Somerset Premier Cup Final
Wednesday 30 April 2008 - Twerton Park - kick off 7.45pm
half-time: 1-0 result: W3-0 attendance: 241
team: Evans, Simpson (G Jones 86), Rollo (c), Coupe, Holland, S Jones, Hogg, McKay (Rogers 80), Edwards (Paul 70), Gilroy, Wood. subs not used: Walsh.
man of the match: Lewis Hogg
scorers: Gilroy (7,53), Paul (90)
bookings: McKay (14), Coupe (32)
officials: G Beale, A Fricker, L Hosken
league position: n/a form: WdWLDW next match: next season
Report taken from

Martin Paul sealed Bath City's first Somerset Premier Cup triumph in 13 years as he finally overtook Paul Randall to become the club's leading scorer since the great Charlie Fleming. The substitute had been level with Randall on 112 goals in the all-time scoring list since hitting a hat-trick at Clevedon United in the second round five months ago. Earlier, the runaway winner of City's Golden Boot award for 2007-08, Dave Gilroy, scored a double to finish the campaign with 26 goals to his name.

Long-suffering fans of City and Paulton who attended both the abandoned fixture at Woodspring Park last week and the rearranged match could have been forgiven for a sense of deja vu as the second attempt to play the cup final got underway. As in the first game, City started the brighter of the two sides and within 10 minutes were ahead thanks to a goal scored by the same player, Gilroy. A ball played through by Justyn McKay found Gilroy on the edge of the box and, as the forward tried to turn, he slipped. However, while lying on the ground he still managed to stretch out his foot and slide the ball into an empty net. From then on, the half became very scrappy as passes went astray on a bobbly surface. Paulton had one good chance on 20 minutes when their captain, Dan Cleverley, shot into the hands of City keeper Paul Evans. As the half wore on, City gradually began to assert their supremacy, with Gilroy twice going close to adding to his tally. On 25 minutes, he just failed to head home a cross from Jason Wood and then tapped a shot into keeper Kyle Phillips' hands after failing to control a ball over the top.

In the second period last week, Paulton came back at City to equalise, but this time and playing on their own turf, John Relish's side were not planning to make the same mistake. Just eight minutes after the interval, Gilroy got his second of the night when a casual lob over the top saw the lively striker control well before running on to fire beyond Phillips. City finished much the stronger side and their evening - and season - was rounded off when veteran striker Paul came on as substitute and scored. Despite being on the pitch for only 20 minutes, he had three attempts on goal and it was with his third that he hit the target. With the fourth official signalling two minutes of added time, Paul got on to the end of a good cross to score his 113th goal for City with a glancing header.