Tuesday 7 September 2004 - Twerton Park - kick off 7.45pm Southern League Premier Division

City’s line-up was missing player-manager Gary Owers due to the knee injury picked up at Dunstable – he was replaced by the fit-again Russell Milton – although top scorer John Williams overcame his injury from the same game to take his place alongside Reinier Moor up front. For the second time already this season the visitors to Twerton Park had to run out in City’s yellow third kit due to (presumably) not realising that City wore black and white stripes (like they have for the last 15-20 seasons!). The game got off to a flying start as both City-clad sides went close in the opening three minutes. An unmarked Darren Hawkins headed a great Milton cross wide and then third-choice keeper Stuart Fraser – playing due to the rib injury sustained (again) at Dunstable by Justin Shuttlewood – turned Cox’s shot over the bar. He then produced an even better stop eight minutes later, somehow pushing Smith’s point-blank header to safety. Soon City began to get the upper hand, a state that they more or less maintained for the rest of the game. A couple of half-chances came and went before they created their first good opening. Graeme Power’s excellent centre picked out Williams but he could only blast a shot against defender Aubrey. Hawkins and Jimmy Benefield also went close but on 29 minutes the Tigers took the lead against the run of play. A hopeful clearance out of defence by Davis dropped between Matt Coupe and Mike Trought and suddenly ex-City striker Cox was racing clear. Showing a finishing ability that he kept well hidden during his time at Twerton Park he easily rolled the ball past Fraser into the corner of the net. Hawkins missed another header as City responded strongly and then Griffiths almost turned a cross into his own net, Aubrey rescuing the situation with a timely goalline clearance. The game was a couple of minutes into stoppage time when City’s pressure finally yielded due reward. A Power cross was blocked by Davis’ arm and Williams almost ripped the net off with his fiercely struck penalty kick.

It was hit so hard that the big striker suffered a reoccurrence of his hamstring injury and had to be replaced by Steve Tweddle at the interval. The pattern of the game changed little as City continued to dominate possession although Gloucester still threatened on their rare attacks. Tweddle forced a fine stop out of keeper Bath within ten minutes of his arrival on the pitch. Time and again City produced neat build up play only for the final pass or cross to fail to find a player in black and white. By contrast, Gloucester were finding their men in the final third of the pitch and Fraser had to be alert again to save Mustoe’s free-kick and then he blocked Bayliss’ header at his near post. As the game reached its closing minutes City upped their tempo in a frantic late effort to claim the three points. They earned several free-kicks in promising positions as Gloucester got increasingly desperate with their tackling – they were fortunate that the referee was in a lenient mood to this approach and their constant moaning (no doubt stemming from their foul-mouthed moron of a manager Chris Burns) – but again these came to nothing. The closest City came to a winner during their spell was a shot on the turn by Moor that Bath comfortably turned aside and in the end they had to settle for a point.