Bristol end Rec jinx and silence Bath faithful
Vital score
By Duncan Wood
November 24 2002
In his match preview on the Bath site, Glen Leat said, "supporters from both clubs will dine out on the victory until the next match; well I've got my knife and fork ready for a right slap-up meal!" Pass the cutlery, Glen, I'm a hungry boy!
Every single Bristol player - take a bow because you deserve it!
Having laid the bogey of never having beaten Bath in the league until a couple of years ago, we've now broken the Rec hoodoo and all this without our first choice half backs!
On a mud heap of a Recreation Ground pitch, Bristol took the game to Bath from the off and Andrew Higgins continued his recent good form when he brushed aside Rob Thirlby and sprinted over from 45 metres out. Shane Drahm, rapidly becoming a Bristol hero, added the conversion, 7-0 after 7 minutes.
In the Bristol Evening Post this week, Steve Hill had noted that he thought the duel between the Aussie fly halves would be key and it proved to be the case with Malone slotting a penlaty of 22 minutes and Drahm responding on the half hour.
Bristol were edging it up front and Bath's cause wasn't helped when Dan Lyle left the field with a shoulder injury although Danny Grewcock isn't a bad replacement!
As half time approached, Bristol were incensed when referee Pearson awarded them a penalty at a scrum despite the fact that Rhys Oakley was sprinting for the line. What happened to the advantage ref? Drahm dragged the penalty wide to rub salt into the wound and Malone narrowed the gap to 6-10 in injury time.
However, Bristol ended the half in fine style. The forwards claimed the restart and powered on. The ball was spun out and Brendon Daniel popped up in midfield. Lee Best was on his shoulder and powered over for a vital score which Drahm converted. 6-17 at half time.
We knew that a Bath comeback was inevitable and Malone narrowed the gap with a penalty after an offence at a lineout.
Bristol's discipline was starting to slip and after 55 minutes, confusion reigned when Sam Crockett went over after a spell of Bath pressure but the referee delayed while he consulted his touch judge due to Garath Archer and John Mallett fighting. The outcome? A penalty try and a yellow card for Arch.
In Arch's absence, Bristol dug in and actually edged the 10 minutes with a Drahm penalty. Matt Salter was lectured by the ref and it looked as though we might go down to 13 men. However, Salter stayed and Bath kicked for the corner.
The next phase was pivotal. Bath won the lineout but couldn't move the Bristol pack. Bath spread the ball and Tom Voyce ignored an open Simon Danielli outside him and was swallowed up by the defence. Drahm relieved the pressure with a massive kick to touch.
The tension increased and with 12 minutes to go, Malone landed a penalty to narrow the gap to 19-20 and he then missed from halfway as Bristol looked nervy.
However, Bristol gained a good territorial position with a penalty to touch. Alex Brown won the ball and Paul Johnstone suddenly sprinted out of the maul and went over from the 22. Drahm's conversion was vital as it stretched the lead to 8 points.
Bath were broken and Drahm was able to land another penalty to make it 19-30 and Bristol were cocky enough to kick for the corner in the quest for a bonus point!
A great win not least in terms of league points and a first away win of the season. I'm especially pleased for Paul Johnstone who got the crucial score only a week after having a torrid time in the lineout against London Irish.
The final words go to Peter Thorburn:
"For me, it's two points clear of the bottom of the table and it was just as crucial to stop Bath getting near enough to earn a bonus point."
"But it also means a lot to me because it means so much to the people who care about Bristol and have been coming here for so many years and losing."
"It was an impressive performance in many ways and it was good to see some of the moves we do come off. We know we've got ability - now we mustn't panic with a trip to Newcastle coming up next Sunday."