TT PREVIEW

Steve Harris – @steveharris84

MATCH DETAILS

Match details: Bath City vs Torquay United – National League South

Venue: Twerton Park

Date: Tuesday 20th August 2024

Kick-off: 7.45pm

HEAD TO HEAD

TORQUAY – 4

DRAWS – 0

BATH – 2

LAST RESULTS

Torquay

W 2-1 Enfield Town H

L 0-1 Farnborough A

Bath

L 0-1 Boreham Wood A

W 1-0 Welling United H

TOP SCORERS

Torquay: O.G/Brad Ash (1 each)

Bath: Scott Wilson (1)

BATH FACT FILE

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

THE 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.

PLAYER TO WATCH – JORDAN TILLSON

The son of former Bristol Rovers midfielder Andy Tillson, Jordan Tillson started in the Pirates youth set-up before switching to Exeter City in 2012. During his early years at St James Park, he spent loan spells with Gloucester City, Chippenham Town and Weston Super Mare before going on to make over 100 appearances for the Grecians. After another loan during the second half of the 2018-19 season at Cheltenham Town, he moved north of the border in January 2020 to join Scottish Premiership side Ross County on a permanent basis. He was a regular for the Staggies over the next two seasons before joining Dundee United on loan for the 2023-24 campaign. Whilst at Tannadice, he helped the Tangerines lift the Championship title and secure promotion back to the Scottish top-flight. With the expiration of his Ross County contract he choose to return south and join his hometown club.

OLD BOYS

TORQUAY: Jordan Dyer, Dan Hayfield, Cody Cooke

BATH: Alex Fisher

POSSIBLE LINE-UPS

Torquay United (3-5-2): James Hamon; Jordan Dyer, Sam Dreyer, Jay Foulston; Finn Tonks, Dan Hayfield, Oscar Threlkeld, Lirak Hasani, Matt Carson; Brad Ash, Cody Cooke

Bath City (4-4-2): Harvey Wiles-Richards; Joe Raynes, Ben Morgan, Jack Batten, Zac Smith; Sol Wanjau-Smith, Latrell Humphreys-Ewers, Jordan Tillson, Ewan Clark; Alex Fisher, Scott Wilson

LAST MEETING – 13.04.24, Bath City 1-0 Torquay United, National League South

A single goal from Bath City’s Elliot Frear in the tenth minute was enough to separate the two sides in a tight game in Somerset.

The host’s win boosts their Play-Off chances, and leaves United still needing points with in their final two games against Taunton Town – who they play next, in Somerset on Tuesday night, before a final-day game against Havant & Waterlooville at Plainmoor next Saturday.

Ethon Archer almost latched on to a long ball over the top in the opening five minutes but Bath responded with what turned out to be the winning goal, Frear finding room in the box to volley a Scott Wilson cross beyond the exposed Mark Halstead.

The Gulls were rocked by the goal and struggled to find any attacking impetus in their play. Archer did offer some promise and one cross, which he aimed at Brad Ash was intercepted by home stopper Will Buse.

Bath also carried a consistent threat, Jordan Dyer inches away from a dangerous cross by Frear, and the home side also made a bright start to the second period, Dyer volleying narrowly wide from a corner.

A Brett McGavin was saved by Buse before a sweeping move from the Romans ended with Cody Cooke just failing to finish a lovely pass from Dan Hayfield. United tried to respond with a McGavin cross just evading the late run of Asa Hall.

As the game entered the latter stages, United continued to toil in search of a leveller but there is a lack of real potency in their play. Ash did have one last chance but Buse tipped his effort wide.