Sittingbourne 0-0 Bath City. Lovell pleased with draw as Bath runs dry - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Bath City went into this FA Trophy second qualifying round tie sitting in fifth place in the British Gas Business Premier League table, but failed to impress.

Rob Udburg (assistant manager), Chris Daisy (fitness coach) and physio Gary Wisdom will take charge of the replay at Twerton Park as manager Steve Lovell flies off to Portugal tomorrow to play in a golf tournament.

Lovell said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the stalemate that he feels the team will be in capable hands.

“The three of them will be going so they’ll take it between them,” he said. “Unfortunately I’m away, I didn’t expect this game to be on Tuesday night but they’ll do it and there’s no reason why they can’t organise it like we’ve done all the way through the season.

“Players respect them all. It is hard going away on a Tuesday night, the boys have to travel down to Bath get time of work and it is hard.”

But Sittingbourne will be without Clint Gooding (who serves a one-match ban) and Steve Searle, who cannot get time of work for midweek games.

Bath, however, made their intentions known from the start, but Sittingbourne were equal to the challenge.

Steve Williams made a low save after eight minutes from Mike Green’s right-footed hooked shot from 20-yards.

But Sittingbourne should have grabbed the lead, against the run of play, after 22 minutes.

Good play from Mitchell Sherwood and Mark Lovell down the right hand side gave Lee Browning a chance, but his right-footed stroked shot rolled past the far post.

This chance sparked confidence into the Kent side, and with their fans in Blakey’s Garden Shed in full voice, Gooding’s 30-yard volley dropped just over the bar.

Bath almost scored from their first corner of the game after 32 minutes.

Scott Rogers’ far-post corner was met by a towering header from midfielder Steve Jones, which flashed past the far post, despite pressure from two Bourne defenders.

Sittingbourne’s best first half chance, however, fell to former Lordswood striker Andy Doerr after 38 minutes.

Sekani Simpson, some 25-yards from his goal, sliced a clearance that looped towards his own goal. Doerr ghosted into the area but nodded into the side netting from six-yards.

Bath City goalkeeper Paul Evans, who was in the South African squad for the 1998 World Cup Finals in France, was then called into action a minute later.

Skipper Kieran Marsh unleashed a 20-yard volley, which was heading towards the bottom left hand corner, but Evans turned the shot around the post.

Bath created three early second half chances with Steve Jones glancing another Rogers’ corner past the far post.

Steve Jones’ whipped in cross from the right bounced in front of Williams but dropped over the near post.

Then the impressive Lewis Hogg played a delightful diagonal pass into Scott Partridge, but his shot was straight at Williams at his near post.

Doerr, whose scored ten goals, almost stole Sittingbourne the lead after 56 minutes, cutting in from the right, his shot sailed across the face of goal and out for a goal kick, following Sherwood’s run down the middle.

Williams made an acrobatic flying save to pluck Partridge’s left-footed 30-yard drive, which was heading towards the top corner, out of the air to the delight of the home faithful.

Doerr then met Mark Lovell’s cross from the right, but the ball glanced off the striker’s head and agonisingly across the face of goal.

However, late on, it was Bath that tried to sink Sittingbourne.

Shaven headed Hogg unleashed a 15-yard drive, which crashed against the advertising boards behind the goal, narrowly missing the foot of the left post by inches.

Partridge then drove his angled shot across Williams and the far post but the woodwork saved Sittingbourne in the 85^th minute when substitutive Mark McKeever’s left-footed drive from 25-yards bounced off the near post past Williams’ desperate drive.

But Sittingbourne boss Steve Lovell felt his side deserved a second bite of the cherry.

“They’re a good side, they came and played second half and could have nicked it at the end when they hit the post,” he said.

“We could have nicked it as well when we had a couple of chances so I think a draw was a fair result on the day.

“I think it was a good 0-0. Both teams played some decent stuff, some good defending by both sides. I thought it was a good game of football - a good one to watch and enjoy.”

The Welshman explained why he replaced Doerr late in the game.

Lovell said: “I just thought he ran himself into the ground really and with a couple of minutes to go I could have put another one forward and go for the win but that would have left us open at the back.

“I think the boys deserve to get another go at it, rather than chuck it away in the last couple of minutes.”