City Women striving to avoid derby double at start of season

Bath City Women could find themselves playing Paulton Rovers Ladies on two successive matchdays at the start of the 2026-27 season.

Bath City Women will open their South West Regional Women’s League Division One Central season with a derby against Paulton Rovers Ladies here at Winterfield Road | Photo © Richard Briggs

But the Romans will be doing their best to ensure it will not happen – so they can extend their Women’s FA Cup campaign.

The South West Regional Women’s League Division One Central fixtures, which were released on Monday 3rd August, have raised the prospect of Bath commencing the season with a double dose of derby action.

City will visit Winterfield Road to face Rovers in their opener in the new Tier 6 division on Sunday 13th September (2pm).

The sides will know each other well, as the draw for the preliminary round of the FA Cup – made on Friday 31st July – paired the sides to do battle at the Cannon Clarke Stadium @ Twerton Park on Sunday 23rd August (2pm).

The FA Cup tie will be the Romans’ first competitive fixture of 2026-27. The winners will receive £1,000 in prize money. The losers will receive £400.

Bath had been due to visit AEK Boco Ladies Reserves that afternoon in a friendly.

Should City overcome Paulton in the FA Cup, they will be on the road in the first qualifying round on Sunday 6th September.

Their opponents will be Yeovil-based Pen Mill Ladies, from South West Regional Women’s League Division One South, in a clash that will be bookended by the meetings with Paulton.

City will play a second consecutive away game at the beginning of the league term as they must visit Weston-super-Mare Women on Sunday 20th September.

The first Division One Central clash at the Cannon Clarke Stadium @ Twerton Park will see the Romans entertain Whitchurch Ladies on Sunday 27th September (2pm).

Bath’s other opponents in the nine-team division will be Brislington Women, Keynsham Town Ladies A, Portishead Town Ladies Reserves, Stockwood Wanderers Women and Wells City Ladies.

Bath City Women’s 2026-27 league fixtures:

September: 13th Paulton Rovers Ladies (A), 20th Weston-super-Mare Women (A), 27th Whitchurch Ladies (H).

October: 4th Wells City Ladies (H), 11th Portishead Town Ladies Reserves (A), 18th Keynsham Town Ladies A (A), 25th Brislington Women (A).

November: 8th Paulton Rovers Ladies (H), 15th Stockwood Wanderers Women (A), 22nd Keynsham Town Ladies A (H), 29th Whitchurch Ladies (A).

December: 6th Wells City Ladies (A), 13th Portishead Town Ladies Reserves (H), 20th Weston-super-Mare Women (H).

January: 31st Brislington Women (H).

February: 14th Stockwood Wanderers Women (H).

The Romans’ next scheduled match is a friendly against Frampton Rangers at Yate Town’s ground on Sunday 9th August (2pm).

Odd Down Women will play a friendly against Tier 6 Gloucestershire team Cirencester Town Ladies at the Lew Hill Memorial Ground on 9th August (2pm).

The Down, who will compete in Somerset County Women’s League Division One during 2026-27, began their warm-up matches by losing 13-1 away to Weston-super-Mare on Sunday 2nd August.