United 1
(Cooke 67′)
Bath City 0
It was United that came out on top on Non-League Day, as they secured a vital win over Bath in the National League South promotion race.
Former Roman Cody Cooke was the hero of the day against his former Club, with his second-half strike being the decisive moment of the match.
Unsurprisingly Gulls boss Paul Wotton decided to name the same starting eleven that beat Dorking last weekend.
A closely fought first-half limited goalscoring chances, although United did create a couple of promising openings, with a 14th minute cross from Oscar Threlkeld just evading the stretching Sam Dreyer at the back post.
On the half hour, it was Dan Hayfield that was next to threaten, with the former Twerton Park favourite seeing his goalbound 20-yard strike deflected narrowly wide.
Goalless at the break.
It was shortly after the resumption that United’s manager opted to shuffle his pack, and it paid off handsomely just past the hour mark, as Torquay’s leading scorer entered the fray from off the substitutes bench.
After cutting in from the wing, Jordan Young’s low drive stung the palms of Harvey Wiles-Richards to the extent that the visiting goalkeeper spilled the shot, with Cooke on hand to stab home the loose ball.
To his credit, Wiles-Richards made up for the unfortunate error moments later, as he produced a stunning goal-line to parry Ozzy Zanzala’s volley from point-blank range.
United’s backline was so well-drilled that it wasn’t until injury time that Bath threatened to upset over almost five thousand fans, and even then James Hamon remained untroubled, as former Gull Alex Fisher headed a left-wing cross wide of the target.
Three more points on the board.
Onto Aveley.
UNITED: 1. James Hamon, 2. Finley Craske, 3. Jay Foulston, 4. Jordan Dyer, 5. Sam Dreyer, 8. Jordan Young, 17. Offrande Zanzala, 18. Oscar Threlkeld, 20. Dan Hayfield, 22. Will Jenkins Davies (19. Cody Cooke, 52′), 27. Matt Jay.
SUBS NOT USED: 7. Lirak Hasani, 10. Omar Mussa, 26. Jordan Thomas
Yellow Card: Palmer 90+3′
BATH CITY: 1. Harvey Wiles-Richards, 2. Joe Raynes, 3. Dan Greenslade (11. Elliott Frear, 88′), 6. Kieran Parselle (c), 10. Ewan Clark (28. Jesse Nwabueze, 83′), 14. Alex Fisher, 16. Jordan Tillson, 19. Luke Russe, 20. Jordan Alves (5. Jack Batten, 62′), 26. Ollie Tomlinson, 27. Mitchel Beardsmore.
SUBS NOT USED: 15. Louis Sweeten, 33. Martin Horsell
Attendance: 5,202 (259 away)