It’s that time of year again, the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup. The bonus of being in the Conference Premier is that you cut out 2 games prior to the fourth qualifying round. Although to some, this can be a problem. In non-league you need all the cash you can get, the win reward and a split of the gate receipts means that in one game you could pick up about £8000. In Bath City’s case, this could pay wages for a week/fortnight.
‘The Romans’ have a terrific pedigree in the FA Cup. Bath have reached the third round proper a total of 6 times in their history. With wins against league clubs along the way, these included Crystal Palace, Exeter City, Notts County, Millwall, Southend United, Cardiff City, Hereford United and most recently Grimsby Town.
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| City fans at Grimsby in the 1st round proper. |
‘The Romans’ have a terrific pedigree in the FA Cup. Bath have reached the third round proper a total of 6 times in their history. With wins against league clubs along the way, these included Crystal Palace, Exeter City, Notts County, Millwall, Southend United, Cardiff City, Hereford United and most recently Grimsby Town.
This season, the FA Cup could give the club a welcome distraction from the league. Currently struggling at the bottom of the Conference with very little consistency, this competition means the players can start from scratch and really regain some confidence with some victories. The prize money with all these wins, can also mean that we bring in some extra footballing ability and start to claw our way out of the relegation zone. A perfect example of what can happen with a cup run was in the 2009/10 season.
Bath were currently sitting a very safe mid-table and with no ambition to push on, limited by the funds of the club. The budget restricted us to being a mediocre Conference South side and only a cash injection from someone like Nicolas Cage, who had just resided in the area, could get us out of the league. The obligatory FA Cup games soon started to pop up on the calendar. The FA gave us a nice little trip to Willand Rovers in the second qualifying round. We absolutely smashed them 5-0. They were running away with their respective league and we taught them a footballing lesson in-the-sun, with Goals from Edwards x3, Pelecaci and Mohamed. A couple of weeks later those lovely men in the FA headquarters, handed us a pleasant trip to Bishops Cleeve. We arrived with intent and put them to the sword. We won 4-1 with braces from Darren Edwards and cult hero Mark Badman. The supporters knew after that game, a journey through the higher rounds was certainly on the cards. A few league games then passed before, again, those lovely lads at the FA gave us a terrific draw, at home to AFC Totton. I could already envisage myself sat on the sofa, shaking profusely, waiting for the first round draw. 740 hardy souls turned up to watch the game at an autumnal Twerton Park. Like Willand Rovers, Totton were the big boys in their division, steamrolling anyone who came before them. But the runaway train was easily halted as goals from Richard Evans, Adam Connolly and Gethin Jones meant that ball 77 was in the pot for the first round proper and it represented BATH CITY.
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| Bath City playing Willand in the 2nd qualifying round. |
Bath were currently sitting a very safe mid-table and with no ambition to push on, limited by the funds of the club. The budget restricted us to being a mediocre Conference South side and only a cash injection from someone like Nicolas Cage, who had just resided in the area, could get us out of the league. The obligatory FA Cup games soon started to pop up on the calendar. The FA gave us a nice little trip to Willand Rovers in the second qualifying round. We absolutely smashed them 5-0. They were running away with their respective league and we taught them a footballing lesson in-the-sun, with Goals from Edwards x3, Pelecaci and Mohamed. A couple of weeks later those lovely men in the FA headquarters, handed us a pleasant trip to Bishops Cleeve. We arrived with intent and put them to the sword. We won 4-1 with braces from Darren Edwards and cult hero Mark Badman. The supporters knew after that game, a journey through the higher rounds was certainly on the cards. A few league games then passed before, again, those lovely lads at the FA gave us a terrific draw, at home to AFC Totton. I could already envisage myself sat on the sofa, shaking profusely, waiting for the first round draw. 740 hardy souls turned up to watch the game at an autumnal Twerton Park. Like Willand Rovers, Totton were the big boys in their division, steamrolling anyone who came before them. But the runaway train was easily halted as goals from Richard Evans, Adam Connolly and Gethin Jones meant that ball 77 was in the pot for the first round proper and it represented BATH CITY.
With Bath City and Norwich City in the pot together, the dream tie was either a home or away draw against the canaries (just a personal preference). Of course though, they got lowly Paulton Rovers, which is just a stones throw from Bath. I wasn’t best pleased. Anyway the big names came and went and still little Bath City was there being spun around by cricketer James Anderson. Grimsby Town was then pulled out and following it number 77, Bath City. A few seconds of enjoyment occured as we’d got a league club and then a question, “Where the hell is Grimsby?”
3 coaches were taken up north and with exiles and families driving up, 300 stripes were there to witness a glorious and comprehensive 2-0 win over the club who sat 91st out of 92 league clubs. A trademark header from Chris Holland and a curling 20 yard strike from Darren Edwards sent the Roman hordes home happy. That day really highlighted what a special club I have come to support! So many friends were made on that day and a feeling of unity throughout. A city fan even calling Alan Green on 606, pretty much saying ‘we’re going to piss this tinpot cup.’ But also the trip home was filled with the conversation, who will we get next? (Highlights of the Grimsby game below!)
The league games in between the FA Cup matches were a blur. And then, the day came! City fans and camera crews turned up to Twerton Park to find out we’d got…..Forest Green at home. Which was an awful draw but one which was very much winnable. The 28th November came around and went like a flash! Twerton Park was rocking that day with over 3300 people turning up. But the city boys were not to be in the 3rd round. We were beaten fairly easily 2-1, a goal from Lewis Hogg was all that we could muster up.
The main thing that came out of this terrific cup run was the money. The club got nearly £80,000 from the games in the competition. This turned the club from a mediocre Conference South side into a play-off winning side who had somehow found themselves with the big boys in the Conference Premier. A couple of years later and we are now fighting for our lives in the BSBP! A cup run is what we need this season, we can then bring in and sustain quality players, who will get us out of the mess we have put ourselves in. |
| Lewis Hogg vs FGR in the 2nd round proper. |
Unfortunately those lovely lads at the FA, who treated us so well in the past, have given us a terrible draw this morning. Dover Athletic away is up there with the worst possible draw we could have been given. It’s a long coach trip at a place where we haven’t really played to our full potential in the past. If we win, we are on the road to a cash injection. If we lose, we are stuck with a small budget and the same batch of players who haven’t dazzled this season.
A 90 minutes which could turn out to be the biggest game in recent history! |
| Dover Athletic's ground- The Crabble. |
Come on the stripes!
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