Bath City humbled

Source: This is Bath

Bath City were handed their fourth defeat in five Blue Square Bet South matches by a stricken Truro City side who could yet fold within the week, despite persistent rumours at Treyew Road that a financial saviour is at hand.

The division's bottom club have reportedly not paid their players for two months and face debts of £700,000. Yet despite their trials and tribulations, two goals from long-serving striker Stewart Yetton saw them overcome a City side that dominated the second half but could not find the net.

The Cornish side, fearing this might be the club's last game in its current guise, poured forward in the opening stages. Marcus Martin and Andy Watkins shot wide, Les Afful brought out a good save from Jason Mellor and Yetton fired straight into the recalled City keeper's hands when clean through on goal.

City also had their chances, the best coming on 20 minutes when debutant Jordan Rugg – formerly with Wigan and Bury and currently training with Exeter – narrowly fied over the crossbar.

However, Yetton got his reward just after the half-hour mark when he spectacularly connected with a deep cross to fire past Mellor with a scissors kick, much to the astonishment of the visiting defence.

City boss Britton commented post-match: “It was an opportunistic goal, but when shots like that go in you just have to admire them.”

The home side then began to sit back as City increasingly pressed down the left flank, aided by some lively runs from Kerry Morgan.

Rugg got on the end of an inch-perfect cross from Gethin Jones, only to see his shot come back off the bar.

Then, four minutes before the interval, a move that started with a Jones throw-in on the right ended when a Morgan cross found the head of Kurtis Guthrie at the far post, the forward helping himself to his sixth goal of the season from no more than a couple of yards.

In the second half, as the depleted home side looked to have run out of steam, City began to dominate but failed to really test keeper Tim Sandercombe.

Marc Canham saw a long-range shot go wide before substitute Noah Keats, who had only been on the field for two minutes, was off target after Guthrie found him with a cross from the right.

Five minutes later and it was goalscorer Guthrie failing to convert when his goalbound shot cannoned off the packed Truro defence.

By now the visitors were camped out in Truro’s half of the field and, although chances for the home side were rapidly dwindling, Afful broke down the left only to shoot well wide of Mellor’s post with six minutes to go.

It was a warning City failed to heed and they paid the price in the 87th minute. Andy Watkins raced down the left flank before cutting inside the defence. He slid the ball across goal for an ecstatic Yetton to fire home the winner.

City again pressed in the closing stages, forcing two corners, but as Britton commented: “Somehow in lots of ways I guess this was destined to be their night. It felt like that from the moment we arrived.

“They started well, yet as the game went on we had enough chances to win two or three games of football. We just didn’t take them.”

Truro City: Sandercombe, Green, Williams, Ash, Hall, Cooke, Martin, Broad, Yetton, Watkins, Afful (Hopkinson 90) Sub not used: Moore.

Bath City: Mellor, Rollo, Ball (Brown 70), Jones, Preece, Harris (Keats 59), Connolly, Canham, Rugg (Norris 80), Guthrie, Morgan. Subs not used: Burnell, Cummings.

Referee: Tim Wood (Gloucester).

Attendance: 344.