WANDS ARE MAGIC BUT BATH SINK
FIRST-HALF goals from James McShane and Jason Prior kept up Dorking Wanderers’ hopes of an incredible 12th promotion since formation – while Bath City fell at the eliminator stage for the second year running.
Ryan Brunt’s 80thminute penalty gave the Romans some hope but after Andy Watkins blazed wide in the last few seconds they knew their race was run.
McShane’s opener for Dorking arrived on six minutes. Nick Wheeler’s free-kick was poorly dealt with by the Bath defence and McShane was allowed time and space to sweep the ball home from ten yards.
National League South Player of the Year Tom Smith thundered a shot against the crossbar from 20 yards as Jerry Gill’s Bath looked for a leveller in an entertaining spectacle.
But Prior extended Wanderers’ lead four minutes before the break when Niall McManus’ terrific cross was met by an equally high-quality header, the forward nodding in off the bar past Ryan Clarke.
It knocked the stuffing out of the hosts who struggled to make inroads against a superb defensive rearguard from the Surrey outfit.
They were finally breached with ten minutes left when Ben Dyett handled Brunt’s goalbound shot in the box, and the front man slotted home the resulting spot-kick.
Watkins blasted Brunt’s knockdown wide when well-placed as the visitors held on through a late onslaught.
Dorking manager Marc White was red-carded from the bench in the dying stages but was soon met by his jubilant players as Wanderers head to Weymouth for the semi-final full of confidence.
Dejected Bath boss Gill said: “We’re naturally very disappointed. As a spectacle, it was a good game to watch.
“When you’ve been out for so long you need to get into rhythm but we never gave ourselves a chance to.”