MATCH PREVIEW: Bath City vs Chippenham Town | National League South | Monday 21st April 2025
Declan Wright previews the A4 Derby
With the final away game upon The Bluebirds it is time for the biggest game of the season when it comes to the idea of rivalry. It is the game that all Chippenham fans would have looked at when the fixtures got released back in July and the A4 Derby is always a fierce encounter. Chippenham will travel to Bath in the National League South on Monday 21st April 2025 with a 3pm kick off at Twerton Park.
The Opposition
Bath City FC otherwise known as The Romans was founded in 1889 originally named Bath AFC until 1900 where the name Bath City FC was born. They play their football at Twerton Park which has a capacity of 8840 with 1006 of that is seated but has a reduced capacity of 4070 due to safety regulations. Bath have played at Twerton Park since 1932 and have shared the ground with current League one team Bristol Rovers between 1986 and 1996.
Last season Bath had a successful season finishing inside the play off places and finishing 6th in the league but unfortunately for them losing to eventual play off winners Braintree Town after extra time. The final score being 1-0 and the only goal coming from Tom Blackwell who scored past the Bath goalkeeper after a nice cross from the Braintree winger. This season Bath currently sit 14th in the National League South and have 56 points whereas Chippenham are sat in 16th but on the same points with only goal difference separating the A4 rivals. With just two matches to play, the battle for A4 season supremacy lies on this fixture.
Bath are currently managed by Darren Way, he was appointed on 23rd December 2024 after former manager Jerry Gill left Bath. Darren Way has vast experience as a player and a manager. As a player he made many of his professional appearances for Yeovil making over 200 appearances in The Conference, League Two and League One. He also made 16 appearances at Swansea City. Following retirement at Yeovil he became coach, assistant and then first team manager for the Glovers where he was in charge for 189 games over 4 years. After leaving Yeovil in 2019 he joined Plymouth Argyle as a under 18 manager and was at Fleetwood as an assistant in 2023 before joining Bath this season with his first game in charge being the 3-0 for City against ourselves on Boxing Day.
Last time out
Good Friday was a successful one for both clubs and will give both clubs the confidence heading into the derby. Bath travelled to Farnborough where Joe Raynes scored at the near post in the 16th minute to give The Romans the lead. In the second half both keepers seemed to be making crucial saves until the 81st minute where Elliot Frear doubled the lead for Bath after a feed from the Bath player which finished the game off and gave Bath 3 points.
Whereas the Bluebirds had our penultimate home game against playoff-fighting Weston Super Mare in another Wiltshire vs Somerset derby. The game started off with both teams growing into the game. The major chance of the first half came Weston way after a good save from Will Henry, a loose ball then lands at Rueben Reid who shot into what seemed an open goal but cleared off the line by Luke Haines. In the second half is where the goals came in and just after the hour mark Haines does just that. A long distance free kick beats the Weston goalkeeper and sets Chippenham up for the last 30 minutes of the game. In additional time Luke Spokes then sealed the deal after a lovely counter attack and Harry Parsons squaring Spokes who smashed it in the back of the net and in the celebration the corner flag as well.
Key Player
This week we have a player that we think Chippenham fans should just keep an eye out for. This is a player that the Bluebirds will remember due to his time at the club. This being Bath’s current top goal scorer Brad Ash, the 29 year old striker currently on loan at The Romans from fellow National League South side Torquay United. Brad has scored 9 goals this season and since Darren Way has come in has shown the quality he has had at previous clubs. He started his career at Weston Super Mare where he got a move to the Football League with Barnsley after loans with Weston and Boreham Wood, the deal with Boreham Wood became permanent and a month later joined Weston on loan for a third stint. After a one year stints with Boreham Wood and Hereford in 2020/21 he joined us Bluebirds where under Mike Cook and the pandemic he scored 4 in 14. He spent the longest time so far in his career with Weymouth scoring 23 goals in 74 appearances. In the 2023/24 season he joined his current parent club Torquay and this season with Darren Way joined Bath on loan until the end of the season.
Most weeks we say ‘the stage is set’ but this time it is for the derby so that is obvious, the feeling of a derby win is unmatched not just for the players or the staff but for you fans as well. The idea of being on exactly the same amount of points coming into it and coming out of it with potentially league jump above them will motivate and help achieve but they need your help. The 12th man is always needed but for the derby the players and management staff would appreciate that extra support to get over that line that recently has been tough to achieve. They will need the PRIDE AND PASSION of the fanbase united to write the wrongs of boxing day.
So if you can on Easter Monday come travel down the A4 and show your support for the Bluebirds at Twerton Park because Gary Horgan and his army will relish the support and as an army, we are all one!
COME ON YOU BLUEBIRDS!
