Bath City will welcome Chippenham Town to Twerton Park this Saturday for a pivotal A4 Derby, with kick-off scheduled for 3pm. The Romans find themselves without a victory in their past four matches, suffering losses in each of their last three games. Their recent 1st Qualifying Round exit from the FA Cup marks the earliest elimination for Bath City since 1979, and notably the first consecutive first-round exits since the 1994–1995 seasons.
In contrast, Chippenham Town will arrive on the back of positive momentum. Their 3-1 victory in the FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round replay at Havant & Waterlooville on Tuesday extended their unbeaten run to three matches, including consecutive away wins following a previously difficult period on the road.
The most recent A4 Derby took place on Good Friday at Cannon Clarke Stadium, hosted at Twerton Park. At that time, Bath City was enduring a 14-game league winless streak with relegation looming, while Chippenham, following a minor revival, sat six points from safety with five games remaining.
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During that encounter, Chippenham began strongly but were thwarted by an impressive defensive effort led by goalkeeper Charlie Binns. As Chippenham pushed for a late winner, Bath City capitalised on a counterattack in added time. Former Chippenham player Owen Windsor created space on the left flank and delivered a precise pass to Scott Wilson, whose composed finish beat goalkeeper Will Henry, securing a vital victory and marking Scott Bartlett’s first win as manager.
Reflecting on the win, Bartlett expressed relief and praised the supporters, stating, “I’m really pleased because it’s been a tough time for everybody. The fans were outstanding, as they have been in the other two games I’ve been in charge of.”
Scott Wilson had recently returned from a loan spell at Weston-super-Mare, with this being his fourth goal since returning, including a notable fifth in A4 Derby fixtures. He commented, “It’s an amazing feeling. These derby days always bring up moments like that. I was a bit frustrated not starting but I know what it takes to win these games. When I got the opportunity I was pleased I could take it. We wanted to do it for the fans today. We know this season hasn’t been good enough but we wanted to give them that moment.”
Despite their efforts, both Bath City and Chippenham were relegated with two fixtures remaining that season. Chippenham retained manager Gary Horgan and assistant Matt Coupe, both of whom have past connections with both clubs. The team has undergone considerable changes, with only five players retained from the previous season as Chippenham adopted a hybrid model, focusing on a younger, less experienced squad.
Last season, after securing a 1-0 win at Twerton on Easter Monday 2025-thanks to a goal from current Bath City forward Harry Parsons-Chippenham endured an eight-game away losing streak in the National League South. Their sole away league victory came at Dover in March. This season, they started with two losses away (0-2 at Uxbridge and 0-4 at Berkhamsted) before a 2-1 win at Malvern on Bank Holiday Monday, despite Luke Haines receiving the team’s third red card in as many away league matches.
Currently, Chippenham sit 16th in the Southern Premier South table with seven points, just one point and five places ahead of Bath City.
This marks the ninth consecutive season both clubs meet in league competition. Chippenham earned promotion to the National League South in 2017 and reached the play-offs in 2022, where they were defeated in the semi-finals by Ebbsfleet United. Saturday’s fixture is their first Southern Premier meeting since April 2007, when Martin Paul scored a second-half winner, moving Bath City closer to the title.
Several players have represented both teams, including Dan Greenslade, Ollie Tomlinson, Kieran Parselle, Owen Windsor, Harrison Minturn, Harry Parsons, and Callum Wood, now with Bath City. For Chippenham, Marley Rose made brief appearances in 2023, while Ethan Lindo has featured mostly as a substitute.
Assistant manager Matt Coupe famously scored for Bath City in a 1-1 draw in March 2005 during an A4 Derby, one of just eight draws in 369 matches between the clubs. Meanwhile, Chippenham’s manager Gary Horgan had a brief spell at Twerton in 2002, where he played alongside Andy Minturn, father of Bath City’s Harrison Minturn.
While Bath City’s Southern League campaign includes several local derbies-such as an upcoming away match at Taunton Town-the club will be keen to earn bragging rights following Monday’s disappointing defeat against neighbours Frome Town. After an early FA Cup exit this season, the club’s supporters will be eager for a positive result against one of their most significant regional rivals in the division.
Saturday promises an engaging contest between two clubs with rich local history and much at stake.