Team Bath 4 – 2 Wealdstone
Team Bath
2R4 - 2
WealdstoneDON’T be fooled by the relatively close scoreline, Wealdstone were woeful, producing their poorest performance this term.
However, the luck was with the home side, a team of students from the local university, mostly doing sports science degrees.
The superior pace and movement of Team Bath, especially up front, was not dealt with. Even three half-time substitutions and playing down a considerable slope in the second half, made little difference.
Andy Carter, so solid and dependable for several seasons, is going through a bad patch. His decision to race to the edge of his area to clear was unnecessary as Dave Ryan was shepherding Story wide of goal. Having got part of the way, he hesitated and Story lobbed over the stranded keeper into an empty goal.
Story could have made it two fifteen minutes later but fired over with the Stones’ defence again stretched.
It took 25 minutes for Wealdstone to get a shot on target and, during Stones’ best spell of the match, the Bath keeper twice denied Richard Jolly with excellent saves.
But Wealdstone’s hopes of getting something from the game were short lived.
On 40 minutes, a Bath corner wasn’t dealt with and Lewis forced the ball home from close range.
The unusual step of three half-time substitutions showed how concerned the Wealdstone management were with the quality of this performance, However, the changes made little difference.
The third goal, ten minutes in, was a powerful 25 yard strike from Lewis that moved in the air, but on a better day Carter would have dealt with it.
A glimmer of hope appeared on the hour when Stones were awarded a penalty after Saunders downed Jolly, but, to add to their woes, Gary McKeown’s kick sailed over.
Not content to see out time, the enthusiastic Bath forwards continued to push forward and, as the game entered its final quarter, the fourth goal arrived courtesy of Story, who rounded Carter before netting.
Only after wholesale Bath changes did the game fade, allowing Wealdstone to score two late goals.
Jolly scored a second penalty, after Richardson tripped Beckford, before Gary Burrell bundled in another from close range, giving the scoreline some undeserved respectability.
Harrow Times By Steve Paull