RED INSURE CUP FINAL (FIRST LEG): Arlesey Town 1 Frome Town 0 (From This Is Wiltshire)

FROME Town will go looking to overturn a single-goal deficit when they bid to lift the Red Insure Cup next month.

Darren Perrin's side were beaten 1-0 at Arlesey Town in last night's first leg final, leaving the tie finely balance ahead of the second leg at Badgers Hill on April 9.

Frome started the match brightly and some positive early pressure led to the first chance of the game in the 11th minute as Josh Brigham, Luke Ballinger and Mitch Bryant combined well on the right to set up Jordan Copp.

And as Copp rolled the ball back to Matt Smith, the midfielder was only denied by a last-ditch block.

Frome’s pressure led to a huge chance to take the lead in the 21st minute as a Ballinger cross struck a defender's hand and Frome were awarded a penalty.

Defender Josh Brigham strode up and blasted the ball goalwards, only to be denied by a superb save from home keeper Nathan Abbey.

As the match settled, chances became few and far between and the only chance of note came in the 35th as an effort from Arlesey’s Aston Goss was deflected into the path of Chris Dillon, who managed to miss the target from ten yards out.

But the psychologically-important first goal arrived in the third minute of the second half as a cross from Arlesey’s Cameron Mawer was floated in to the box and Dillon headed home easily to give the home side the lead.

The 57th minute saw Arlesey go close again as Ryan Frater headed a Drew Roberts free kick over the bar, but a minute later Frome almost equalised as Abbey denied Bryant with a great low save, and then recovered quickly to turn away a long range shot from Smith.

As both sides looked for the second goal of the evening, Ballinger went close with a deflected free kick, which span just wide with the keeper stranded.

And then at the other end, a great cross from Arlesey’s Cameron Mawer saw the ball handled towards goal by Roberts, which earned him a yellow card.

Darren Chitty saved well from Shane Blackett in the 76th minute and the Robins' Dean Evans saw a volley go just wide in the 82nd but the score remained the 1-0, leaving both sides with everything to play for next month.

Frome face a daunting task in the Evo-Stik League Southern Premier Division this weekend as they welcome Gosport Borough, who stretched their towering unbeaten run to 23 games last night.

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