Sat 23rd Apr. Southern League Div. One. Att: 206 Lymington Town 0 Frome 5
A JON Davies hat-trick ensured Frome ended the regular season in style thanks to a commanding win at Lymington.
A dominant second-half performance saw Davies strike twice more after converting a first-half penalty, and substitutes Marcus Mapstone and Harry Baker also managed to find the net.
The result was not enough for the Robins to secure the Southern League Division One South title as league leaders Plymouth Parkway won against Cinderford, but it did secure a home play-off semi-final against Bristol Manor Farm (scheduled for Tuesday 26th April).
Despite the pitch at the Sports Ground showing signs of a long and arduous season, Frome dominated possession from early on.
A well-organised Lym- ington defence meant goal-scoring opportunities were hard to come by, although only a last-ditch block stopped Davies giving the Robins the lead within the first 10 minutes after a neat turn in the box.
A procession of half-chances fell the way of Danny Greaves’ side as the half reached the midway point. Sam Teale and Mike Baker got in the way of one another at the far post as they tried to attack a Matt Smith cross, and Kane Simpson failed to get a shot away after James Ollis had picked him out six yards from goal.
Ollis was heavily involved in the incident that resulted in the penalty, as he raced past one defender before being clipped by a second in the box. Davies kept his cool from 12 yards, placing an effort into the net via the far post.
It was not all one-way traffic though, and James Carey had to remain alert to turn a shot wide after Lymington had played a long ball upfield.
It was the Robins who had the best chance to find the net again before the interval though. After a driving run from Alex Monks, Rex Mannings picked out Simpson in the middle, only for the big striker to fire wide of the target after doing well to shrug off a defender.
Frome started the second period as brightly as they had the first, with Davies blasting a shot wide after a throw-in had fallen his way and Simpson crashing an effort against the side netting after striding clear down the right flank.
A decisive second goal arrived in the 56th minute, as Davies beat the Lymington offside trap and strode on to a pass from Smith before calmly slotting home.
Mapstone was introduced as a substitute on the hour mark, and he marked his first appearance since early February in perfect fashion as he nodded home a 66th minute corner to put the result beyond doubt.
Fellow substitute Baker also got in on the act with quarter of an hour to play, twisting a defender inside-out before finishing with a fine left-footed effort.
The Lymington left-back was then shown his marching orders not long after, as a hefty challenge in the middle of the park saw him take out two men and leave the referee with no option but to brandish a red card.
Enough time remained for Davies to complete his hat-trick, as in the 84th minute his deflected effort from the edge of the box beat the goalkeeper and found the bottom corner.
