Sat. 16th Sept. FA Cup 2nd qualifying round Tavistock AFC 1 Frome Town 2

FROME Town progressed to the 3rd Qualifying Round of the FA Cup thanks to first half goals from Jake Jackson and Darren Jefferies, and despite Tavistock pulling a late goal back from the penalty spot, they held on in torrential rain and gloom until the final whistle.

With Frome playing their third away game in a row and looking to make it a hat trick of wins, the side had a familiar look to it and, as progress in the FA Cup is a valuable source of revenue to Non League Clubs, this was one that Frome really wanted to win.

With the storm clouds gathering and the distinct possibility of thunderstorms, the match started evenly with Frome the first to show as George Miller hit a shot way over the bar, and on a decent surface with both teams playing a passing game the match looked like it could be a good one.

Miller had a second chance in the 15th as Jackson set him up for a shot, but again the ball flew over the bar from just outside the penalty area, but Frome did take the lead in the 23rd as Mitchell Page flicked the ball on for Jackson to prove stronger than his defender and score with a low shot.

Tavistock went looking for the equaliser and Frome defended well against several corners and free kicks, and with Crago shooting just wide in the 32nd, Frome needed to start pressing a little more, and they duly obliged as Jon Davies had a shot saved well by Oak in the home goal, but then they made it a 2-0 lead in the 43rd as Jefferies cut in from the left to rifle a shot into the far corner just as the threatened rain became torrential.

The rain continued as the second half started making conditions difficult for both sides and despite the flood lights coming on, the heavy shower was making the conditions gloomy to say the least.

Grant could well have pulled one back for the hosts in the 55th as he somehow managed to shoot wide from inside the 6 yard box and Kyle Phillips had to be very alert to save shortly afterwards, but the threatened goal did arrive in the 68th as  Grant slotted home from the spot as the referee gave a penalty for an unclear reason.

With an Ollie Knight shot going just wide and a Tavistock raid immediately afterwards being cleared by the head of Kris Miller, Tavistock failed to carve out a clear a clear cut opportunity and Frome go into the hat on Monday.

Captain George Miller was awarded the H&B Tyres Man of the Match Award for another tireless performance in midfield. Entertainment Value: 3/5

Report by: Colin Carpenter