Romans skipper pens new deal
Straker commits to another year as City climb to third
Jerry Gill was left purring on Tuesday night as Bath City followed up their first away win in two months against Hemel Hempstead with their 15th clean sheet of the season in victory against Hampton & Richmond Borough.
As well as on the pitch, the R-omans had a boost off it as cap t-ain Anthony Straker signed a con tract extension, following in the footsteps of his manager.
Speaking after the Hampton game, in which Jack Batten’s goal was enough to secure the three points, Gill couldn’t speak highly enough of his captain.
He said: “Fantastic, I think Strakes has been immense since I’ve joined the football club.
“He’s what I call a proper man, he turns up for training, he lives in Southampton and he turns up for training on Tuesdays and on Thursdays. He demands off himself and he demands off the group. I don’t have to manage him one little bit, he manages himself and everyone around him.
“I’m delighted to sign him. I think Strakes should be playing higher; tell me if there’s a better left-back in the league, I’m not sure there is.
“I’m really, really pleased, it wasn’t complicated at all. It was so simple, I offered him a contract and he said yes.
“It’s lovely that a player and your captain wants to sign and play for this football club. He really does, he loves everything about the football club and enjoys working with us as well and we enjoy working with him as well. He’s another important cog in the wheel.
“We’ve got some other offers out
there and hopefully over the due course there will be some more players come in to the club.”
T-hose two wins a week have pro pelled Bath up to third in the National League South and now eight points clear of Wealdstone in eighth.
Despite trying to play it down, Gill and his side knew how important victory would have been on Tuesday. The City supremo said: “We knew what was on it tonight. You try and take it away from the players and you try and take it away from the fans and even from ourselves, but we knew the carrot tonight was to go third in the league which was massive.
“We’ve come through a spell
where we’d lost two games away from home and our reaction to that has been brilliant.
“And tonight it’s another clean sheet here at Twerton, it’s another unbeaten game at Twerton, I think that’s 15 clean sheets in the season. Best defensive record in the league. That is what gives you the base to go an win games and we won the game from a set piece.
“We work on them, we try different things as you’ve seen in recent games, and Jack Batten’s done ever so well to get across the near post and it’s a really good delivery from Ross, it’s a fine goal that wins the game.
“Sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition and Gary, they’ve come and had a right good g-o tonight. But they haven’t man aged to break us down, but full credit to his team, they tried to express themselves, they’ve tried to, not like a lot of teams who have come here and sit off us and block it out, at least they’ve tried to have a go at us.
“It’s another good shift from the players tonight to bring the three points home.”
On Saturday, Ross Stearn netted a hat-trick as Gill managed his first victory over Hemel Hempstead, ending a spell of three drawn games at Vauxhall Road for City.
After the game, Gill said: “I thought it was excellent today. The boys were committed. We played a lot better football than we have done in the last couple of games.
“We demanded that off the boys in the week. We worked on keeping possession. I spoke about making forward runs, people going beyond.
“By pulling away from centrebacks today and getting in between pockets, in between lines, we had the better of the game. It was a team effort today, it really was. Everyone played their part today.”
It was Stearn’s second hat-trick of the season having started the game on the bench. No advice was needed according to the City chief, upon introducing him for Sean Rigg.
He said: “I don’t really need to say anything to Ross. He’s found himself out of the team because we have got options.
“He’s had a really good run where he’s scored goals for us and become top goalscorer. It’s about freshening it up really, and it freshens him up.
“He’s a hungry boy, wants to play every single week, like they all do. But we’ve got a squad there that’s really competitive.
“One thing he’s got is a really good attitude. As soon as he came off the bench, he showed he was ready, of course, and ends up scoring three goals, which is fantastic for him.”
Despite the elements and a slope in Bath’s favour to begin with, Gill felt his charges improved after the break.
“Ironically with the first half with the wind it was difficult. The ball was running away down the slope. Second half we controlled it better going up the slope.
“Looked really good in our onevones, lots of overloads. Lof switches of play.
“Three goals and a clean sheet is always nice.”