Back to finishing school for the students

Team Bath 2 Mansfield Town 4

Having already performed a minor miracle by persuading more than four thousand students to get up for the midday kick-off, Team Bath were unable to create history on the field, too, as their FA Cup dream was ended by Mansfield Town yesterday.

Bath never gave up, but the visitors were simply fitter and slicker. The scoreline will have hurt the students, but they can be pleased with their contribution to this year's competition, having become the maiden university side to play in the first round of the FA Cup for more than 120 years. "We can't be disappointed to go out to a good outfit like Mansfield," said the Bath manager, Ged Roddy. "They play good football, and we leave the Cup with our heads held high." So they should.

Following a bright start by the visitors, Team B (as they are fashionably known these days) nearly took the lead after five minutes. French exchange student, Bertrand Cozic (yes, even amateur teams have a Gallic player in their ranks these days), played in his striker, Barry Lavety, who beat the Mansfield central defence for pace, but then pulled his shot wide of Kevin Pilkington's goal. That, however, was that, as Mansfield took control of the first half.

The opening goal, when it came in the 18th minute, was simplicity itself. Mansfield's left wing Wayne Corden ran to the byline before sending in a deep cross which Iyseden Christie nodded across the face of goal. Liam Lawrence was on hand to apply the easiest of finishes for the all-important opener. Two minutes later, the dream seemed to have all but disappeared, as Christie was crudely brought down for a penalty. When Lawrence stepped up, he looked odds-on to complete the quickest double of his career, but then the improbable happened. The goalkeeper, Ryan Northmore, guessed right, diving low to his left to make a wonderful save and keep his team in the tie.

Bath suddenly found some self-belief, but never seemed capable of troubling Mansfield's well organised rear-guard. Their lack of penetration was all too evident and, as the team who are bottom of the Second Division gained more and more confidence, you sensed that the killer second goal was on its way. So it proved when, nine minutes before the interval, the nimble-footed Lawrence jinked his way past a couple of defenders inside the Bath area, before slotting home.

Roddy sought to introduce some much-needed steel in midfield by replacing Cozic with Carl Heiniger, but the match was slipping away. As the home side continued to push forward, they were leaving increasingly big holes at the back. That they conceded a third goal was no surprise, but Team B will be saddened by the name of the scorer. Peter Tisdale, the university's captain, was trying to clear a low cross by Christie when he inadvertently beat his own keeper.

Within three minutes of the restart, Mansfield might have extended their lead, but Colin Larkin somehow side-footed the easiest of chances wide of the goal. Then, Lavety went close for the home side, but his ample frame could not quite extend to meet Matt Lewis' cross. Instead, it was Mansfield who scored again, as Christie latched on to Matt Gadsby's free-kick for his 10th of the season.

Mansfield were cruising, but then decided to sit back and enjoy the last half-hour. Big mistake. Bath started to gain momentum and were handed a lifeline when Heiniger became the first man in 122 years to score a goal for a university team in the FA Cup, as he fired in a wonderful shot from 25 yards. Too little too late you felt, although the substitute Caleb Kamara-Taylor did his best to create a tense finish when he converted Luke Prince's cross with an excellent glancing header. Game on? It might have been had Kamara-Taylor found the back of the net with a much easier header from four yards, but Pilkington was lucky that the ball landed in his arms. He was even more fortunate when, in the last minute, Lavety's near-post header crashed off the bar and rebounded to safety.

So close, but the dream was over. Maybe next year?

Team Bath 2
Heiniger 71, Kamara-Taylor 83

Mansfield Town 4
Lawrence 19, 36, Tisdale og 43, Christie 56

Half-time: 0-3 Attendance: 5,469