Sat. 19th January. Evo-Stik Southern Premier Frome Town 0 Metropolitan 3

A scrambled goal on the stroke of half time, a second half penalty and a third just before the end allowed Met Police to come away with a convincing 3-0 victory as Frome struggled to mount meaningful attacks of their own.

With Frome weakened by the departure of striker Jordan Rogers to Bristol Manor Farm during the week and with Tristan Plummer still unavailable, attacking options were few for Danny Greaves, and against second placed Metropolitan Police, it was always going to a problem working out how Frome would be able to score goals to get the three points that they need to get out of the relegation zone.

However, as the match started under leaden skies and constant cold rain, there was little to choose between the second bottom and second top in the opening exchanges and Frome went close in the 4th as Sam Teale glanced a Johnny Gorman free kick just wide of the near post with his head, and with Gorman clipping a 25 yard free kick into the body of Berti Schotterl six minutes later, there were some early encouraging signs.

The Police had their first attack in the 15th with a header over the bar, but the game was a bit scrappy with no real pattern developing, which seemed a bit strange considering the lofty league position of the visitors. Frome were still creating more chances,  and with Teale flicking a header on for Bath to volley over, Gorman again testing Schotterl in the 34th and Alex Monks having a close range shot charged down in the 41st, they did look more likely to break the deadlock.

However, only goals count in the final analysis and the Police took the lead on the stroke of half time as a right wing free kick following a foul by Bath was whipped in and a good low save from Rob Brown led to a period of pinball in the six yard box that ended as Oliver Robinson fired home from close range to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at half time.

The lead became 2-0 to the visitors in the 52nd minute as ex-Robin Ollie Knight found space on the left to pull back a telling cross and as Max Blackmore closed in to convert, he was bundled over by Sam Teale and Jack Mazzone made no mistake from the spot.

The Police now started to take charge of the game and with Luke Robertson volleying just over in the 56th, Brown taking a dangerous low cross well in the 59th and producing an excellent low save in the 60th as the defence was carved open, it looked like the final deficit might be more than the current two goals.

Danny Greaves made a triple substitution in the 65th, with Kris Miller, Rex Mannings and TJ Davies replacing Billy Fletcher, Kris Scott and Ryan Bath. Initially it brought some success, as Mannings brought a rare save from Schotterl in the 73rd, but Brown did very well again in the 74th to bravely save low from the sliding Blackmore.

As the game progressed, Frome seemed to have run out of ideas concerning how to mount attacks that might cause the Police problems and the long hopeful ball seemed to be the order of the day, but this tactic played right into the hands of the visitors who never looked like conceding a goal,. They drove the final nail into the coffin in the 89th as  substitute Luke Robertson played a through ball to Max Blackmore who turned his marker  and fired low into the corner to make it a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Frome’s man of the match was chosen as Connor Roberts.