Bath City continued their impressive form by securing a 3-0 victory away at league leaders Plymouth Parkway, booking their place in the First Round of the FA Trophy. The triumph marked their fourth successive win across league and cup competitions, their best sequence in three years, and their first outright FA Trophy win since December 2023.
The goals came from recalled midfielder Matt Bowman, striker Reuben Reid, and winger Enzio Boldewijn, with the visitors bringing an end to Parkway’s eight-match winning streak in all competitions.
Manager Scott Bartlett, celebrating six months at the helm, made several adjustments to his squad. Joe Raynes and Donovan Wilson were rested entirely, while Pedro Elawar was included among the substitutes following his standout performance in midweek against Taunton.
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The game began with an early error from home goalkeeper Aaron Dearing, who misdirected a pass to Harry Parsons but was unable to capitalise on the chance. Parkway responded with efforts from Ethan Wright and Ryan Brett, but City quickly imposed themselves. Jordan Tillson’s attempted cross struck the crossbar, heightening the pressure on the hosts.
Bowman’s initial shot from 20 yards narrowly missed before City opened the scoring just before half-time. After a corner delivered by Ollie Chamberlain swung under the crossbar, Dearing was caught out, allowing Bowman to nod in his first goal of the season.
Parkway’s goalkeeper made another costly mistake six minutes later, fumbling a backpass that enabled Reid to seize the opportunity and score his second goal for the club, both coming against the same opponents.
City had a late penalty appeal during the first half turned down when Reid was adjudged to have dived following minimal contact from Dearing. Referee Jordan Lee issued a caution to the striker.
Parkway made a tactical substitution at half-time, introducing Rio Garside who immediately combined with Henry Donovan; however, Harrison Minturn’s vital block denied the chance.
City extended their lead early in the second half through Boldewijn, who executed a composed finish after evading his marker, firing across Dearing for his first goal since joining the club.
With a comfortable lead, City controlled possession and defended resolutely to secure their first away clean sheet of 2026. Substitute Pedro Elawar troubled the home defence with a shot saved by Dearing, while defender Jack Batten also featured up front in the latter stages.
Parkway’s top scorer Rocky Neal, introduced late, forced a tight effort narrowly wide but was unable to prevent his side’s first failure to score this season.
Reflecting on the performance, Bartlett praised his squad while acknowledging improvements are still needed. “We’re still a long way from where I want us to be,” he said. “We haven’t cracked it yet, but all signs show the lads want to reach that level. They worked hard defensively and scored three strong goals, which bodes well. We had real flashes of quality throughout the game.”
Bartlett singled out Bowman for particular praise. “That was the best Matt Bowman has played for ages. He’s been patient and working incredibly hard. Everyone is pleased for him. He covered the pitch well and showed great energy after an hour. From back to front, I’d rate the team seven or eight out of ten.”