It’s remarkable how a good football result makes you truly believe the season has begun! Bath City got a very respectable draw away at promotion-tipped Bromley; while Leeds managed to reduce their deficit to -12 with a wonderful victory away at Tranmere.

Yesterday morning, I boarded the Bath City supporters’ coach and made the long journey to Bromley along the M4 – a motorway which I expect to be making frequent trips across this season, on route to City games.

The ground was in a rather bizarre location – situated in the middle of a London suburb, with a farmyard alongside the entrance and a cricket pitch at the rear. There was even a match in progress – great for anybody getting bored of watching the football.

I was impressed with the stadium, and he terraces made watching the game an enjoyable experience. My only criticism was the catering. All I could find was a small hut selling burgers and hotdogs at rather extortionate prices, and an ice cream van at the corner of the ground. The man on the tannoy did mention something about a food-serving bar up the grandstand, but that appeared to be for members only, and if it wasn’t, it wasn’t clear to regular supporters how to gain access.



The game was played in hot, sunny conditions. It was warm enough in the stands, and you could tell that the players were affected by the heat. In the first half, City were by far the better team, and although they were unable to score, the fans were left optimistic.



Bromley came out better in the second half, and in one particularly dominant spell did manage to grab a goal. The City fans were left deflated, but the players kept going. In the dying seconds of the match, City were awarded a corner. The vast majority of the Bath fans ran down behind the goal to give their support – it paid off when defender Chris Holland slammed home an equaliser with the last kick of the game. The goal caused mass celebrations from the City fans, reminiscent to those when the league was won at Yate in April.

On the way out the ground, I received the news that Leeds had scored a late goal themselves, and had beaten Tranmere 2-1. All this excitement and pleasure felt very good – surely it’s not healthy!

While waiting to board the coach home, I was invited to look round the Bath City players’ coach – they certainly know how to travel in style! They have the luxury of travelling on premier seating, equip with tables, DVD players and microwaves. A perfect spot for eating boiled sweets and bread rolls, while checking out the “ladies” from News of the World – just some of the possessions I noticed while snooping around!