FROME Town secured a narrow win, overcoming longtime rivals Bideford at The Sports Ground.
A first-half strike from James Ollis was enough to give the BA11 side a huge three points, helping them keep pace with Wimborne at the top of the table.
It wasn’t easy at any stage and the Somerset side had to be switched on at all times, especially in the second half when Bideford had their fair share of chances, but failed to get past Kyle Phillips in goal.
It was just the one change for Danny Greaves today, with the experienced Sam Teale returning to the side, replacing Matt Wood who dropped to the bench. Teale’s calmness and experience helped navigate his side through the difficult spells, and came away with another clean sheet on the road.
The away side started the game superbly, an early chance, two minutes in, came their way through Sam Heal, who saw the ball drop at his feet kindly, before firing over the bar.
Just 13 minutes in, the deadlock was broken. Jon Davies did well to keep the ball down the right-hand side before clipping a ball in the box, that met the head of Ollis, who made no mistake with the finish.
The lead probably should have been doubled just two minutes later when the same two combined down the right before a ball was played across the goal. Ollis was not quite able to finish it off, however.
The game then settled down with Frome still having the better of play but not creating many clear-cut chances until the 42nd minute, where Joe Budd found his way out of a tight space before firing it out to Heal, who found Davies, but after a few touches his eventual effort was well over the bar.
Frome really should have gone in to the break in a much more comfortable position when, just before halftime, Kane Simpson won it deep, before playing through Heal, who fed it on to Ollis, he sent his man in to the half-time break before rolling an effort just wide of the post from a tight angle.
There were clearly some stern words said at the interval in the home changing room, as they came out in the second half well up for it, as you would expect, but struggled to break down a resilient Frome defence or properly test Phillips, who had saves to make but ones that were comfortable for his standard.
He was tested in the 57th minute, when a simple goal-kick was flicked on, with Lewis Hill latching on to it; luckily, he didn’t connect properly with it. The big moment then came from substitute Sam Meakes, who came on as part of a double sub, with Will Taylor for Simpson and Davies, in the 72nd minute.
He forced a red card 11 minutes after entering the fray, keeper Seedhouse Evans was given his marching orders after clattering Meakes, who beat him to the ball and would have had the simplest of tasks of finishing into an empty net.
James Mayne had to take the gloves for Bideford, he made a good save from the free-kick and didn’t look out of place in goal at all to be fair to him. Despite the man advantage, Frome were still under pressure and gifted Bideford a chance that they really should have taken.
A long ball, that looked like it was going to be comfortably claimed by Phillips, held up in the wind, with him unable to judge the ball, which landed right on the edge of his box, it fell to the attacker who had the simplest of tasks to put it into an empty net, but somehow his effort only clipped the outside of the post.
The game management was superb for the rest of the game, although Ollis would have been disappointed not to have sealed the points in added time when his effort was tipped past the post by a diving Mayne, which was the last action of the game.
It’s Yate Town up next, and as we’re back at Badgers Hill, we’d love to see as many of you supporting the team in this pivotal stage of the season!
Match report by Harrison Richards.
