As the recession deepens, the impact on the city's major sports is there for all to see.

Bath Rugby's bid to redevelop The Rec, even if the strictures of the Charity Commission are overcome, will undoubtedly be delayed as loan finance is harder to come by.

Across the city, the football club's ambitions have also been hit by the downturn. Less people come to games and the sponsors are harder to find.

When people do come out they certainly spend less money. Consequently Bath City's ambition for Conference and then league football looks some distance away.

Yet Bath City FC has an asset in the form of its own stadium. Surely there is scope for club leaders Andrew Brownsword and Geoff Todd to come together to bring success for Bath Rugby and Bath City FC?

Right across the country clubs are working together. In rugby Wasps and Wycombe, Saracens and Watford and London Irish and Reading all share stadia. In London the Harlequins promote Rugby League and Union at the Stoop.

There are many more examples of collaboration. Why not, then, are Bath Rugby and Bath City promoting a sporting brand for the benefit of the city of Bath?

While finances are a key issue for City, on the pitch the defeat at lowly Basingstoke left our play-off hopes badly wounded.

Once again we were victims of another dubious penalty decision by the referee, our third injustice in four games. On all three occasions the decisions have turned the games decisively against City.

But we were lacklustre at the Camrose, only coming to life at the end of the first half and towards the end of the 90 minutes, ultimately surrendering for a depressing 1-0 defeat.

We were the better side territorially with the better chances and Basingstoke showed little enterprise, so the defeat was harder to take.

Most of us were left wondering why we started with the defensive pairing in central midfield when the match was there for the taking.

Tuesday's sudden torrential downpour deprived the players of the chance to bounce back. The late postponement of the Bishop's Stortford game was a surprise given the calm spell of weather we have enjoyed of late but at 7pm, despite the valiant efforts of City fans with forks, the pitch resembled the Twerton Lido.

You have to feel sorry for the players and the hardy fans from Stortford who had travelled 160 miles, only to have to turn around and go back.

If we are to make the play-offs the equation is now simple – win at least eight of the final 13 games, not at all easy given what we saw last Saturday.

I am sure the players will keep going to the end and none of us will give up until it is mathematically impossible.

We have the ideal opportunity this weekend when we face rock bottom Bognor Regis and Fisher. Nothing less than six points will do.

So come on, get down to Twerton Park this Saturday, give the lads another boost and let's keep the season alive!