The Thistle Archive

Bath City made a rollicking start to their pre-season campaign as they put Scottish Premiership Partick Thistle to the sword. An even first half ended with Billy Murphy stroking home a penalty to put the Romans in front before they broke out following the interval. Within minutes of the restart Nick McCootie doubled the lead from a corner, with trialist Shaquille Hunter adding a stunning third and an own goal made by the hard work of Josh Hutchinson finishing off the rout minutes later. The Romans' starting line-up included two trialists, former QPR, Havant and Hayes defender Manny Monthe and released Swindon Town midfield prospect Lee Marshall. And there were plenty more on the bench, including one-time Bristol Rovers hot prospect Hunter. New signing George Rigg, predominantly a midfielder, started the game at right-back, with Dan Bowman still absent.

Goalmouth action was in short supply for the majority of the first period as both teams probed with little success. It was the hosts that had the better of the early runnings, with Andy Watkins, playing from midfield, looking sharp. After scuffing a shot straight at the Partick keeper from 20 yards, he was set away down the left wing by Murphy and whipped a dangerous ball across the face of goal. The cross ran away on the far side, but City were still able to win a free-kick, which almost saw Sean Welsh turn past his own keeper from a Murphy delivery. Partick played tidy football in patches, but found opportunities hard to come by. There were still hair-raising moments for home stopper Steve Phillips, who had to dash out to prevent Ade Azeez running onto a missed Jack Batten header. On 20 minutes, Phillips set himself to receive a backpass from Batten, only for the defender to send it in off-line, the ball rebounding kindly off the post. Another backpass from Rigg was also run down by Azeez, with Phillips twice making challenges to keep the ball away from the Jags hitman. There were still chances for City, too. McCootie also came out in confident mood, firing one sharp shot at the trialist Partick custodian before driving through the middle to win a free-kick, which Murphy curled comfortably in the keeper's arms. A dicey clearance by Monthe led to an attempt that Kevin Nisbet scooped over, while midfielder Abdul Osman also volleyed a low shot into a defender. Their clearest opening of the opening period came and went when Batten's pocket was picked by Azeez at the edge of the box, but the striker placed his effort five yards past the upright. Right at the death, however, City won a penalty when McCootie shrugged off a trialling defender, who then upended the frontman as he darted goalwards. It was Murphy who stepped up, left-footed, to tap home the spot-kick and send City into the lead at the interval.

Within three minutes of the restart they had a second. Watkins charged to the corner of the six-yard box and drew a save from the feet of sub Conor Cullen. From the resulting Murphy corner, Monthe had a volley deflected over the bar, but the second flag-kick was nodded in by a rising McCootie. The expected raft of substitutions for both sides cut the flow of the game, with Partick particularly disjointed looking for the final ball. Nisbet did find his way in behind onto a raking long pass, but the angle was against him to allow new keeper Cory Harvey – brother of City cult hero Tyler – to save. The Romans would find their feet again, however, with 25 minutes to go. The third goal came from Hunter, who bamboozled a trialist with a barrage of stepovers and curled a stunning shot into the top corner. Just minutes later Josh Hutchinson found himself in behind and bearing down on goal. He proceeded to cut inside a defender and tapped goalwards, the ball rebounding off Cullen, into a defender and trickling over the line. Ryan Edwards also failed to hit the target for Partick in the closing stages as the City defence secured a relatively comfortable clean sheet.

Henry Burridge, Bath Chronicle, Saturday, 2nd July, 2016

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BIGGEST DEFEAT TO NON-LEAGUERS IN ALMOST 120 YEARS

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