Squad will give reaction for Stones clash, says captain
Bath City skipper Anthony Straker is confident he and his team-mates will give a reaction for this weekend’s game at Wealdstone. Having put in a sterling performance in seeing off fellow high flyers Woking 3-1, the Romans were then held to a midweek draw at Truro City and then beaten despite a dominant performance against Hemel Hempstead Town at the weekend. They remain in the play-off, but nevertheless, with high standards imbued in the squad, they will be “going at it” in training in search of victory in a testing tussle at Wealdstone this Saturday. “It’s been a frustrating week,” Straker said. “We set ourselves high expectations and always want to try and get as many points as we can out of all the games we play. “But it’s one of those weeks; you’ve just got to dust yourselves off and go again next week. “I can tell you, I’ll be the first, and the boys that have played today, we’ll not necessarily be kicking lumps out of each other, but we will be going at it in training because we want to set it right and get ourselves back on the path of picking up points, at home and away from home. “They’ve got a manager that we know a lot about and he sets up his teams and has a way of playing. “We’ve just got to go there and try and get the points, and perform.” The defeat against Hemel was made all the more frustrating with Kevin Amankwaah being forced off through injury in the first half – days after Jack Batten suffered the same fate at Truro. That forced a reshuffle, with right-back Michee Efete moving into central defence and putting in a solid display. “Kev’s been training week after week, being what you’d call a good pro,” Straker said. “You’ve got to feel frustrated for him – we all feel a bit hurt for him as well – but we know how Kev is; he’ll go away, do his rehab and come back stronger. “Michee can play in a few positions. He’s willing and he wants to play, and he’s a winner as well. “Again, he can do a job for us there and we’re happy. As a team and a staff, that’s the way it is. We’re accepting it for what it is and Michee will do well.” The Tudors rarely had a sniff of the City goal until Steve Cawley popped up with the late winner, preferring to sit back in search of a point. That is not the first, and will not be the last time, that happens at Twerton Park. Straker reflected: “They had a plan. Teams come and know when we’re at home we’re quite good going forward. “They had their gameplan, set up well and frustrated us, and the opportunity they got they made sure they put it away. “Since the gaffer’s come in, and with Jim [Rollo], they set us targets and make sure we get to them. “When you get to games like this, we do feel frustrated because we’ve put out standards for ourselves and where we know we want to finish up at the end of the season. “But it’s football. This time next week we could be having a different feeling and that’s the way it goes.” Adam Mann passed up City’s best chance when put in one-onone, but stopped by keeper Laurie Walker, though his team-mates laid no blame at his door. “At the end of the day it’s decision making,” Straker said. “Manny, you back him at any time and given that opportunity again I think he’d score. “You can’t blame him, it’s not his fault we didn’t get a point, it’s just one of those things. “The keeper’s picked a way to go, Manny’s made his decision and that’s the way it goes in football sometimes.” The Romans captain has taken over the penalty duties in recent weeks, netting against Woking and Truro. It’s a job he has taken in his stride. “I was asked to take them and as you do, you hope you put them away,” he said. “The last two I have and I think me and Brunty [Ryan Brunt] will be fighting it out at the minute for the next one. “I’ve taken a few here and there. I wouldn’t say I’m first on the teamsheet to take them, but I always feel quite confident. “I think it came from the management for me to go ahead and take it. “You’ve got to step up and feel confident when that time comes.”