PREVIEW

Steve Harris

@steveharris84

MATCH DETAILS

Match details: Bath City versus Torquay United

Venue: Twerton Park

Date: Saturday 13th April 2024

Kick-off: 3pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Torquay: 4

Draw: 0

Bath: 1

FORM GUIDE

Torquay: L, W, L, D, L, W

Bath: L, D, D, W, D, W

TOP SCORERS

Torquay: Brad Ash (13)

Bath: Cody Cooke (17)

BATH FACTFILE

Year founded: 1889

Nickname: The Romans

Last season’s league finish: 11th in National League South

Notable Honours:

Southern League:

Champions: 1959-60, 1977-78, 2005-06

MANAGER – JERRY GILL

Jerry Gill returned to the club in October 2017 as the successor to the Torquay United-bound Gary Owers. Highlights of his reign have included reaching the National League South play-offs in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns.

He firstly joined the Romans as a player in 1990, following spells with Trowbridge Town, Leyton Orient and Weston Super Mare. After appearing over 200 times for the club, he joined Yeovil Town in 1996 and helped the Glovers to win promotion to the Conference under Graham Roberts before moving back into the professional game when Birmingham City paid £30,000 for his services in the summer of 1997.

Spells with Northampton and Cheltenham Town followed, he won promotion from League Two with the latter in the 2005-06 season, before moving into coaching with Forest Green Rovers in 2008.

Gill had a brief spell as Weymouth manager in 2010 and then held coaching roles at Birmingham City, Bristol Rovers and Kidderminster Harriers. He later managed Norwich City’s Under-18 and Under-23s as well as Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-18’s before his appointment at Twerton Park.

GILL STATS

Appointed: 5th October 2017

Date of Birth: 08/09/1970 (53)

Other Clubs Managed: Weymouth

PLAYER TO WATCH – SCOTT WILSON

Currently in his second spell at Twerton Park, Scott Wilson was Bath City’s top scorer in the 2022-23 season with 24 goals in all competitions.

After progressing through Bristol City’s youth set-up, Wilson appeared for a number of Westcountry sides, including the Romans in the 2013-14 campaign, before joining Eastleigh in the summer of 2016.

He then headed to the North West to join Macclesfield Town and Oldham Athletic and he then had spells with Notts County, Dagenham & Redbridge and Aldershot Town before returning to the Romans.

WILSON STATS

Position: Striker

Date of Birth: 11/01/93 (31)

Birthplace: Bristol

Height: 1.82m

Former Clubs: Bristol City, Paulton, Weston SM, Eastleigh, Macclesfield, Oldham, Dagenham, Aldershot

OLD BOYS

Torquay United: None

Bath: None

POSSIBLE LINE-UPS

TUFC:

Mark Halstead

Arkell Jude-Boyd – Ollie Tomlinson – Asa Hall – Dean Moxey

Jack Stobbs – Tom Lapslie – Brett McGavin – Ethon Archer

Will Jenkins Davies

Brad Ash

Bath:

Will Buse

Jordan Dyer – Jack Batten -Kieron Parselle – Danny Greenslade

Cody Cooke – Dan Hayfield – Tom Smith – Elliott Frear

Ephraim Yeboah – Scott Wilson

LAST MEETING

Last meeting: Saturday 4th November 2023, Torquay United 1 Bath City 0

A deflected strike from distance from Shaun Donnellan on 82 minutes ultimately proved to be the difference for Torquay United against Bath City.

The Gulls started brightly as Jack Stobbs tested Romans keeper Will Buse with an angled effort in the second minute.

In the 12th minute, Stobbs was involved again as he teed up Brett McGavin for a long range strike that Buse turned behind for a corner.

From the resulting corner, Fleetwood Town loanee Callum Dolan, who saw an effort from distance palmed over the bar by Buse.

The Romans’ first clear cut chance of the game came on 38 minutes when skipper Kieran Parselle cleared the cross bar with a dipping effort from distance.

In the second half, Dean Moxey needed to be alert to head away a dangerous looking corner from Jordan Thomas.

In the 63rd minute, Lewis Collins missed the target for the Gulls following good work from Moxey.

The Romans went close on 75 minutes when Jordan Dyer connected with a corner from Thomas, which United keeper Rhys Lovett palmed away before knocking it behind.

Three minutes later, the Gulls went close from a corner from Stobbs, which fell to Donnellan who saw his header drift wide.

Just when the game appeared destined to end goalless, United finally broke the deadlock with eight minutes to go through an opportunistic shot from range by Donnellan, which took a deflection before flying past Buse.

The Romans almost snatched an equaliser in injury time as Parselle headed wide, as the Gulls clinched all three points.