Weekend Preview
Bath based teams
Sat 22nd & Sun 23rd August 2015
Football takes centre stage this weekend again with the City’s Rugby Union teams still training hard for the new season. Chris Chatten has been in touch with his hopes for a big crowd for the Romans this Sunday. We’re still on the look out for more sports writers/fans views so if you follow a team we’re not currently covering or want to try your hand a match report then please get in touch!
Football – Sat 22nd
This season we’ll start with the home teams and this weekend you can watch either Larkhall or Odd Down in Bath.
Larkhall have now got their season started in earnest with two wins, a draw and a loss. After their 2-0 win over a strong Totton side at home on Wednesday night Larks manager Wayne Thorne will go into this weekends game full of confidence.
Swindon Supermarine are the visitors to Plain Ham this weekend in a 3pm KO. This will be another stern test for this improving Larkhall side with Swindon having won 3 of their 4 games so far. A win could see them overtake Swindon and get back into the top 5; a position the Larkhall faithful would like their team to finish come the end of the season.
Odd Down are the other Bath based team that looks to pull in the crowds this weekend as they are at home to Melksham Town. Off the back of a dominating performance away at Clevedon Town in their last outing, winning 5-0 on Tuesday night, Odd Down will be confident of getting a positive result on Saturday.
At this stage of the season the league table hasn’t settled down yet and a win would see them overtake Melksham and put them in a top 6 position. Keeping their young squad focused and injury free will be their biggest challenge with games coming thick and fast at this time of year.
Conference South table toppers Bath City are away this weekend along with an inform Keynsham Town side.
St Albans is the destination for a large travelling City support this Saturday. There is a supporters coach running to the game; the details can be found here. Adie Britton and Lee Howells will be hoping to keep this 100% win record going this weekend as they have a whole week to recover before their next home game.
There were over 600 at Twerton Park on Tuesday night to see their team overcome Maidenhead United 2-1. If they win their 5th game in a row then we could see the first of, hopefully many, 1000 plus attendances this season on Saturday 28th when Havand & Waterlooville are the visitors to Twerton Park.
However they may have to do it without experienced defender Matt Coupe, who scored the winner on Tuesday night. The returning defender has played extremely well in City’s back 4 so far this season after signing on as defensive cover. He is off on a two week holiday with his young family after being without a club in pre-season.
So the back four will have to be reshuffled for the next two weeks but a good headache for Adie and Lee is that of the midfield and strikers. Nick McCootie has started the season in great form after returning to pre season looking a lot fitter than last season. Dave Pratt is always a handful for any defence either through the middle or out wide and Andy Watkins can unlock a defence with is pace and trickery.
In midfield new boys Jon Davies and Bradley Williams have come in and impressed with their energy and work rate. This complements Chas Hemmings, Ashley Kington and Frankie Artus who were mainstays last season. Dan Bowman will also be looking for his first start this season either at full back or on the wing, with Chris Allan and Ben Adlesbury still fighting to get fit.
So it’s a great time to be a City fan right now, along with the Big Bath City Bid getting the club the recognition it deserves!
Keynsham Town have been the surprise team so far this season with many people predicting another season of struggling at the wrong end of the Western League Div One. However Chris King has quietly gone about his business without a playing budget and his side currently sit 9th in the league with two wins from their opening 3 games.
They travel to Corsham Town on Saturday looking to continue this rich vein of form; those two wins coming in their last two games. Corsham are always one of the strongest and best supported teams in the league so they will need their more experienced players to guide the emerging youngsters through this fixture.
Rugby League – Sunday 23rd
After a strong founding season it would be fitting if the Bath & Wiltshire Romans could win the Grand Final against arch rival Bristol Sonics at their Leafy Lane home in Corsham on Sunday.
Spokesman Chris Chatten said “It’ll be great to attract a big crowd to cheer on the lads as they chase the dream of not only Grand Final success but progression in the Harry Jepson Trophy Competition and ultimately a place in next years historic Ladbrokes Rugby League Challenge Cup”
KO is at 2.30pm with the Romans just one game away from reaching the Harry Jepson Competition which sees them play against other regional league winners this culminates in a final on 19th September 2015. The winners of which will have a place in the Ladbrokes Rugby League Challenge Cup next year.
