Away start for Romans in league, Larks begin against fallen giants

Bath City’s Pitching In Southern League Premier South promotion push will start with a trip to Hampshire – and Larkhall Athletic will entertain one of the fallen giants of non-league football when they kick-off their Division One South campaign.

Bath City will visit Gloucester City’s KMM Energy Solutions Stadium – with its views of Gloucester Cathedral – in the Southern League on Saturday 17th October | Photo © Richard Briggs

The Romans, who were relegated from Enterprise National League South this year, will begin their Step 3 season with a journey to Sholing, based on the eastern edge of Southampton, on Saturday 8th August.

Scott Bartlett’s men will play their first home match in the league on Tuesday 11th August, when Plymouth Parkway come to the Cannon Clarke Stadium @ Twerton Park.

City’s first Saturday home game in Premier South will be on 15th August, when West London outfit Hanworth Villa provide the opposition.

Bath’s opening league derby of 2026-27 will be on Summer Bank Holiday Monday, 31st August, when they go to Frome Town.

The Romans will make the short journey to Yate Town on Boxing Day, Saturday 26th December. And the festive programme will also feature the return fixture with Frome, in Twerton on Saturday 2nd January.

Bath City’s first derby of the Southern League season will bring them here to Frome Town’s Badgers Hill Stadium on Summer Bank Holiday Monday, 31st August | Photo © Richard Briggs

City’s furthest trip of the Premier South season, to Parkway, will take place on Good Friday, 26th March. Bath’s other Easter encounter will be the return match with Yate, at the Cannon Clarke Stadium @ Twerton Park on Easter Monday, 29th March.

A visit to Chertsey Town on Saturday 17th April will wrap up Bath’s league campaign.

Bath City’s 2026-27 league fixtures:

August: 8th Sholing (A), 11th Plymouth Parkway (H), 15th Hanworth Villa (H), 22nd Basingstoke Town (A), 29th Uxbridge (H), 31st Frome Town (A).

September: 12th Chippenham Town (H), 22nd Taunton Town (A), 29th Malvern Town (H).

October: 3rd Hanwell Town (A), 10th Gosport Borough (H), 13th Evesham United (A), 17th Gloucester City (A), 20th Havant & Waterlooville (H), 27th Malvern Town (A), 31st Poole Town (H).

November: 7th Chichester City (A), 10th Taunton Town (H), 14th Berkhamsted (H), 21st Wimborne Town (A), 28th Chippenham Town (A).

December: 5th Hanwell Town (H), 12th Bracknell Town (A), 19th Chertsey Town (H), 26th Yate Town (A).

January: 2nd Frome Town (H), 9th Berkhamsted (A), 16th Wimborne Town (H), 23rd Evesham United (H), 30th Gosport Borough (A).

February: 6th Gloucester City (H), 13th Havant & Waterlooville (A), 20th Chichester City (H), 27th Poole Town (A).

March: 6th Sholing (H), 13th Hanworth Villa (A), 20th Basingstoke Town (H), 26th Plymouth Parkway (A), 29th Yate Town (H).

April: 3rd Uxbridge (A), 10th Bracknell Town (H), 17th Chertsey Town (A).

Meanwhile, Bath have added a home match with League Two side Newport County to their pre-season programme.

The game will be played at the Cannon Clarke Stadium @ Twerton Park on Saturday 25th July (3pm), meaning the warm-up game at Melksham Town that was scheduled for that afternoon has been put back to Tuesday 28th July (7.45pm).

Tickets for the Newport clash are available here.

Larkhall’s Southern League Division One South opener will be against relegated Weymouth at the Camella Stadium on Wednesday 12th August.

In 1980 the Terras finished second in what is now the National League – and they still had high hopes of reaching the Football League when, seven years later, they opened what is currently known as the Bob Lucas Stadium.

After numerous ups and downs, the Dorset seaside club were in the National League as recently as 2022. But a series of recent demotions mean they will now line up in Step 4 for the first time in their history.

The Larks will visit the superb Bob Lucas Stadium for the return game on Saturday 6th March.

And Larkhall will travel to arguably the division’s best ground – Dorchester Town’s Avenue Stadium – on Saturday 14th November. The Avenue Stadium hosted Football League action during the 2001-02 season, when AFC Bournemouth played home fixtures there while their own ground was being redeveloped.

Larkhall Athletic will play here at Dorchester Town’s Avenue Stadium – which staged Football League matches during the 2001-02 season – in the Southern League on Saturday 14th November | Photo © Richard Briggs

Athletic’s first Division One South away tussle of 2026-27 will be at promoted Worcester Raiders on Saturday 15th August.

However, John Durbin’s side will not play a home league match on a Saturday until they receive Shaftesbury on 26th September.

The Larks’ first league derby will be at home to Westbury United on Summer Bank Holiday Monday.

Paulton Rovers will come to the Camella Stadium on Boxing Day, and Athletic’s other festive match will be a visit to Westbury on 2nd January.

Larkhall’s Easter fixtures will be at home to Worcester on Good Friday and away to Paulton on Easter Monday.

A visit from Dorchester on 17th April will conclude the Larks’ league schedule.

Larkhall Athletic’s 2026-27 league fixtures:

August: 12th Weymouth (H), 15th Worcester Raiders (A), 31st Westbury United (H).

September: 5th Willand Rovers (A), 16th Hungerford Town (H), 19th Portland United (A), 26th Shaftesbury (H), 30th Slimbridge (A).

October: 3rd Falmouth Town (A), 10th Bishops Cleeve (H), 14th Swindon Supermarine (H), 17th Melksham Town (A), 20th SC Inkberrow (A), 24th Tiverton Town (H), 27th Hungerford Town (A), 31st Bristol Manor Farm (H).

November: 7th Bideford (A), 11th Slimbridge (H), 14th Dorchester Town (A), 21st Hartpury (H), 28th Portland United (H).

December: 5th Shaftesbury (A), 12th Barnstaple Town (H), 19th Exmouth Town (A), 26th Paulton Rovers (H).

January: 2nd Westbury United (A), 9th Bishops Cleeve (A), 16th Falmouth Town (H), 23rd Swindon Supermarine (A), 30th Melksham Town (H).

February: 6th Tiverton Town (A), 13th SC Inkberrow (H), 20th Bristol Manor Farm (A), 27th Bideford (H).

March: 6th Weymouth (A), 13th Willand Rovers (H), 20th Barnstaple Town (A), 26th Worcester Raiders (H), 29th Paulton Rovers (A).

April: 3rd Exmouth Town (H), 10th Hartpury (A), 17th Dorchester Town (H).

Larkhall’s competitive season will get under way on Saturday 8th August – with a game at Oxfordshire outfit Kidlington in the Emirates FA Cup extra preliminary round.