Saturday 11 September 2004 - Twerton Park - kick off 3.00pm Southern League Premier Division

In common with recent games City’s starting line-up was affected by injuries. On the negative side Stuart Fraser became the third City keeper on the injury list giving Chris Giannangelo his first start in a City shirt. John Williams also failed a late fitness test to join player-manager Gary Owers on the sidelines. These casualties meant captain Bobby Ford and striker Steve Tweddle were restored to the starting XI after their substitute outings in the 1-1 draw with Gloucester City. The visitors began the game well and should have taken the lead within the opening five minutes. Turner got free down the right and his low cross was met just six yards out by McSweeney only for Giannangelo to produce a great block with his legs. The busy keeper then produced a more routine block from Gray’s 20-yard shot a couple of minutes later before turning aside a 10th minute effort from Bell. City briefly responded when Reinier Moor tamely fired straight at Young following a pass from Graeme Power. On 18 minutes City were fortunate to keep eleven men on the field when Matt Coupe’s desperate lunge halted Bell’s clear run on goal. He escaped with just a yellow card and the free-kick came to nothing. Darren Hawkins did have a goalbound shot charged down by Barrow but it was still against the run of play that City took the lead after 35 minutes. Ford’s deep corner was headed back across goal by Steve Jones for Tweddle to nod home from four yards out. This was Jones’ last serious involvement in the game as four minutes later he received a head wound following an accidental clash with Turner. His departure saw a welcome return to the side for Sam Bailey. Hawkins wasted another opening but this seemed of little consequence when Turner was shown a straight red card for comments directed at a linesman right on 45 minutes.

As the weather turned from a bright sunny day to a torrential downpour then back again within ten minutes, City looked to be taking a hold on the game. Tweddle just failed to get on the end of a Ford free-kick that Mike Trought flicked on before the 55th minute saw Jimmy Benefield go down in the box under a challenge from Teesdale. It looked an innocuous tackle but the referee pointed straight to the spot. Hawkins stepped up only to see his effort parried by Young. However, he reacted first to the loose ball and made no mistake second time. Two-nil to the good against ten men that should have been game over but within two minutes the Pitman pulled a goal back – Teesdale heading home Williams’ corner. Ironically what followed was probably City’s best spell of the whole game as Trought, Tweddle and Moor all saw chances come and go to restore City’s two-goal advantage. They were made to pay for this on 67 minutes when a deflected McSweeney free-kick left Giannangelo wrong-footed and the scores level. To their credit City came back at Hednesford and with twelve minutes left regained the lead. Tweddle collected the ball some 25 yards out and lifted a perfect shot over Young and into the net. But just two minutes later the scores were level again. Bell broke clear down the left flank. With no support he was forced into shooting from a narrow angle. Giannangelo could only parry the shot into the air and despite the desperate efforts of Power the ball spun back across the line. Six minutes later the comeback was completed when another Williams set-piece found the head of a teammate – this time it was substitute Charie who converted the chance. City nearly grabbed an equaliser deep in stoppage time – Benefield glancing a header wide from a Ford centre – but there was to be no final twist to the outcome.