V Bath City A

[Irishadrian]

I Think we can be very hopeful of a good result from this one. Bath had some excellent results earlier in the season but last won 9 games ago in mid January edging Eastbourne Since then they've  played 8 league games drawing 2 and losing 6  I doubt if they're  brimming with confidence  We go into it knowing we can beat the leagues best and we didn't get lucky we rolled over Maidstone  But of course its all down to performances tonight but I'll  be both surprised and disappointed if we don't come away with something.

[Curtis]

1-0 up on 72 minutes, but from Twitter posts sounds like we are under pressure to hold on to it.

[Holyport Rebel]

Later on this morning I truthfully have my annual check up at the optician's.

Perfect timing I think, as I saw something last night at Bath that made me doubt my own eyes.

Sometimes a goal against your team is just so good that you have to applaud it.

I was reluctantly about to do that last night when incredibly, the goal net didn't bulge.

From memory, there was a long cross from the Bath City right, into a fairly deserted Slough penalty area.

From where I was standing it was hard to be precise how far out from goal the Bath attacking player was, and he only seemed to have one Slough defender near him.

The Bath player launched himself at the ball, and struck it perfectly with an acrobatic scissor-kick.

What a goal.

Reminded me of Mark Hughes of Man Utd and Wales at his peak.

He scored goals like that.

But............................

It wasn't a goal.

It hadn't gone into the net.

How?????????????????????

Take a big bow Mr, North.

It wasn't as though it was struck near him, and he just made an instinctive reaction save.

He dived full length towards the top left hand corner of his goal, and not only got a hand to the ball but somehow managed to keep this rocket shot out.

An incredible save.

A moment I will remember for a very long time, or at least until Alzheimer's kicks in.

Honestly, if I was a Bath City player in their dressing room at half-time yesterday I'd be thinking there was no God.

Not only had they dominated the first half, but to add insult to injury they conceded a goal from a penalty kick on the verge of half-time.

When you are down and at the bottom, nothing seems to go for you.

And the second half was the same.

More fantastic saves from Northy, more near misses.

I couldn't begrudge them when they equalised.

Even though Bath had so much of the ball and attacked so well, we dug in and defended with a fantastic fighting spirit.

And I always felt we could nick a goal on a counter attack.

We nearly did so at the end.

That would have been so unjust, but I would still have taken it !

I hope Bath don't get relegated.

Nothing against the other team's fighting for their lives down at the bottom, but it's always nice to visit a club like Bath with a proper. old style football ground.

Right, let's get off to Specsavers.

My eyes must have been deceiving me last night. 

    

[Reading Rebel]

1 hour ago, Holyport Rebel said:

Later on this morning I truthfully have my annual check up at the optician's.

Perfect timing I think, as I saw something last night at Bath that made me doubt my own eyes.

Sometimes a goal against your team is just so good that you have to applaud it.

I was reluctantly about to do that last night when incredibly, the goal net didn't bulge.

From memory, there was a long cross from the Bath City right, into a fairly deserted Slough penalty area.

From where I was standing it was hard to be precise how far out from goal the Bath attacking player was, and he only seemed to have one Slough defender near him.

The Bath player launched himself at the ball, and struck it perfectly with an acrobatic scissor-kick.

What a goal.

Reminded me of Mark Hughes of Man Utd and Wales at his peak.

He scored goals like that.

But............................

It wasn't a goal.

It hadn't gone into the net.

How?????????????????????

Take a big bow Mr, North.

It wasn't as though it was struck near him, and he just made an instinctive reaction save.

He dived full length towards the top left hand corner of his goal, and not only got a hand to the ball but somehow managed to keep this rocket shot out.

An incredible save.

A moment I will remember for a very long time, or at least until Alzheimer's kicks in.

Honestly, if I was a Bath City player in their dressing room at half-time yesterday I'd be thinking there was no God.

Not only had they dominated the first half, but to add insult to injury they conceded a goal from a penalty kick on the verge of half-time.

When you are down and at the bottom, nothing seems to go for you.

And the second half was the same.

More fantastic saves from Northy, more near misses.

I couldn't begrudge them when they equalised.

Even though Bath had so much of the ball and attacked so well, we dug in and defended with a fantastic fighting spirit.

And I always felt we could nick a goal on a counter attack.

We nearly did so at the end.

That would have been so unjust, but I would still have taken it !

I hope Bath don't get relegated.

Nothing against the other team's fighting for their lives down at the bottom, but it's always nice to visit a club like Bath with a proper. old style football ground.

Right, let's get off to Specsavers.

My eyes must have been deceiving me last night. 

    

Welcome back HR.

I can't remember the last time we played with 3 up front, how did we do playing this formation?

[Kaiser Gibbs Batman (KGB)]

Happy memories of Dave Russell's great winner at Twerton Park against Minehead in the FA Trophy when God was a boy. And that Mr North seems to have come on a lot since being branded on here as the worst Slough goalkeeper for several decades.    

[Jon Underwood]

1 hour ago, Reading Rebel said:

Welcome back HR.

I can't remember the last time we played with 3 up front, how did we do playing this formation?

We last played 4-3-3 in the win at Ebbsfleet last month. We had hoped to be more “on the front foot” with that formation and take the game to Bath, so it was a positive team selection, but to their credit Bath were excellent and the game didn’t work out that way. A very hard-earned point!

[Reading Rebel]

37 minutes ago, Jon Underwood said:

We last played 4-3-3 in the win at Ebbsfleet last month. We had hoped to be more “on the front foot” with that formation and take the game to Bath, so it was a positive team selection, but to their credit Bath were excellent and the game didn’t work out that way. A very hard-earned point!

Not sure if he was fit to play but Aaron Kuhl was in the match day squad that was announced but not on the subs bench?

Edited March 16, 2022 by Reading Rebel

[Jon Underwood]

Kuhly was never going to start the game as he is struggling with a groin problem (potential Hernia) and we are trying to work with him to manage it through to the end of the season.

We named him on the squad on Monday but after a further discussion yesterday lunchtime we all decided it made sense for him to stay at home and do some rehab work, to give him the best chance of starting on Saturday.

[Reading Rebel]

2 hours ago, Jon Underwood said:

Kuhly was never going to start the game as he is struggling with a groin problem (potential Hernia) and we are trying to work with him to manage it through to the end of the season.

We named him on the squad on Monday but after a further discussion yesterday lunchtime we all decided it made sense for him to stay at home and do some rehab work, to give him the best chance of starting on Saturday.

Thanks Unders.

[Neil Baker]

10 hours ago, Reading Rebel said:

Welcome back HR.

I can't remember the last time we played with 3 up front, how did we do playing this formation?

Has not seen Unders had responded to this already

Edited March 16, 2022 by Neil Baker

[Reading Rebel]

Excellent highlights from Bath.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eougku8w-I

I think the penalty was a penalty, the Bath player got the wrong side of Ben and swung a high leg in desperation.

It looked another penalty on George Hunt for a trip but was not given.

The save from North was probably the best I've seen since the one that Jack Turner did against Chelmsford.

Edited March 18, 2022 by Reading Rebel

[rebelbrewer]

3 hours ago, Reading Rebel said:

Excellent highlights from Bath.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eougku8w-I

I think the penalty was a penalty, the Bath player got the wrong side of Ben and swung a high leg in desperation.

It looked another penalty on George Hunt for a trip but was not given.

The save the from North was probably the best I've seen since the one that Jack Turner did against Chelmsford.

I saw 2 saves that I'd put in the same category - 1 from the first half volley, the other from a close range header in the 2nd half. Brilliant performance from Northy

[Reading Rebel]

41 minutes ago, rebelbrewer said:

I saw 2 saves that I'd put in the same category - 1 from the first half volley, the other from a close range header in the 2nd half. Brilliant performance from Northy

Ist one from the volley was stunning.

The second one from the header was quite close to him but still good.

[rebelbrewer]

2 hours ago, Reading Rebel said:

Ist one from the volley was stunning.

The second one from the header was quite close to him but still good.

It was close to him but from very close requiring a great reaction time - very similar in that regard to Jack's at Chelmsford.