Bath City crash to costly FA Cup defeat at Gosport

MATCH REPORT: Gosport Borough 3 (Bennett 53, Martin 60, Wooden 64) Bath City 1 (Canham 27)

Bath City's season was dealt a savage blow as they crashed out of the FA Cup to Southern League hosts Gosport Borough.

Victory in tonight's replay would have netted City £7,500 in prize money and a trip to Slough Town  - ranked two divisions below them – in the fourth and final qualifying round.

Sean Canham put them on course with a first-half opener but Gosport – who came within four minutes of winning at Mayday Trust Park on Saturday – roared back with three goals after the break to progress.

Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk

myprint-247

View details

Print voucher

Our heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.

Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk

Contact: 01858 468192

Valid until: Friday, May 31 2013

The defeat casts a doubt over the future of manager Adie Britton, who had stressed the importance of a cup run and its financial rewards to his side's promotion hopes this season.

Aaron Brown and on loan striker Canham both shot wide early on but Gosport were unlucky not to go ahead when Sammy Igoe's shot on the turn came back off an upright.

Ten minutes later Gosport paid the price when City won two corners in succession and Canham scored from close range.

After that City began to dominate, with Brown making good runs down the

left flank, and the ex-Bristol City man fired a blistering shot narrowly over the bar three minutes before the break.

After the interval it was a different story. On 53 minutes Justin

Bennett brought the scores level when he headed home after a fine curving free-kick form Ellis Martin.

Suddenly Gosport were flying. On the hour mark a free-kick conceded some 30 yards out and taken by Martin flew through the City wall and beyond keeper Glyn Garner.

And City were buried four minutes later when Garner parried Bennett's shot into the path of Dan Wooden, who fired home.

There was no way back for the visitors and they ended the evening without even being able to further test Gosport keeper Nathan  Ashmore.

Gosport Borough: Ashmore , Woodward, Martin, Brown, Molyneaux, Poate, Igoe, Smith, Wooden, Bennett, King. Subs: Forde, Wilde, Norton, Cook, Stow, May.

Bath City: Garner, Rollo, Ball, Jones, Preece, Keats, Connolly, Allen, S Canham, Guthrie, Brown. Subs: M Canham, Harris, Cummings, Norris, Mellor, Morgan.

Attendance: 342.