Bath City wrapped up their pre-season campaign with a 3-0 defeat against Farnborough in the Ted Pearce Memorial Cup, a match that highlighted areas of concern for the National League South side.
New signing Sam Barratt was the standout player for Farnborough, scoring two goals, while Mason Bloomfield added a header to secure a comfortable win over the Romans.
Following the match, Bath City manager Scott Bartlett expressed his disappointment with the team’s performance and overall commitment. “We didn’t deserve to get anything,” Bartlett admitted candidly. “Today isn’t a disaster, but I would like to see a bit more fight for the shirt.”
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Reflecting on the squad’s efforts since pre-season commenced, Bartlett voiced concern over several players, saying, “There are three or four players I’m a bit disappointed with-not just now, but since we’ve come back from pre-season. Our standards have to be really high. We’ve run hard in pre-season, we’ve trained well but have coasted through some of the matches.”
The side also faced challenges with player positioning during the match. Bartlett commented, “We were a bit disjointed playing three or four out of position, but I probably played about 250 games out of position out of my 400 at Salisbury. You’ve got to do a job and a bit more than that.”
He also acknowledged the realities of squad management: “We’re not going to have a big squad-we’ll need people to fill in and be happy to fill in.”
Bartlett admitted to providing player feedback in private, explaining, “It is easy to be critical of players in pre-season and I haven’t been out in the open, maybe once or twice, to them away from it as a group.”
On the match itself, Bartlett was clear about the scoreline reflecting the game, particularly regarding both teams’ defensive performances. “We lacked fight in certain areas and we were beaten by a decent Farnborough team on the day,” he acknowledged.
In the early stages, Rashawn Scott tested Farnborough goalkeeper Harvey Wiles-Richards with a shot saved comfortably in the fourth minute. Trialist A for City had an opportunity from a Seweryn Streczen corner, but the header went wide. Owen Windsor’s 30-yard effort also flew over the bar before Farnborough took the lead on 12 minutes.
Josh Parker delivered a ball from the byline to Barratt, who volleyed in from six yards despite the City keeper’s efforts to save. Farnborough maintained pressure; Wiles-Richards managed to repel a curling shot from Michael Reindorf, though Enzio Boldewijn’s dipping effort posed a greater challenge.
Shortly after the break, Farnborough capitalised on a mistake, as Jack Batten’s challenge on Sam Okoye gifted Barratt a penalty, which he converted by sending Wiles-Richards the wrong way. City replied immediately through Donovan Wilson, whose shot forced a strong save from Thomas but could not alter the scoreline.
The home team sealed the win with a third goal just under 15 minutes from time. Reindorf found Tom Lapslie on the right flank, who delivered a precise cross for Mason Bloomfield to finish from six yards, effectively ending any chance of a City comeback.
This result meant Bath City secured only one victory during pre-season, their fewest in warm-up matches since 2013-a season in which they finished 7th in Conference South.
Bartlett remained critical but optimistic as he reviewed the season ahead. “I haven’t been particularly pleased with any of the games really. I love the players all to bits but they’ve got to give us a bit more. We needed to get through to next Saturday with as many 100% fit boys as we can. That’s the only excuse I’ll give the players.”
He praised the integration of new signings and the experience present in the squad, stating, “The new signings have fitted in well. We’ve got a team of good experience. There are good legs in the team, we look strong and powerful. There are still one or two catching up though, in my opinion. It’s going to be easier to leave one or two out than it should be at this stage.”
Bartlett highlighted the importance of match minutes for fitness and team cohesion. “The players that played 90 minutes needed to play 90 minutes. We’ll be better for that. We’re still looking to recruit. It’s a long old season, the squad always looks a bit different at the end than the beginning.”
Having led Weston-super-Mare to the Southern Premier South title in 2023, Bartlett draws on extensive experience, including guiding that club back to National League South after Covid-19 disrupted campaigns.
Bath City’s first league fixture is away to Sholing this Saturday. Sholing finished just outside the play-offs last season, marking their highest-ever league position.
Bartlett respects their opponents highly: “They’re a club on the up and do things properly. They’ve got some brilliant players that I’ve worked with before. They’ve got Paul Doswell there who’s had countless promotions and knows non-league football inside out.”
He concluded with determination and focus. “I respect everyone. I’ve played at these levels, I worked my way up. I’ve lived and breathed this league that we’re going into. I had three or four years of it not so long ago. I know it’s going to be really tough. The league games will be like the Melksham game the other day rather than when we played Plymouth or Newport. We need to make sure we’re ready and I’m looking forward to the challenge. We’ve got a really good squad for the budget we’ve got. There’s so much good going on at the club.”
In other club news, midfielder Owen Pritchard has joined Mangotsfield United on loan. The academy product made his debut in their 1-0 defeat to Fairford Town on Saturday.