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Saturday 6 December 2003 - Twerton Park - kick off 3.00pm Dr Martens Premier Division 
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| half-time: 0-2 | result: L0-2 | attendance: 679 |
| team: | Bryant, Coupe, Carter, Jones (c), Trought (Jenkins 45), Rollo (Shore 63), Counsell, Owers, Eaton, Cleverley (Howarth 50), Milton. subs not used: Jeffries, Hare. |
| man of the match: | Russell Milton |
| scorers: | none |
| bookings: | Jenkins (90) |
| officials: | B Malone (Salisbury), G Spring (Salisbury), K Francis (Gillingham) |
| league position: 21st | form: WLLWWL | next match: Cirencester (H) |
The sacking of Alan Pridham was supposed to signal a change in City’s fortunes. It was going to see an end to the amateur defensive errors, lack of midfield creativity and ineffectual attacking. The Conference Division 2, that had seemed a distant dream before the installation of new manager Gary Owers, would suddenly hone into view on the back of the sort of performances that the squad of City players were surely capable of producing. And for a brief time it all seemed possible. Okay, the win over Gloucester City was hardly a huge improvement but it’s amazing what even a small taste of success can conjure in the mind. Seven days later and reality arrives back at Twerton Park with a crash in the shape of a display against Merthyr Tydfil that was every bit as bad as the worse days under Pridham. The Welsh side had only won once since beating City back in September, and that against the only side worse than City this season, Chippenham Town. They should have been there for the taking but instead they were gifted a 2-0 victory that their own performance hardly warranted. Unfortunately a two goal defeat was exactly what City deserved.
With Frankie Bennett still injured City started with the same XI that knocked Gloucester out of the FA Trophy. Jason Eaton’s weak 2nd minute shot straight at Thomas was the sum total of the opening 20 minutes goalmouth action. City tried to pass the ball on the heavy surface but with little success. Merthyr, by contrast, were content to lump a series of long balls forward for pacy forward Belle to chase. This approach was no more successful. A Russell Milton free-kick was headed over by Owers on 23 minutes and an acrobatic volley by former Martyr Jim Rollo flew just wide seven minutes later. These two half chances seemed to signal that City were gaining the upper hand only for a painfully familiar series of defensive mix-ups to gift the visitors a 34th minute lead. Steve Jones and Mike Trought combined to concede a needless corner and from that an unmarked Belle headed home. City responded with a couple of off-target Mitch Counsell efforts and a half-hearted penalty appeal before a second piece of dreadful defending in first half stoppage time allowed Merthyr to double their lead. Trought’s weak clearance from a Thomas cross fell to Belle and his simple ball across goal was tapped in by Regan.
This was the centre-back’s last involvement as he was replaced by Steve Jenkins at the interval. Within five minutes of the restart City were forced into another substitution when striker Danny Cleverley came off second best in a clash with keeper Thomas and had to be stretchered off. Owers choose to throw defender Adam Howarth on as an emergency forward but this surprise move never looked likely to work. Merthyr were content to sit back and with City increasingly resulting to aimless balls forward had little trouble in repelling the home side. Eaton saw two reasonable chances come and go and even on the rare occasions that Alfie Carter got past his markers the final ball was lacking. The only person in the ground who didn’t seem to want the ‘action’ to stop was referee Brendon Malone as he added nearly 10 minutes of stoppage time. During this period Milton and Eaton both fired shots narrowly wide but had the referee decided to play for another hour it is unlikely that City would have managed an effort on target let alone scored.