Resilient hosts force City to work for extra-time decider
Alex Fletcher’s extra-time header saw City progress at the expense of plucky Hartley Wintney.
The attacker’s sixth goal in seven games finally saw off the resilience of the hosts, who rued a stoppage time miss from Youel Emmanuel.
Joe Wright’s double save denied Anis Nuur and Aaron Mcleishwhite in the first half with Adam Desbois matching his heroics from Fletcher’s dipping half volley.
In the end he proved the difference but only after City were made to work hard by their lower league hosts.
City shot down the slope at the hosts’ modest Memorial Ground home and Desbois was first called into action on 12 minutes when he superbly gathered Cody Cooke’s header when it arrowed towards the top corner from Tom Smith’s cross.
Within 60 seconds Wright outdid Desbois’ heroics. Nuur’s header towards the bottom left corner was parried and the keeper somehow denied Mcleish-white’s rebound for a corner when he was still grounded.
Smith had a goal disallowed for offside when he tapped in Dan Hayfield’s low cross before Desbois produced the save of the match when Jack Batten, making his first start of the season, saw his free-kick flicked on by Cooke to Fletcher whose shot arced over the home custodian before he did enough to finger-tip it over.
Nuur, whose stunning equaliser at Twerton earned this tie, flashed wide from 25 yards and Mcleishwhite’s header was well tipped over by Wright in first-half additional time.
While City’s first-half performance was satisfactory, they looked off-colour after the break as
Hartley Wintney turned the screw and enjoyed more possession, denying City time on the ball as they scarcely resembled a side struggling in the level below.
Zidan Akers had an effort zoom across goal away from waiting teammates and Toby Nevile headed wide.
City lost Dan Greenslade to a tight hamstring which saw Luke Spokes come on and Dyer drop back to defence with Kieran Parselle to left-back.
Nuur’s strike took a hefty deflection off Dyer and just flew off target with Wright beaten. The overworked defence kept the Romans in it with captain Parselle excelling, leading by example with a series of telling blocks.
A rare lapse at the back almost led to the deciding goal when Harry Cooksley’s pinpoint cross found substitute Emmanuel but he wastefully nodded over when unmarked.
Cooke’s header from Fletcher’s cross sailed just over in stoppage time in City’s best attack of the second half as neither side could find a breakthrough, resulting in an additional 30 minutes.
The turnaround was swift with a fear that the home side’s floodlights could be switched off before 10pm and the lack of break seemed to hamper Hartley Wintney, who looked visibly tired for large periods of extra-time whereas City grew stronger.
Joe Raynes was caught late by Matt Drage while enjoying a marauding run forward which earned him a booking and relief for the Romans that the Bathonian was able to continue after treatment.
Jerry Gill’s frustrations earned him a caution by referee Steven Hughes in the second period of extra-time, but three minutes later he was dancing in the dugout as Bath made a breakthrough.
Chris Lines’ pinpoint free-kick saw Fletcher dart towards the penalty spot and superbly power a header past Debois into the bottom corner.
It clearly knocked the stuffing out of the Row who made their allocated four substitutions but struggled to maintain possession as City managed the closing stages expertly, holding the ball in the corner to further frustrate the home outfit.
The fact that they had to adopt such a tactic was a compliment to the home team’s efforts and earned City a first meeting with Isthmian Division One South East Sevenoaks Town in the Third Qualifying Round on Saturday, October 1.
Sally-anne Shortman’s late leveller denied Bath City Women a maiden win in the Somerset County Women’s League.
The midfielder powerfully headed home from ten yards after Bath goalkeeper Ali Diegutis was harshly penalised for handball outside the area, with the resulting free-kick nodded in.
Tara Taylor, pictured, had given Matt Abreu’s side the lead with a tidy finish as the Romans enjoyed more possession in the first half.
But Woodspring improved after the break as both teams settled for their first point, a fair outcome on the balance of play.
City shot up the pronounced slope at Nailsea but this was not a hindrance when captain Taylor scored their first goal of the season, calmly dispatching from eight yards on the half volley after a patient build-up.
A series of dangerous Paige Owen corners gave the visitors further openings but they couldn’t make them count, while Woodspring offered little going forward, Bath centre-backs Owen and Harleigh Curtis standing firm.
After the break City were restricted to efforts from distance, with home goalkeeper Kirsty Barrett having her gloves warmed by Annie Hervey and Taylor.
Diegutis had been a virtual spectator but was involved in a moment of controversy on 81 minutes. Referee Pinnock deemed she had handled a loose ball outside the area on the side of her 18-yard box when she appeared to be inside, resulting in a free-kick to the hosts.
In a congested penalty area, Leah Bettison’s driven delivery was superbly headed in by Shortman to seal a deserved draw.