By Sam Hill
USW 2nds were sunk by a five-goal salvo from Bath striker Sam Rood in a 7-2 humbling at the Sport Park.
Rood ran riot to inflict a devastating wake-up call on coach Rob Bailey’s team, who battled in the first-half but finished with little credit in the bank.
USW took the lead through Eddy Byng after just eight minutes of this Western Tier 4B top-of-the-table clash.
But even at that early stage it was against the run of play – and Bath soon took control of possession and territory.
The away side were wasteful at times, missing multiple chances before half-time, but remained a consistent threat.
They soon found their shooting boots though when Sam Palmer equalised with a left-footed strike from outside the box, before Rood tapped in from close range for a 2-1 lead.
There was an instant reply from USW’s No.10 Viktor Angaye who levelled with his fifth goal in three games.
But Bath consistently carved open the home side with their strong build-up play, and Rood landed his second to hand them a 3-2 lead going into the interval.
Relentless second half pressure forced USW into mistakes as they struggled to contain Bath’s attack and were boxed in at times.
Rood continued his goalscoring purple patch with a further three goals after the break, with Bath continuing to move the ball quickly and confidently to create high-quality chances for their star striker.
USW had half-chances through Saif Ratul and Archie Tooth, both missing wide, but for the most part were restricted.
Bath captain Ganesh Kodikara was sent off with just a few minutes left due to dissent.
But this did not halt the away side’s momentum.
When Rood won a free-kick late on, Lorenzo Pelleriti whipped a magnificent strike into the top left corner to wrap up the rout.