Somerset Premier Cup Quarter Final Tuesday 4 March 2008 - The Recreation Ground - kick off 7.45pm

City progressed into the semi-final of the Somerset Premier Cup with a win over Western League Shepton Mallet that was more comfortable than the 1-0 scoreline would suggest. To their credit the home side never allowed City to relax, though not resorting to the sort of heavy-handed tactics that City have encountered in the past in this competition, but they rarely looked like getting back into the game despite City’s inability to add to Jason Wood’s first half strike.

Understandably City manager John Relish rested Lewis Hogg, Paul Evans and Chris Holland – all who had been victims of a stomach bug during the previous week – but it was still a strong looking City line-up that started the game. Most notable was a starting spot for Steve Jones which took him to his 200th appearance for City. He was named captain for the night to honour this milestone. There was little to excite the small crowd during the opening exchanges – Dave Gilroy firing the only effort on goal over after 12 minutes and Darren Edwards just failing to get on the end of a cross shortly afterwards – but midway through the half Jason Wood broke the deadlock was a well-struck 25-yard shot that gave keeper Leech no chance. City continued to huff and puff after the goal without creating any clear-cut chance. When Shepton did get forward they found a City back-line in typically sound form and teenage keeper Owen Dunn was little more than a spectator.

At the interval City made two changes, replacing Scott Rogers and Gilroy with Scott Partridge and Martin Paul, the latter needing just one goal to become City’s all-time second highest goalscorer. However, he didn’t even see a chance to try to claim that record. Partridge did bring a fine stop out of Leech soon after the restart but City’s cause was not helped around the hour-mark when Sekani Simpson limped from the game. By then City had already made their third substation so were forced into playing the final 30 minutes with just ten men. Little changed in the pattern of the game though, with Wood, Gilroy, Edwards and Rogers all going close to increasing City’s lead. There was one nervous moment in the final moments when a Shepton shot took a deflection but fortunately it lacked the pace to take the game to extra-time and Dunn comfortably claimed the ball.

In truth, the game was little more than a glorified training outing for City and, while they will have been pleased to win the game and give a run out to the squad fringe players – with Wood in particular adding to his stock with a solid performance – the injury to Simpson means the victory in the last four has come at a cost, especially with a number of tough league games coming in the next ten days.