From Seven Heaven to Bath Time
The Preview: Bath City vs ParkwayBy Mike Parrish
There was little chance of Parkway being allowed to bask in the afterglow of Saturday’s remarkable 7-0 opening-day victory.
Just 72 hours after a result that immediately captured the attention of the Southern League, Karl Curtis takes his side to Twerton Park on Tuesday evening for a very different examination against Bath City, before another trip to Chippenham awaits on Saturday.
Curtis summed up the mood perfectly after the demolition of Bracknell Town. After years of Parkway struggling to get the season away to a positive start, the manager’s message was simple: enjoy the moment.
And enjoy it they did. Seven goals against a side expected to find its feet after a late influx of players was an emphatic statement from the Yellows, with the final scoreline doing little to flatter the hosts. Bracknell will undoubtedly become a stronger proposition once their squad has had time to settle, but Parkway could only deal with what was in front of them and did so in emphatic fashion.
Now comes the reality check. Bath City were among the sides tipped by many to challenge for the title before the season began and have already shown their character on the opening weekend. A trip to Sholing saw Bath fall a goal behind at half-time, only to turn the game around after the interval as Scott Wilson equalised before Harry Parsons struck an 87th-minute winner to secure a 2-1 victory.
That result means Bath arrive with three points of their own and with the confidence that comes from recovering from a losing position on the opening afternoon.
There is plenty of experience within the Bath ranks. Joe Raynes has spent eight years with the club and has made 250 appearances in the National League South, while Danny Greenslade has amassed 249 appearances at Step 3 across spells with Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Gloucester, Hereford and Chippenham.
Further forward, Scott Wilson brings Football League experience having scored 12 goals in League Two during spells with Macclesfield and Oldham, while Reuben Reid’s career has taken him through a host of EFL clubs including Plymouth Argyle, Exeter City, Peterborough United, Brentford, West Bromwich Albion, Walsall and Wycombe Wanderers.
For Parkway, it is a first competitive meeting with Bath City, adding another layer to what already promises to be a fascinating evening under the lights at Twerton Park.
Curtis heads into the fixture with an almost clean bill of health. Rocky Neal remains the only question mark as he continues to recover from a slight niggle, although his two goals from the bench against Bracknell could give the Parkway boss a decision to make over whether to introduce him from the start.
The challenge could hardly be more different from Saturday. The opening-day celebrations are over, the points have been banked and the attention now turns to whether Parkway can carry that momentum into one of the toughest weeks of the campaign.
Bath City away is exactly the sort of test Curtis signed up for.
Now Parkway have the chance to show what Saturday’s seven-goal statement was really worth.
SUPPORTERS' GUIDE
Tickets for Tuesday night’s fixture can be pre-booked via the Bath City website:
https://tickets.bathcityfc.com
For supporters unable to make the journey to Twerton Park, Trees Transmission commentary returns from 7:30pm, with Mike and Statto Thom bringing the action live from Bath:
Parkway Partners
