After a three-week absence, Nomads return to pre-season action with a clash against Bath & District League Division Two side Bath Arsenal Sunday. The match takes place at Bath University, kicking off at 10.30am.
Bath Arsenal are likely to prove tricky opponents for Paul Tarrant's side, as they were crowned champions of Division Three last season. They won the title by two points from Bathford Rangers, Arsenal's 5-3 win over Bathford on a Thursday night in April proved to be vital for Dan Burgess' (pictured) side as they then knew that nine points from their remaining four games would definitely seal the title. They started by beating Heritage United 3-2 three days after defeating Bathford, but then crashed back to earth with loss over fourth placed Bristol City Supporters, only the second defeat of Bath Arsenal's season. This meant they needed wins over two of the higher placed sides in the league, Odd Down SC Reserves and FC Belvedere, to finish as league winners. Odd Down were beaten 5-2 at the Lew Hill Memorial Ground, before Belvedere were hammered 4-0 at Lansdown, allowing the party to begin. It turned out to be a sweet day for Burgess, who saw Bath City, the side he follows, win promotion to Blue Square Bet Premier in the afternoon. They've added to their squad in the summer, bringing in Danny Harnden from Full Moon (Burgess tapping up a fellow Wessex employee) and top-scorer Mike Brown remains with the club. He scored 31 goals last season in all competitions, Bath Arsenal hitting over 100 altogether. Their last pre-season outing was on Wednesday night when their sister side, Bath Arsenal Saturday, beat them 7-3 at Bath Uni.
Nomads go into the game on the back of hardly any pre-season training and with only six players paying their signing on fee for next season - Paul Tarrant, Mark Stillman, Kevin Martin, Andy Coombs, Liam Hunt and Craig Maidment. Goalkeeper Nick Britton returns after missing the club's only previous friendly this season, a 5-3 loss at Vine Tree SC, Adam Simmonds and Kev Lake also come back into the fray as well. One player who won't be in the reckoning is Luke Tucker. After spending weeks deciding where his future lies, Tucker has decided to stick with Farrington Albion for a further year, and we wish him well. Ad Maidment has also confirmed that he won't be signing on for a second spell. With all this in mind, Tarrant will be keen to get as many players as possible to sign on the dotted line on Sunday morning, as the league opener is just over three weeks away.
Nomads and Bath Arsenal Sunday have never met in any way, shape or form. They both fielded sides in last year's 5 a-side tournament in Twerton Park but were placed in seperate groups. Hmm, scraping the bottom of the barrel here. Nomads' only meeting against a side with "Arsenal" in their name was three years ago, when Welton Arsenal B hammered Paul Tarrant's side 4-1 in a friendly at Norton Hill Rec, Nomads' goal arriving from Jamie Gulliford in the first half.