Bath City continued their impressive run of form by overcoming Malvern Town 2-1 at Twerton Park, securing their fifth win in five matches across all competitions. The Romans came from behind thanks to crucial strikes from substitutes Matt Bowman and Enzio Boldewijn, each netting their second goal in as many games.
Malvern Town, newly promoted and struggling for an away win since April, made an unexpectedly bright start. Within the opening two minutes, some early confusion in the Bath defence led to a penalty, converted by Joe Tumelty after a foul on Sam Clark. It was a rare early setback for City, whose players looked unsettled as they struggled to establish their rhythm.
Despite initial nerves, Bath City gradually began to regain control. Several opportunities were created, though some chances were squandered, including efforts by Ollie Chamberlain, Donovan Wilson and Pedro Elawar, who all came close but failed to score.
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Manager Scott Bartlett responded at half-time by bringing on Matt Bowman for Chamberlain, a move that paid immediate dividends. Just three minutes into the second half, Jordan Tillson’s corner found Bowman at the back post, who headed the ball in from close range to level the match.
Malvern Town continued to press and came close to regaining the lead, but Tumelty blasted a key chance over the bar in the 59th minute. Meanwhile, hot-tempered moments unfolded, with Bartlett and Bowman both receiving bookings for dissent during a tense and sometimes controversial second half.
As the match progressed, Boldewijn replaced the injured Joe Raynes and became instrumental in City’s attacking play. After a couple of blocked efforts and a skillful free-kick saved by Malvern’s keeper, Boldewijn made the decisive impact on 80 minutes. When a Tillson corner was partially cleared, Boldewijn was positioned perfectly on the six-yard line to calmly control and volley the ball into the roof of the net.
Malvern Town responded by introducing substitute Ryan Brunt, their player-director of football and former Bath City favourite, alongside Kobe Chong to bolster their attack. The closing stages saw a contentious incident when a shot was blocked and the subsequent goalkeeper control led to an indirect free-kick for Malvern, but City’s defence held firm.
Despite further pressure and a late chance for Elawar that crashed against the post, Bath City held on. The match ended in controversy as Scott Bartlett was sent off during stoppage time, reportedly for protests to the officials.
This victory marks Bath City’s best run since August 2015, boosting their confidence ahead of their next fixtures. The team does not have a scheduled match this coming Saturday but is set to travel to Hanwell Town on Tuesday 6 October, kick-off 7.45pm, subject to Hanwell’s FA Cup commitments.
Additionally, Bath City will host Frome Town at Cannon Clarke Stadium for the FA Trophy First Round on the weekend of Saturday 24 August.