Taking nothing for granted as Gill targets run in the cup
Bath City’s 11-year wait for an FA Cup First Round spot resumes on Saturday when they take on Hartley Wintney at Twerton Park.
It’s the longest gap in the club’s history that they’ve not made this stage, this being the 105th season they’ve entered, and they’ll need to negotiate three qualifiers to be in the hat with League One sides.
Dreams of a match-up with Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday or 2008 winners Portsmouth are a long way off for now, but Jerry Gill’s men will be hoping to not fall at the first hurdle against a side struggling in the tier below.
City haven’t lost this early in the competition since 2006 and last failed to win an FA Cup game in a season in 2010 when they were embarrassingly defeated at home to Swindon Supermarine in a Fourth Qualifying Round replay. Having led 3-1, the Romans found themselves pegged back to 3-3 by half-time and lost to a last minute goal from Kyle Lapham.
Swindon sat two divisions below
City, who were then in Conference Premier. Between 2008-2016 Bath lost six times to teams in lower levels in the FA Cup, four of them at home to sides two leagues below. They were also humbled 7-1 at East Thurrock United in 2014 despite taking the lead.
But since Gill arrived they’ve found progression much more comfortable against potential banana skins. The City boss oversaw six successive wins against lower league sides in the FA Cup, keeping clean sheets in five, until a 1-0 loss at Banbury United in the Fourth Qualifying Round last October.
It was City’s 31st defeat at that stage, more than any other in the competition’s history, and Banbury later won promotion to National League North where they currently sit third with an identical record to City in South.
Hampshire-based Hartley Wintney are 19th in Southern Premier South. In May they appointed Ross Weatherstone and Ty Newton as joint managers and in the league they’ve overseen a win, draw and four defeats. Weatherstone started his career at Oxford United, in 1999 he and his brother Simon were the first siblings to represent the U’s since Ron and Graham Atkinson 40 years previous.
He was forced to retire aged 26 after a series of knee operations. Before switching to Hartley Wintney, he had coached at Bracknell Town and Binfield. Newton was already on the coaching staff at Wintney having joined as a player in February 2019 from Colliers Wood United.
They both succeeded Anthony Millerick, who moved upstairs to Director of Football after seven years in charge which included successive promotions from the Combined Counties League to Step 3 for the first time in their history.
Nicknamed ‘the Row’ from Hartley Row, a former hamlet within Hartley Wintney, the village club play at the Memorial Playing Fields which has a capacity of 2,000. They’ve not played against Bath City in their history, but Scott Wilson was part of the Dagenham & Redbridge side that knocked them out two years ago, and Dan Hayfield played against the Row last season for Tiverton Town.
Hartley Wintney defeated Hellenic
Premier side Roman Glass St George 4-0 in the last round, winning 4-0 in Almondsbury thanks to goals from Youel Emmanuel, Zidan Akers, Toby Nevile and an own goal. Step 2 City are exempt until this stage, last year their Second Qualifying Round opponents were Shaftesbury who, like Roman Glass, preside at Step 5. Despite dominating throughout, it took until the 82nd minute for City to finally make a breakthrough thanks to Omar Holness’ header.
Despite his side heading into the tie on excellent form, Gill is not taking anything for granted.
“I’ve got some information on them,” said the City boss.
“I know enough people in their league so I’ve got some clips to see what they’re like. We’ll pay them the utmost respect.
“I want to have a run in the FA Cup, this club deserves it.
“But you’ve got to come and make it happen. They’ll come here and enjoy the surface and surroundings.
“We’re going to have to be at our best to beat them.
“I’m thoroughly looking forward to it.”