MATCH REPORT: Bath City 1 (Griffin pen 44) Weston-super-Mare 2 (Ingram 4, 79)
Bath City's poor run of results continued as they slumped to a first-ever home defeat at the hands of local rivals Weston-super-Mare.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about this low-key derby was that it was even played at all, given that three days of almost continuous rainfall was followed by a first-half monsoon that was so strong it was almost impossible at times to see from one side of Mayday Trust Park to the other.
Nonetheless it was a result which Weston manager Craig Laird pronounced himself thoroughly satisfied with as his side continued their four-match unbeaten run.
For City boss Lee Howells, however, it was a further disappointment following on from a two-week period without a game after the 2-0 league defeat at Billericay.
"Two mistakes and they have scored, while we failed to take our chances," he said. "We played some good stuff in poor conditions but we did look like a side that had not played for a couple of weeks."
The Seasiders' opener came in just the fourth minute when a slip by Aaron Brown in the Bath defence allowed Ross Stearn to put in a stinging cross which former City player Kane Ingram headed home.
It was a goal of some controversy, with a number of players and supporters alleging that Ingram had used his hand to punch the ball over the line.
From then on City began to exert more pressure but Tom Nichols - whose loan spell from Exeter City has been extended - fired straight at the keeper when he could have run on.
A sliding Charlie Griffin then collided with the hoardings after being just beaten to a through-ball by Weston keeper Lloyd Irish.
City had the bulk of possession for the remainder of the half but the at-times torrential deluge did little to improve the quality of play.
And the hosts were able to draw level just before the break when Kerry Morgan latched onto Brown's superb cross-field ball, whose centre landed at the feet of Griffin. He was sent tumbling by Irish but picked himself up to send the keeper the wrong way from the penalty spot.
There then followed an extended half-time interval while match officials searched for a replacement for one of the linesmen, who had pulled up with an injury.
Someone was finally found to run the line and, after a 15-minute delay, the game restarted with City constantly pressing forward up the slope. Good chances fell to Noah Keats, Chris Allen and Griffin but they were all kept at bay by a combination of resolute defending and a fair slice of luck.
Just when it looked as if the home side might be gearing themselves up for a final push, Ingram struck again.
City gave away possession down the right and, with Danny Ball caught out of position, the visitors swept forward. Keeper Jason Mellor let the cross slip from his grasp and Ingram pounced to fire home.
After the game, City boss Howells revealed that striker Sean Canham, who came on as a second-half substitute, would soon be leaving the club and moving to Australia.
BATH CITY: Mellor, Ball, Brown, Jones, Preece, Connolly, Allen, Keats, Griffin (Simpson 81), Nichols (S Canham 73), Morgan. Subs not used: Rollo, Burnell, Cummings.
WESTON-SUPER-MARE: Irish, Price, Slocombe, Diallo (Grubb 65), Villis, Laird, Stearn, Kirk, McClaggon, Ingram, Trowbridge. Subs not used: Monks, Egan, Kington, McGregor.
REFEREE: Richard Hulme (Radstock).
ATTENDANCE: 683.
