Bath City showed resilience to draw 2-2 in their pre-season clash against League Two side Newport County, with striker Alex Fisher scoring against his former club.
Newport took the lead twice, thanks to goals from Ged Garner before half-time and Harrison Halpin just after the break. However, Bath City responded strongly, with Dan Greenslade scoring directly from a corner and Fisher adding a neat finish, despite appearing to be in an offside position.
Academy graduate Seweryn Streczen played a key role in the equaliser with a well-timed assist during his brief appearance as a substitute.
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The match started with Newport enjoying more possession in the opening 15 minutes, testing Bath City’s goalkeeper Harvey Wiles-Richards early on. Former City loanee Moses Alexander-Walker was denied twice by Wiles-Richards, who also saved a powerful free-kick from Keenan Patten.
Despite the pressure, Bath City had their own chances, with Trialist A nearly scoring early on, only to be blocked by Newport centre-back Dan Sassi. Newport opened the scoring four minutes before half-time when Ged Garner’s 20-yard shot took a deflection off Kieran Parselle, wrong-footing Wiles-Richards.
Shortly after the interval, Bath City equalised courtesy of Greenslade’s corner that Newport’s trialist goalkeeper failed to hold under little pressure from Scott Wilson. The visitors regained the lead within minutes, as 16-year-old Harrison Halpin flicked a header past Wiles-Richards from a Matt Smith corner.
Newport then missed a chance to extend their lead when Alexander-Walker was denied by Wiles-Richards' legs once more.
Bath City manager Scott Bartlett made tactical substitutions after the hour mark, bringing on Streczen and Fisher, who combined to earn a late equaliser. Streczen skilfully manoeuvred along the byline before setting up Fisher, who calmly finished despite Newport’s appeals for offside, with the assistant referee not raising the flag.
In the closing stages, Newport’s Harri Pugh and Donovan Wilson had opportunities, but Bath City’s Cameron Norman blocked decisively to maintain the draw.
Bartlett praised his team’s performance: “No-one can say we didn’t deserve to get anything from the game. It felt like the first proper game we’ve had – really tough against good opposition. It needs to be like that. We balanced shape and discipline well, kept the gaps closed, and defended crosses effectively. Our goals were good, and despite the second probably being offside, there was a foul in the build-up. Everyone gave a strong account and we had no injuries.”
With some squad rotation necessitated by Jack Batten’s precautionary absence, Bartlett tested players in new roles, highlighting Ollie Chamberlain’s versatility and Joe Raynes’s potential at centre-half.
Fisher’s return from a possible retirement remains a highlight of the summer, contributing effectively as a substitute in recent matches. Bartlett added, “I’d love to have Al with us because he offers so much on and off the pitch. He’s been in professional football for a long time and takes good care of himself.”
He also commended Streczen’s positive energy, particularly following a disappointing training session earlier in the week, noting the competitiveness developing within the squad ahead of their next fixture at Sholing.
Final score: Bath City 2 (Greenslade 49; Fisher 79) - Newport County 2 (Garner 41; Halpin 53)
Line-ups: Bath City: Wiles-Richards; Raynes, Tomlinson, Parselle (Tillson 46), Greenslade; Chamberlain (Fisher 64), Bowman (Pritchard 84); Trialist A (Boldewijn 46), Parsons (Streczen 77), Windsor (S Wilson 46); Reid (D Wilson 46). Subs not used: Batten, Horsell.
Newport County: Wright (Trialist B 46); Halpin, Sassi, Evans (Norman 31), Davies; Patten (Pugh 64), Smith, Jarvis; Trialist A (Doidge 46), Garner, Alexander-Walker (Bamba 64).
Referee: Said Ouchene
Attendance: 616
Star performer: Dan Greenslade