British Gas Business Football League Premier Division
Monday 26 December 2006 - Twerton Park - kick off 3.00pm
half-time: 3-0 result: W5-0 attendance: 850
team: Evans, Rollo (c), G Jones (Simpson 58), Coupe (Harris 73), Holland, S Jones, Rogers, Hogg (Davidge 84), Edwards, Partridge, McKeever. subs not used: Zarczynski, Clarke.
man of the match: Darren Edwards
scorers: G Jones (8), S Jones (11), Edwards (16), McKeever (60), Hogg (pen 71)
bookings: none
officials: A Newell (Yate), A Fricker (Peasdown), R Hulme (Clandown)
league position: 3rd form: WLDLLW next match: Merthyr (H)
Report taken from by Richard Gadsby

Bath City buried their pre-Christmas blues with a Boxing Day battering of local rivals TeamBath at Twerton Park.Amazingly, on paper, this looked like Team Bath's best chance of recording a first, famous, victory over their landlords with both sides going into the game on the back of severely contrasting form. A win would even have sent Ged Roddy's in-form student team above mis-firing City - but all hopes of that evaporated after just 16 minutes as John Relish's side systematically tore Team Bath apart to go 3-0 up. City were simply electric from start to finish. Their passionate performance probably owed more to Saturday's poor defeat at Hemel Hempstead than any perceived 'derby day' rivalry, but it was still a pleasure to watch as City ruthlessly exploited every minor mistake in Team Bath's usually solid defence.

A fired-up City took just eight minutes to open the scoring. Mark McKeever and Lewis Hogg both stood over a free-kick 25 yards out, only for the ball to be laid off for Scott Rogers. Rogers' low shot was palmed away by keeper Darren Chitty, but only as far as Gethin Jones who was left with a simple tap-in from three yards. The game was all but over eight minutes later. Steve Jones smashed home a 30-yard scorcher for City's second and it was 3-0 four minutes later when McKeever lobbed a poor clearance back into the danger zone. Edwards wriggled free of TeamBath's two centre halves all too easily and gently chipped Chitty from close range. Shell-shocked Team Bath never fully recovered, but did create some chances as the half came to a close. They could even have got back into it had Matt Williams made the most of two good openings, but he was denied by an excellent save from Paul Evans for the first effort and his second touch let him down after bursting clean through soon after.

When Matt Taylor headed just over from a corner at the start of the second half it clearly wasn't going to be Team Bath's day. That feeling was rammed home on the hour when Partridge broke down the right and crossed to the back post where an unmarked McKeever was on hand to place a perfect header back across goal into the bottom corner. City were still not finished. With just under 20 minutes to go, Lewis Hogg wrapped up the rout when he was brought down on the edge of the box and the man in black, somewhat generously, pointed to the spot. Hogg picked himself and cooly slotted home the penalty, sending Chitty the wrong way, to cap a memorable performance. There was still time for Team Bath to try and grab a consolation. In the final minute, Neil Saunders saw a deflected effort hit the sidenetting and deep into injury time the student skipper almost scored again, but summed up his side's display by firing his shot far too close to Evans.