| General |
| Bath City | ||
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| Full name | Bath City Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | City The Romans | |
| Founded | 1889 as Bath A.F.C. | |
| Ground | Twerton Park, Bath (Capacity: 8,840 (1,006 seated)) | |
| Owner | Bath City Supporters Society | |
| Chairman |  Nick Blofield
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| Manager | Jerry Gill
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| Current League | National League South | |
| 2023-24 | National League South, 6th | |
| Website | Club home page | |
| All-time top scorer |  Charlie Fleming (216)
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| Honours | 3 Southern League titles 1 Southern League Cup | |
 
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Bath City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset FA and currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. Nicknamed the "Romans", the club have played their home matches at Twerton Park since 1932.
Bath City have never played in the Football League, though Bath were heavily discussed as an entrant in the 1930s and 1940s, and came closest via election in 1978 and 1985. During the Second World War, the club won the Football League North. Bath have reached the third round of the FA Cup six times, beating league sides such as; Crystal Palace (in 1931), Millwall (in 1959), and Cardiff City (in 1992). Bath City were crowned Southern League champions in 1960 and 1978; one of the highest levels of non-League football at the time. After a period of relative decline in the 1990s whilst in the Conference, Bath were demoted to the seventh tier in 2004. They were promoted back to the Conference in 2010, though Bath were relegated in 2012 and have played in the National League South since.
The club holds no real fierce rivalries, albeit Bath have shared more heated fixtures with with fellow Somerset club, Yeovil Town, Weymouth and more recently with Wiltshire club, Chippenham Town. Bath City supporters are the only known group of fans to sing Only You by Yazoo at home matches. The club's nickname stems from Bath's ancient Roman history. The first recorded attire the club wore were blue shorts and white shirts in 1900, though Bath City changed to black and white stripes in the early 20th Century and the colours have remained since. The club's crest depicts the Borough walls, which in-circled the old city centre during medieval times. Twerton Park once held up to 20,000 fans, with the club's record attendance of 18,020 being recorded in 1960.
Players[]
First-team squad[]
- As of 11 February 2024
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Out on loan[]
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Club captains[]
The following table shows players who have previously been selected to be club captain. The table is in chronological order and begins from 1957 onwards:
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Notable former players[]
Bath City have a long list of notable former players. Players in recent times include the likes of; Bobby Zamora. During the 1950s and 1960s, many players that established themselves in the First Division (now Premier League), stepped out onto the Twerton Park pitch in black and white over 100 times, such players include:
Alan Skirton: Winger, Alan Skirton was born in Bath in 1939. Skirton made 144 appearances for the club between 1956 and 1959, scoring 44 goals. After winning the Southern League with Bath City in 1960, Skirton went on to play for Arsenal, playing for the Gunners over 145 times between 1960 and 1966, scoring 53 goals.
Charle Fleming: Scottish-born striker Charlie Fleming made 107 appearances for the then First Division Sunderland between 1955 and 1958 scoring 60 goals. Known as "Cannonball" for his shooting ability. Fleming moved to Bath in 1958 and scored 206 goals for the Romans until his departure in 1966, making him the club's records goal scorer. After his death in 1997, the bar outside of Twerton Park was renamed; "Charlie's" in his honour.
Ian Black: Goalkeeper Ian Black was born in Scotland in 1924. He joined the then Second Division Southampton in 1947, and played 97 games for them until 1950 – in which year he joined Fulham, playing 263 matches for the Cottagers in both the Second and the First Division in the nine years he was with them. In 1959, Black joined the Romans and helped the club win the 1959–60 Southern League title, Black made over 143 appearances for Bath City until he left in 1962.
Stan Mortensen: Arguably the greatest player to ever play for the club, Stan Mortensen was born in 1921. In 1941, Mortensen joined Blackpool who were one of the best teams in England at the time. He went on to make over 352 appearances for the tangerines, scoring 227 goals, making him Blackpool's second highest goal scorer of all time. In the 1953 FA Cup final Mortensen became the first ever player to score a hat-trick in a FA Cup final at Wembley. Internationally, Mortensen won 25 caps for England, scoring 23 goals. He signed for The Romans for the 1958–59 season, in which he made 40 appearances and scored 27 goals.
Tony Book: Right-back Tony Book was born in Bath in 1938. Book went on to make 385 appearances for the club, captaining Bath to the 1960 Southern League. At the age of 31, he moved to Manchester City and captained them to a First Division, FA Cup, EFL Cup, and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup title, making him their second most decorated captain of all time, after Vincent Kompany.
Managerial history[]
List showing the club's 40 permanent managers from 1907 onwards, caretaker managers are not included
- 1907
Ben Hargett - 1909 Charles Pinker
- 1921 Billy Tout
- 1925 Charles Pinker
- 1927 Ted Davis
- 1937 Arthur Greaves
- 1938 Alex Raisbeck
- 1940 Ted Davi
- 1945 Arthur Mortimer
- 1947 Vic Woodley
- 1950 Eddie Hapgood
- 1956 Paddy Sloan
- 1957 Bob Hewison
- 1961 Arthur Cole
- 1963 Malcolm Allison
- 1964 Ivor Powell
- 1967 Arnold Rodgers
- 1970 Johhny Petts
- 1971 Joe O'Neil
- 1971 Dave Burnside
- 1973 Roy Bence
- 1973 Geof Fox
- 1973 Bert Head
- 1975 Jack Smith
- 1976 Brian Godfrey
- 1979 Micky Burns
- 1979 Bob Boyd
- 1980 Stuart Taylor
- 1982 Bobby Jones
- 1988 Harold Jarman
- 1988 Les Alderman
- 1989 George Rooney
- 1991 Tony Ricketts
- 1996 Steve Millard
- 1998 Paul Bodin
- 2001 Alan Pridham
- 2003 Gary Owers
- 2005 John Relish
- 2008 Adie Britton
- 2012 Lee Howells
- 2016 Gary Owers
- 2017 Jerry Gill
Honours[]
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Southern League | 3 | 1959–60, 1977–78, 2006–07 |
| Southern League Cup | 1 | 1978–79 |
External links[]
| Bath City Football Club
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Club honours •
Managers •
Players •
Twerton Park |
| Bath City F.C. seasons |
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2016-17 · 2017-18 · 2018-19 · 2019-20 · 2020-21 · 2021-22 · 2022-23 · |
| England
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