Slough Town 0-0 Frome Town – Evo-Stik Southern Premier, Sat. 8th August

With neither side able to really dominate this match, Frome just about shaded the first half and Slough had the better of the second, but the scorer remained untroubled and a 0-0 draw was probably a fair result on the day.

With Jack Vallis starting a suspension from last season, striker Ollie Taylor dropped back alongside Chris McGrath at the centre of the Frome defence, and the starting 11  showed four new players from last season, with Lee Sweet at left back, Joe Tumelty and Rob Hobbs in midfield and Josh Ferguson at number 11.

On a warm sunny day, Frome started brightly as Ferguson fired over from 20 yards in the 4th minute, and home keeper Mark Scott was called into action to save from Ben Thomson after he had been set up following a Tumelty run, and a minute later his legs saved the day as Jon Vance set up Kris Miller who hit a low drive goalwards.

Josh Ferguson picked up Frome’s first yellow card for a foul on Sean Fraser, and from the resulting free kick, Craig Scott headed it harmlessly behind the Frome goal, and there were signs that Slough were coming more into the game as Ed Smith cut in from the right but shot straight at Darren Chitty.

Chitty was again on hand to save a 25 yard shot from Smith in the 31st, but a minute later Tumelty went close for Frome as his stinging drive from 25 yards was just tipped over the bar by Scott, and from the resulting corner, Frome again went close with Ferguson, Thomson and McGrath all pressurising the home goal.

Slough had a golden opportunity three minutes after the re-start as a pin point cross from Lewis Putnam found James McClurg all alone in the centre of the goal, but his shot was mis-hit and the ball span away harmlessly.

Putnam and McClurg repeated the feat in the 62nd minute and this time McClurg managed to put the ball wide from inside the 6 yard box when a cooler finish would surely have led to the opening goal.

With Slough’s Jake Parsons being denied by a deflection that took his shot wide of the far post, the impetus seemed to be with the home side, but then Frome replied in the 77th as substitute Joe Stradling produced a lobbed cross that had Scott beaten, but failed to beat Adam Martin who headed off the line, and from the resulting corner, Scott did well to bravely block a stinging shot from Taylor.

As the match moved towards the final whistle, Ryan Parsons hammered a volley that Kris Miller did well to block, but neither side really troubled the opposing keeper in the final minutes and the end result was a 0-0 draw.

Ollie Taylor was awarded the H&B Tyres Man of the Match Award for a quality performance at centre back, a position that he doesn’t normally play in.

Crowd: 275. Entertainment Value: 3/5.