Frome hold nerve in penalty shoot-out to clinch FA Cup win

Wednesday 17th September

FA Cup Second Qualifying Round replay 

Frome Town 1-1 Shaftesbury AFC

Frome win 5-3 on penalties

Deep into injury time in Dorset, Frome trailed Shaftesbury by a goal to nil, and it looked certain that we were about to crash out of the FA Cup.

With what most assumed would be the last attack of the game, Zak Drew picked it up on halfway, playing a neat through ball down the right-hand side to Albie Hopkins. Albie took just the one touch before lofting it into the box for Sam Meakes to leap and meet it, heading it over the Shaftesbury keeper’s outstretched hand.

A replay back in Somerset at Badgers Hill was set up, and thanks to BA11’s club historian Steve Jupp, we knew it’d been over 20 years since the last home defeat in a cup replay. Not bad odds going into the evening!

Three changes from the side that started at the weekend, with skipper Sam Teale unavailable and replaced by Mike Baker. Sam Meakes was in for David Duru, with Sam Heal also returning.

An unfortunate start to the evening saw a teasing ball in from Shaftesbury’s right, under two minutes in, find midfielder Jack Hoey just inside the 18-yard box, who placed it below Kyle Phillips to open the scoring and put the visitors ahead.

Kicking towards the Clink end, Frome heads never dropped despite the early goal, and the next quarter of an hour saw the opposition stopper make three good saves to prevent an equaliser, one of which was a very impressive strong hand to tip over a long-range Albie Hopkins strike.

Shaftesbury had the opportunity to double their lead on 24 minutes, after a mix-up at the back leaving Jack Hoey with an open goal but he hit the post from a fairly wide angle. An enormous let off for Frome.

Only a few minutes on and a deserved equaliser arrived. A corner by Albie was headed on by the Shaftesbury defence and collected by George Dowling near the opposite corner spot. Dowling turned the right back inside-and-out on his way into the box, and lashing a shot towards the near post. Ben Taylor had produced an exceptional performance so far to maintain Shaftesbury’s slender lead but was no match to Frome’s number 8 who is having a brilliant season so far. 1-1, game on.

Both sides continued trading blows as the first half waned, with Hopkins flashing wide just before the break, but the scores remained even as we reached the interval.

Moments into the second half and Frome hopes gained an immense boost, as Shaftesbury defender Charlie Rayfield received a straight red card for denial of a clear-cut goal scoring opportunity. A long ball over the top, headed on by Archie Ferris, had Sam Meakes beat the last man and bear down on goal. A flailing Rayfield proceeded to drag Meakes back. An easy decision for the referee and the visitors were down to ten men.

Celebrations were short-lived however, as second half substitution Theo Lynden received a second yellow card for a simple shirt pull and the playing field was even once again.

Tiring legs slowed the game down and chances were suddenly few and far between. The most notable chance came with 15 remaining as Albie Hopkins fed Zak Drew, who cut it back on the byline towards Archie Ferris waiting on the six-yard line. It looked as if the Frome centre-forward couldn’t miss only to be denied by a last-ditch block from a Sonny Pike.

With only a few minutes remaining, penalties looming, Shaftesbury’s number 18, Ben Holmes, launched one final counterattack and Frome fans braced for disappointment late on. His deflected cross found the feet of Jack Lovell but three Frome shirts arrived on the scene, all putting their bodies on the line to prevent a late winner.

Despite the tense scramble in the final minutes, Frome held firm, and the match headed to penalties.

Spot-kicks hadn’t been the most kind to Frome this season, so the crowd will have been on edge as the players lined up at the centre circle. Though the players will have shared the feeling, they didn’t show it, and with the help of a Kyle Phillips save from Charlie Burden, the five Frome spot-kick takers, Drew, Hopkins, Feltham, Gould and David Duru all scored to take Frome to the third qualifying round of the FA Cup.

A meeting with last year’s Southern League Premier Division South runners-up, AFC Totton is set up, with a first visit to the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying round in 41 years at stake.

Report: Edward Coumbe