Niall McManus kicked off play on a chilly afternoon at Meadowbank, a cold start that took its toll on Jason Prior, who went down after a heavy collision in the opening seconds.

Fortunately, Prior shook off the knock quickly. Moments later, Rob Milsom delivered a pin-point cross to the striker, who rose above his marker and powered a header past Wiles-Richards in goal. It was a significant moment—this was the first goal Bath had conceded in over 270 minutes. 1-0

Following the opener, City’s manager Darren Way adjusted his tactics, switching from a 4-4-2 to a 5-3-2 in an attempt to stifle Milsom’s dangerous delivery and Prior’s aerial dominance.

The gaffer made his first substitution early on, replacing the booked Dan Gallagher with George Francomb in the centre of midfield.

The next notable chance came when Charlie Carter picked up the ball on the edge of the box, turned outside, and cut back for a shot. The effort was deflected and comfortably gathered by Wiles-Richards.

Shortly after, Jordan Norville-Williams beat his man down the left flank and whipped in a left-footed cross to Jimmy Muitt, who’s header was well caught by Wiles-Richards. We went into the break with a deserved one-goal lead.

Half Time: Dorking Wanderers 1 – 0 Bath City

The opening spell of the second half was evenly balanced in possession, with neither team creating a notable breakthrough. During this period, we made our second substitution as McManus was replaced by Morgan Williams, marking his first appearance since returning on loan from Wimbledon.

Approaching the 60th minute, Jordan whipped in a perfectly weighted ball to Alfie Rutherford, whose header narrowly sailed over the crossbar.

Bath responded with their own attack as Wilson broke into the box, only to see his shot bravely blocked by Brennan Camp. The follow-up effort from the edge of the area was tipped around the post by Harrison Foulkes. Bath then applied sustained pressure with a series of crosses into our box, but the threat was eventually relieved when the ball went out for a goal kick.

Our third substitution saw Alfie Rutherford make way for Josh Brooking, who was returning from injury. This change shifted us from a three-at-the-back system to a four-man defence.

The game settled into a calm rhythm for long stretches, but the quiet was broken when Charlie Carter sparked excitement. He took a heavy touch between City’s centre-backs and surged into the penalty area. However, the keeper reacted quickly to close down the space and block the skipper’s shot.

Bath’s Wilson was back on the offensive, skipping past Camp along the byline to deliver a superb cross. It found a City player, but his header awkwardly went in the opposite direction of its intended target before he was flagged for offside.

Next, Brooking showed his quality, beating his man down the right flank and reaching the byline. He cleverly read the defender’s dummy clearance and cut the ball back to Jason Prior, whose close-range effort was gathered by Wiles-Richards.

The Bank was in full voice throughout the five additional minutes as we held firm to secure all three points. Make sure to join us for our milestone 1000th match at Meadowbank against Weston-Super-Mare on the 19th of January!

Full Time: Dorking Wanderers 1 – 0 Bath City