vernon Francis was stopped by Paul Evans' legs and the City keeper saved well again when Ronnie Green was put clean through. After that all the best efforts fell to City. Chris Holland came close with two headers, a Scott Rogers blast from 20 yards was well stopped by King and Jones saw an overhead kick roll agonisingly across the face of goal as Relish's side huffed and puffed. City brought on Sekani Simpson for Matt Coupe and changed to a 3-5-2 as they tried to salvage a replay. A minute into injury time it looked like Tooting would hold on, but then City deservedly equalised. Davidge picked up the ball on the right, beat two players on his way into the box and squared the ball to Zarcyznski for the simplest of tap-ins from two yards out. A great roar, more through relief than excitement, rang out around Twerton Park, as the goal booked City another bite of the cherry tomorrow. If they play like this again in the replay, Relish's side are sure to go through. The return of the prolific Partridge will see to that.