Coach Curse Continues!
Vanarama Conference South.
Bath City 2 Boreham Wood 0,
by John Mead.
Wood slipped to their sixth League defeat at the season on a freezing afternoon in Bath. Five of those defeats have come on the road, four of them at the end of a long coach journey.
The Romans do not seem to suffer the same fate however as this win completed the double over Ian Allinson’s side. Wood have now failed to beat the Twerton Park outfit on all six occasions since they dropped down from the Conference Premier.
Sam Cox returned to action after an illness, with Anthony Jeffrey making his debut after his Christmas Eve signing, replacing an unfit Matty Whichelow.
Wood decided to kick downhill in the first half on the League’s greatest incline and looked sharp, excepting Junior Morias who was clearly struggling with an injury. In the third minute a poor clearance from keeper Jason Mellor was pounced upon by Lee Angol. He set up Jeffrey who spurned a golden opportunity miss hitting his shot over the bar.
Jeffrey then turned provider putting the ball onto the head of Morias but the finish was poor.
Callum Reynolds cleared a dangerous cross off the line from Frankie Artus at the other end in what was a subdued first half from the home side.
Another fine opportunity came for Wood after 22 minutes when Jeffrey’s effort was well saved by Mellor who got down quickly to palm away. Angol then pounced upon some hesitant defending crossing into the path of Morias but he drove his shot wide of the upright.
It was all Wood at this stage but they were struggling on the incline and Graeme Montgomery shot at Mellor after more fine work from Jeffrey down the flank.
David Pratt was anonymous for The Romans until the 42nd minute when he rose to get on the end of a cross forcing James Russell to tip over, his first real action of the afternoon.
It was a comfortable first half for Wood, but that was all to change after the break, when City showed how to play the hill to good effect.
Ashley Kington curled in a free kick from just over the halfway line and Ben Adelsbury ran clear of the defence to plant a firm goal bound header that drew a quite remarkable save from Russell. That was in the 53rd minute and the game changed thereafter. The resultant corner had Russell tipping onto the crossbar.
Russell then save a low effort from Simpson, with The Romans using the slope to good effect.
Reynolds collided with the now dangerous Pratt who took a booking on the edge of the area. Wood were not coping with the wing play of their opponents and when Reynolds cleared a cross from the left as far as Adelsbury he unleashed a rising pile driver that hit the top left hand corner of the net from twelve yards out.
Angol was now working alone up front with precious little support, with Allinson replacing Jeffrey and Montgomery with Scott Thomas and Lewis Toomey with fourteen minutes remaining.
The ball spent a lot of time in the air and with Wood failing to force a single effort on goal throughout the entire second half Adelsbury claimed his second of the game in some style with four minutes remaining.
Andy Gallinagh rode a challenge down the left wing finding Kington who sent a ball over that Morias failed to cut out, finding Adelsbury who from a similar position to his first struck an even better shot through a crowd of players leaving Russell with no chance.
It was a poor performance on an afternoon where had Wood looked tired after a game just two days earlier. Had they taken their early chances the game would have been over after twenty minutes.
The side now regroup for the New Years Day trip to Bishops Stortford, before Ebbsfleet United, the pre season title favourites visit Meadow Park on Sunday January 4th.
Team: Russell, Garrard, Brown, Cox, Martin, Reynolds, Jeffrey ( Thomas 76), Shakes, Angol, Morias ( Lipman 86), Montgomery ( Toomey 76).
Subs not used: Hill, Courtnage.
Bookings: Cox, Reynolds.
Goals: Bath City: Adelsbury 66,86.
Wood Man Of The Match: Luke Garrard.
