Saturday 5 November 2005 - Northwood Park - kick off 3.00pm

Southern League Premier Division
half-time: 1-0 result: W3-0 attendance: 222
team: Evans, S Jones, Power, Coupe, G Jones, Harris, McConnell (Rollo 66), Holloway (c), Walsh (Partridge 70), Bird (Paul 81), Sandell. subs not used: York, Clarke.
man of the match: Andy Sandell
scorers: Harris (18), Sandell (71), Holloway (74)
bookings: Paul (90)
officials: S Fay, S Anscombe, A Piggott
league position: 6th form: WDWddW next match: Bromsgrove (H)
Report taken from by Richard Gadsby

The decision to drop top scorer Scott Partridge paid off in the end, although it was Swansea target Andy Sandell who inspired Bath City to a convincing win over the Southern Premier Division's basement boys. Sandell, who has spent several days on trial with the Swans, capped a dream week by scoring one goal and creating the other two as City stretched their unbeaten run to six games and made it four straight clean sheets. The Sandell show aside, there were few other bright spots to City's solid display against, arguably, their worst opponents so far this season. They were rarely put under pressure by the home side, apart from a 15-minute spell in the second half, and several players seemed to canter through the game without stepping out of second gear. Not that they really needed to. Northwood's ball distribution was terrible and they were guilty of missing at least two gilt-edged chances to level when the score was just 1-0. City rode their long overdue luck and finished the job well with the fireworks overhead mirroring the party atmosphere among the travelling fans.

A Tony Bird free-kick and a tame Phil Walsh header had already tested keeper Adam Federica before the first goal came. Sandell somehow managed to squirm through two defenders near the left corner flag only to be dragged back before he could get into the penalty area. The winger picked himself up and swung in a dangerous free-kick which was flicked over the keeper by the stooping head of Adie Harris. Jon Holloway headed straight at the keeper a few minutes later but City seemed to take their foot off the pedal for the rest of the half. Northwood looked incapable of taking advantage but a minute before the break, Shayne Demetrious hit a smart shot on the turn from the edge of the area which was just tipped over by Paul Evans.

Northwood started the second half much more brightly and Peter Dean had already missed one great chance to equalise, after latching on to a poor Evans clearance, when he missed the best opening of the game. A brilliant cross from Dean Clark found Dean unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box but the striker hit hopelessly over with almost all of the goal begging. A couple more long-range efforts tested Evans but otherwise the Matt Coupe/Gethin Jones defensive partnership stood firm and City were soon back on the offensive. Jones' surging runs from centre-half have become a feature of his recent displays and Federica had to be smart to block a powerful shot from the defender on 66 minutes. The ball bounced back to Sandell, who skewed an optimistic overhead kick wide. Sandell was on the scoresheet six minutes later though when a lucky deflection off substitute Partridge bounced back to the winger, who thrashed a ferocious shot into the bottom left-hand corner. The game was over two minutes later when the keeper could only parry another Sandell piledriver to Holloway, who made no mistake from close range. Substitute Martin Paul headed a Sandell cross onto the far post with his first touch and Jim Rollo and Partridge also came close with a couple of half-chances late on.