National League South, Bob Lucas Stadium, Tuesday 11 February, 7:45PM
Back at home, Terras fans!
After Saturday’s disappointing defeat away to Chesham United, we have the chance to put things right just three days later, a bottom-table clash against West Country side Bath City.
Often the promotion-hopefuls in recent seasons, The Romans have laid in different baths this time round, preferring to stay close to the mighty Terras instead of the title-challengers.
With 15 points separating the two teams, these are the games that could start to close the gap between our position and the survival spots.
A victory tonight would also give us a second home league win in as many games, a slightly impressive feat particularly given our failure to win at home until the first day of this month.
HOW TO FOLLOW
We are delighted to announce that the ever-brilliant Ben Ashelford will be on commentary this evening; click HERE to access his in-game thoughts.
Live updates will also be provided across our social media platforms, followed by post-match reaction being uploaded after the final whistle.
ROMAN REIGNS
Up until November last year, The Romans saw their empire ruled by Jerry Gill for a little over seven years.
In October 2017, when he joined the side he had played in goal for for six years in the 1990s, he had impressed football chairman Paul Williams with his “vision and plans for the future.”
Williams’ hopes were realised, as Gill turned the club’s second successive ninth-placed finish after his first season into something more impressive as his time at the club progressed.
Finishing fifth and fourth in the following two seasons, they became, as described by Mark Molesley the last time we faced the Somerset side, “one of the league’s consistent performers.”
But, as has been famously said, “what goes up must come down.”
Which is what happened.
Though it would be harsh to critique their 13 league games in a 2020/21 league campaign that COVID-19 ultimately cut short, their 18th-place finish the following season was disappointing by their high standards.
With only nine points and three places above the drop zone come the year’s end, this was a far cry from the team who were just a play-off away from competing in England’s fifth tier for the first time since 2012.
Though there were signs of upswing on the final day, when they came back from two goals down to salvage a 3-3 draw with play-off-finishers Oxford City.
Gill said in his post-match interview that this season would prove to be “a learning curve for…all,” alongside his belief that he would “learn more out of this [season] than the two play-off finishes.”
But the Clevedon-born gaffer remained hopeful, using their “11 points” in their final five games, plus the crowd of “over 1400” as a reference point.
Thus, their redemption rebuild would begin.
It would prove to be a gradual process, finishing 11th the next year, although when they faced us on Good Friday last season they were promotion hopefuls once again, sitting in 10th-place, just one point behind St Albans City, who were in the play-offs.
Their point against us proved vital, and ultimately proved a very good Friday, as they qualified for the subsequent quarter-finals by a single point.
But, much like before, hearts would be broken once again at that very stage, this time Braintree Town being the inflictors of damage by a single goal.
Unfortunately for Bath supporters, that deflation appears to have continued going into this season.
Before they faced us at Twerton Park last October, they had picked up four wins in 11 league games, leaving them with 14 points.
However, with their five losses already at that stage, there were certainly some negatives.
Still, Gill did not display concerns at the time, alluding to having a “small squad” with several “injuries.”
But ultimately Gill and the club would part company the following month, after a seven-game winless run that had also included five consecutive losses.
After seven years of “loyalty” and “hard work,” the Roman Emipre was no longer led by the man who had spent a total of 13 years at the club throughout his time in football.
Eventually replacing him was Darren Way, a former manager for another Somerset club (one that we’re a little less fond of) for four years, who took over two days before Christmas Day.
He was a brief ex-teammate of our gaffer, too, for six months at Swansea City in 2007.
The Way era has begun with three wins in seven games, a feat that has seen them amass 12 points during his short spell so far.
Enough to establish a reasonable 15-point gap between them and us.
But a victory tonight would close that gap slightly, and give us a much-needed second home win in as many games…
