RED INSURE CUP SEMI FINAL: Frome Town 2 Slough Town 1
10:08am Thursday 7th March 2013 in Latest News
A GOOD all-round performance from Frome Town saw them progress to the final of the Red Insure Cup thanks to goals from new signings Matt Clark and Mitchell Bryant, though Slough Town could consider themselves a little unlucky not to have taken the match to extra time.
Frome’s Matt Smith rose to an eighth minute corner and headed the ball onto the top of the Slough crossbar, but it was Slough who took the lead in the 19th minute as a fine curling ball put Ryan O’Toole clean through the defence and he finished well by shooting low under Darren Chitty and into the net.
Frome responded well and some good inter passing led to Salisbury City loan man Clark hitting a low 25 yard shot into the corner of the net to equalise in the 28th minute.
Bryant was starting to impress as he brought some physical presence to the role of centre forward, and with Luke Ballinger having his best game since returning to the club, things were starting to happen.
As Ballinger ran onto an excellent ball from Smith, he pulled the ball back low into the penalty area where Bryant thumped it into the net.
Though behind, Slough always looked dangerous in the first half, and they were extremely unlucky in the 42nd minute as a 25 yard free kick was hit beautifully by O’Toole.
The ball curled over the wall, hit the underside of the bar, came down, bounced up and was cleared by a defender, although the ball looked to have crossed the line.
The second half started in a pattern that was to last for most of the the half, with Slough playing a high line and looking to play in the Frome half, but Frome always looking dangerous on the break.
The home defence and midfield coped well with the Slough pressure and Chitty was rarely brought into serious action.
A short corner in the 67th minute saw Ballinger burst through and go very close with a deflected shot, and a couple of minutes later Ballinger and Bryant combined well to set up a shooting chance for Smith, but the ball cleared the bar.
Substitute Lloyd Matthews had a golden chance to seal the win as a through ball saw him clean through the Slough defence, he advanced on goal and went round James Hawtree, but a good touch by the keeper deflected the ball away from goal.
Slough kept looking for the equaliser right up until the final whistle, but it wouldn’t come and Frome now move into a two-legged final with Arlesey.
The H&B Tyres Man of the Match award was awarded to Ballinger by Jamie Malley of Sandstone Media.
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