Bath City - Most popular for 2009
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A special edition of the New Additions feature here on Les Rosbifs. Thanks to the wonderful people
on the SI Games forums, most notably their Australian researcher 'Roger', a whole host of
Englishmen have been dredged up and not just in the A-League. A whole host of English footballers
are kicking about in the [.
Today was a tough day at work. The two weeks that started Monday are my busiest two weeks of the
year. I've got a lot of demanding suppliers to keep happy, difficult targets to achieve, and
everything is happening so quickly I barely keep up with my routine paperwork. Still, though it all
I have remained calm.
Sido Jombati extended his hand, and with a warm smile on his face said, 'My name is Sido.'
I couldn't help but laugh. I had just contacted him a few days ago to tell him what a big fan I
was, and to request an interview with him for this blog. I certainly knew who his name. I was to
learn, though, that Sido is as unassuming as he is friendly.
Football is a cruel mistress. After City's 5-1 victory away to Bishop's Stortford I was really not
in the mood to watch City lose to Eastleigh 0-2 last night. Before the match it looked so easy -
Eastleigh have so far lost to Braintree, St. Albans, Thurrock and Dover. Not exactly the form of a
team you would expect to be making another playoff run.
After getting to watch the first three matches of the season live and in person, it was difficult
to adjust to the reality that I would have to miss tonight's match anainst Havant & Waterloooville
FC. I knew absolutely I would not be able to go, but I still sneaked a look at the train times from
Bath to Havant, and checked on Google Maps to see how far the ground was from the train station (1.
Exposing Bath's drug shame - Times Online
While Bath City's new campaign has started off with a delightful six points out of a possible nine,
the bigger sports club in town is facing up to a real catastrophe. Bath Rugby is in the midst of a
drug taking scandal of the likes of which have never been seen before in British rugby.
At 9 am this past Saturday morning I kissed the wife and kids goodbye, started up the car, and
headed off to nearby Corsham to wait at the National Express stop. It was a beautiful sunny day,
one of the few we've had this summer, and I was going to spend most of it inside a coach making a
three hundred mile round trip to watch a football club who most English football fans have never
even heard of.
Yesterday's against Newport County was one of the away matches I wanted to see most this season.
County are not only bitter rivals (well, as bitter as we get in non-league football) but I guessed
Newport would be near enough that Mrs Nedved would not begrudge a day pass. Besides, as she comes
from a large Welsh family anything that involves going to Wales is generally viewed in a positive
light.
It is midnight. My bag for the day is packed. Replica kit and scarf are carefully folded. Mobile is
charged. Sandwiches for the twelve hour return coach trip are prepared. I am ready.
In just under seven hours I will be boarding Supporters Coach Number 2 outside a pub on the
Radstock roundabout.
During a break at work this afternoon I took a brief moment to check on the Football Association
website and see if the draw for the Second Qualifying Round had been announced. It had, and there
before me was a list of eighty fixtures to be played in just under two weeks. One of them would be
a fixture for Bath City.
Today began with a typical Saturday morning schedule: I dropped my younger son off at a birthday
party at 11:30 and drove to the local supermarket to do the week's shopping. I am not a fast
shopper. Although Mrs Nedved appreciates my efforts, she will only let me do the shopping when
there is a sizable window of time.
Here is an excellent highlights film of Bath City's 1-1 draw with Worcester City on 31 August. If
you are in a hurry, make sure you don't miss Mike Perrott's amazing goal at around eight
minutes!
Bath City beat Bishop's Stortford yesterday by five goals to one. Not at home, but playing away to
Bishop's Stortford. I'll just repeat that for anyone who had not been listening the first time:
BATH CITY BEAT BISHOP'S STORTFORD YESTERDAY BY FIVE GOALS TO ONE!
To those unfamiliar with the world's greatest non-league club, you might have a few questions.
Last week I posted a question on the BathCity forum: "how many points do we expect to get from the
two upcoming bank-holiday weekend matches against Dorchester and WorcesterCity?" Twelve of the
thirteen respondents predicted the full six points. As I rode with my friend Mark on the way to
yesterday's match, though, City had already managed to drop two points away to Dorchester.
I have a lot of nice things to say about Wales, and not just because Mrs Nedved hails from a large
Welsh family. We visit her relatives regularly, and there were few places better to be this rainy
bank-holiday weekend than in Auntie and Uncle's farmhouse. It is in a valley so remote even some
sheep need a map to find it.
Bath City lost today to Hampton & Richmond Borough 3-1. Losing is painful, and for some reason
losing in football hurts a lot more than it does in other sports. This loss was harder to bear than
normal though: it was a match of continuous frustration. They say football will break your heart
and they are right.
I was able to attend today's home match against Welling United for one reason only - I took both
children. Oh sure, it is a bonding experience that some day I will look back on with a tear in my
eye, et cetera, but really it was a chance for my wife to have some time on her own for the
afternoon. Three weeks into the summer holidays and Mrs.
The first time I went into the clubhouse bar, Charlie's, I felt pretty intimidated. I don't drink,
so anytime I'm in a bar ordering a coke I always feel slightly silly. It is sort of like hanging
out in a steakhouse and asking for a veggieburger. Charlie's is also a very, very male environment
that harks back to an era from before my arrival in the UK.
Bachelors - watch out! Fatherhood has gone all modern and you will be expected to do things your
father probably only had a vague understanding of: cleaning, cooking, childcare, the list goes on.
You will still be required to work full time, and because you are not likely to be any good at
cleaning or cooking you won't get full credit for your efforts there.
Going into tonight's home opener against Maidenhead United, I had two items on my wish list: a goal
for Darren Edwards, and a clean sheet for our embattled, third-choice keeper, Will Puddy. Wishing
doesn't make it so, but it was so anyway tonight. I raised both hands in utter joy when the final
whistle blew, knowing that Bath City had done what was required and done it in style.
Yesterday was my first ever trip to Essex in my time here in the UK, so it was with some excitement
that I gazed out of the window as we exited the M25 to the unseen territory east of the metropolis.
I know that you are not supposed to get excited about going to Essex. Travelling anywhere new, and
I mean anywhere, always brings a smile to my face, though.
Okay, the honest truth is that we lost. It hurts, and it hurt all the way back on the four hour
journey from Chelmsford to Bath. BUT, City fans can take a lot of encouragement from today's
match.
Before I begin my description of today's match, I first want to outline what I will be doing on the
blog for the next few days.
Tonight, as I drove to Sainsbury's to pick up milk and bread for the weekend, I felt one of those
rare feelings of contentment that require one to pause and take stock of how good things are.
On the car radio I was listening to Radio 5 Live's commentary of the first match of the Football
League season -- a Championship tussle between Sheffield United and the freshly relegated
Middlesbrough.
The day before the day before the season and I am a bundle of nerves.
Everything kicks off in Essex against Chelmsford City on Saturday and although we really need a
good start I have no idea how we are going to begin. The evidence is decidedly mixed.
Last year we struggled to score goals in the preseason and the regular season.
If ever I needed a demonstration of why being a non-league fan is so great, I think I've just had
it.
Earlier today it emerged that Bath City have signed a new player named Florin Pelecaci. He is a
mid-fielder from Romania and has played top-flight football in both his home country and recently
in Hungary.
Bath City travelled to Dover yesterday, where they lost 2-1 in heartbreaking fashion. I was not
there to see it, due to two main reasons: the Dover Athletic fixture is the farthest away of the
season, and Mrs Nedved had an important work event over this weekend. Bringing both boys with me on
a nine and a half hour round trip wasn't feasible (although this did not stop the supporter club
chairman, Powell, from trying to convince Little Nedved Junior to 'ask Daddy to take him to the
seaside on the supporters coach' during half time at the Lewes match).
This post is about my two boys, however there is a bit of a problem. Due to new British legislation
I am not actually allowed to reveal the names of my children to anyone who has not had a Criminal
Records Bureau check. Okay, that's not actually true (although it might soon be). Still, it seems
prudent not to give their real names, not so much for security reasons, but to give them the option
of denying anything I write as they grow older.
The village of Willand, home of Bath City's FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round opponent Willand Rovers, is
exactly two hours south-west of my home. This was deemed too long a journey for Little Nedved
Junior to go on, but Big Nedved Junior was allowed to claim a seat in the Nedvedmobile. Things
started off well.
Bath City were ejected from the Somerset Premier Cup tonight by Southern League side Bridgwater
Town. It was not a narrow loss either. Bridgwater won a convincing 3-0 victory. It was the sort of
defeat that could really shake a team right before a crucial FA Cup match on Saturday. It was the
sort of defeat that might bring pressure on a manager to resign or cause fans to tear up their
season tickets in disgust -- except it wasn't because this was the Somerset Premier Cup.
If you are a Bath City fan then yesterday's meeting with Bishop's Cleeve was the most important
match of the season. It was not actually the glory of a FA Cup Third Qualifying Round that made it
so important, though. What really made it a must win was the prize money: £7,500 was up for grabs
for the winner.
Before the FA Cup draw for the Fourth (and final) Qualifying Round was announced yesterday I had a
sinking feeling that we were going to draw Eastleigh. Bath City had had two fortunate draws in a
row: Willand Rovers, who play three leagues below City, and Bishop's Cleeve, who play two below. It
seemed unlikely that fate would smile on us for a third time, and with Newport County having been
eliminated by the lowly Paulton Rovers (ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, oh stop it!
City beat AFC Totton yesterday 3-2 in the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round. It was an exciting game
with an exciting (£12,500) pot of prize money for the winner. There was lots of exciting play and
definitely an exciting finish. For reasons of my own the second half and the hour following the
match were especially exciting.
We have a fairly idyllic life at the Nedved homestead, especially on Sundays. This past Sunday
morning was spent dossing around, eating breakfast in front of the telly, and revelling in the
extra hour of sleep from daylight savings' introduction. All the while, though, I was keeping one
eye on the clock.
Bath City beat Weymouth 2-0 Tuesday night. Weymouth is the sick man of the Blue Square South this
season. City fans would have been hoping for a more emphatic victory. Last Spring, however, City
lost 0-1 to the last season's sick man of the Blue Square South, Fisher Athletic. This occurred at
a key moment in the season and may have cost City a playoff spot.
Bath City played a scoreless draw with Bromley on Saturday, and I was not there to see it. It was
the first home match of the season I have missed (except for one pre-season friendly). You might
wonder what possibly could have kept me away from Twerton Park at such a critical juncture in
City's season.
Bath City beat Grimsby Town 2-0 yesterday. I still feel giddy typing that. Not a 1-0 victory thanks
to a fluke goal against the run of play. Oh no! Bath City defeated Grimsby Town with a decisive
goal in each half. It is one of those results you need to say out loud over and over again, just so
that you can reassure yourself that it really happened.
Saturday's FA Cup First Round Proper match against Grimsby Town was my first ever visit to
Lincolnshire. I'm ashamed to say, it was only my third foray north of Birmingham. On that count
alone, I looked forward to the journey.
Of course, most everyone else I know thought the idea of going to Grimsby and back in a day was
crazy.
Bath City drew 1-1 with Staines Town Tuesday night. Pretty much everyone says it was a forgettable
match. This is hardly surprising given that both clubs had just defeated League 2 opposition three
days previously in hard-fought FA Cup matches. Staines had been victorious 1-0 over Shrewsbury
Town. Likewise, Bath City had come out on top 2-0 over Grimsby Town in THE GREATEST FOOTBALL GAME
EVER PLAYED ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!
Bath City have drawn Forest Green Rovers for a home match next week in the Second Round of the FA
Cup. The selection was actually almost two weeks ago, but because Forest Green and Mansfield Town
failed to produce a result in their Frist Round match, City could not be sure who their opponents
would be until the replay two days ago.
It is almost 2:30 am. I am unable to sleep. Tomorrow (or today, rather) is the 2nd Round of the FA
Cup. Bath City are facing fellow non-league side Forest Green Rovers.
Let's be honest: it's not a clash of the titans. It is a match that will at best be a footnote in
the history of either club.
