Peterborough Sports aim to pull the plug on Bath City’s FA Trophy dreams

It’s not about the money or the glory for the city side, it’s about continuing to play the sport they love in troubled times.

Defeat at the home of a National League South club could mean no more football for Sports for a couple of months at least as their own Southern League campaign faces an uncertain future while lockdown 3 continues.

“It’s a huge game for the club, the players and for me at Bath,” Sports boss Jimmy Dean stated. “But the most important thing for us is not the glory of reaching the last 16, or making a pile of money from the competition, it’s about winning to make sure we get to play another game.

“That’s what is driving me. Football is a great release from the problems facing the country and the more times we get to play the better.”

Sports haven’t played competivively since beating Basford United 3-2 in a third round Trophy tie on December 19. They had never before travelled beyond the first round.

Sports did have a training ban lifted so they don’t face quite as mountainous a task as they first feared when the draw was made.

Bath were able to carry on playing over the festive period as they are classed as an ‘elite’ club, although they too suffered postponements.

“We had our first training session last week and we needed it,” Dean added. “If we had been forced to play at Bath without any match practice or training it would have been very tough for us.

“It still is a tough game. We are playing a team from a higher division who have built a young side, but it’s also a very good side.

“They are an established non-league club who usually play in front of 1,000 fans, but we will go there and give it a go.

“The players know I’m not picking a side based on the last game we played before Christmas. It will be picked on who showed up well in training.”

Bath are currently 18th in the National League South with three wins in 12 games.