Southern League Premier. Thurs. 26th Dec. Frome Town 5 – 0 Plymouth Parkway
Frome Town put in a scintillating performance in an unequivocal win over relegation rivals Plymouth Parkway to secure their first Boxing Day victory since 2008.
The Robins were looking to continue their run of positive results and were well worth their two-goal lead at the break courtesy of Pierce Mitchell and James Ollis. Hometown hero Albie Hopkins’ second-half brace and Ethan Vaughan’s stunning finish turned this into an emphatic result.
It had already been a special December for a BA11 side that felt revived after a tough start to life at Step Three with Danny Greaves’ squad stringing three consecutive clean-sheet victories together to vindicate those who still believed that the Robins could survive at this level.
Frome dictated from the off and after 15 minutes, Pierce Mitchell leapt highest to head in from a long free-kick on the right by Albie Hopkins and secure the lead.
It was a feisty affair at times, a scrap ensuing when Phillips spilt a cross and was leapt on by the opposition, a booking each for Sam Teale and one of the visitors.
As half-time beckoned, James Ollis met a through pass and finishing cooly for the second.
Parkway began the second half on the front foot and the back three of Maidment, Teale and Mitchell each were forced to put in a necessary clearance and ride out the early pressure. A key double save from Phillips after the visitors counterattacked saw the keeper with little time to react at close range, but he succeeded on instinct in maintaining the two-goal cushion.
In the 65th minute, Albie Hopkins added a third, receiving a smart one-two back from Archie Ferris and slotting though the keeper’s legs to adulation from the clubhouse end.
Ethan Vaughan curled in a memorable maiden strike in Robins red, cutting in from the flank and unleashing an astonishing fourth for the hosts with his left boot. If that was a goal of outrageous skill, Hopkins’ second and Frome’s fifth was a manifestation of power. Substitute Curtis Jemmett-Hutson laid the ball off for the rangy forward to charge in and rocket it home from the edge of the box, the twelfth unanswered score for the Scarlet Runners in four clean sheets this December.
Match report: Zeb Baker-Smith
