ZAMARETTO DIVISION ONE SOUTH & WEST: Frome Town 1 Andover 1 (From This Is Wiltshire)

ZAMARETTO DIVISION ONE SOUTH & WEST: Frome Town 1 Andover 1

9:00am Monday 9th November 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share

AFTER missing numerous chances in the first half, Frome Town were grateful to Joe Gomes for a late, long-range equaliser which led to a share of the points with Andover and extended Town´s unbeaten league run to seven games under Darren Perrin.

With Frome´s Dafyyd Lloyd still not recovered from a muscle strain, reserve keeper Ed Quelch still struggling with a long-term back injury and Tom Pass recalled to Forest Green Rovers, Perrin started the match with loan signing Gareth Evans as Frome´s third goalkeeper in the last three matches.

Simeon Allison returned for a start in place of Luke Ballinger, away on England Futsal squad duty, and Gomes started a match for the first time in several weeks in place of Iain Carr, who was on the bench.

Andover were the first to show in the fourth minute.

A quickly-taken long kick from Tasker caught the Frome defence napping, allowing Sadler to take the ball past Evans, but luckily his shot went into the side netting from an acute angle.

Frome had an excellent chance to take the lead in the seventh minute as a good move involving Matt Minnis and Mark Salter led to Allison shooting from 15 yards. Tasker did well to save the first shot, but the ball rebounded straight to Allison and his second shot was just cleared off the line by a defender before being cleared to safety.

As the game settled, Frome just about had the better of possession and territory , but Andover always looked dangerous on the break.

And in the 15th minute, Andover´s Burch sidefooted a cross towards goal, with Evans just pushing the ball round the post.

The resulting corner saw another sidefooted shot that this time hit the base of the post, and rebounded to an attacker who managed to shoot into the side netting.

Frome were very lucky to survive this passage of play, but they carried on attacking, and in the 17th minute Alex Lapham´s pass to Salter saw a neat back-heel that set Minnis free, but his right foot shot screamed across the face of the goal with nobody there to get a touch.

Minnis was again involved three minutes later as he did very well to make ground on the right wing before cutting inside and unleashing a shot that was parried by Tasker, with Salter just failing to get to the rebound.

Andover took the lead in the 29th minute as a left wing attack led to the ball being only partially cleared by the Frome defence.

The ball fell to Sadler who hit an outstanding shot from 30 yards that initially stayed low and then rose unerringly into the top corner of the Frome net with Evans rooted to the spot.

Strangely, this was almost a carbon copy of a goal that Cirencester had scored last Wednesday, with both being scored from almost the same point on the pitch.

Going behind seemed to lift Frome, and the remainder of the half saw a lot of attacks mounted, mostly on the left wing where Thomson was really beginning to show how well he can cross a ball from an acute angle.

He was unlucky in the 37th minute as he got on the end of an Allison cross, but volleyed into the side netting, and Minnis went close in the 39th minute as he just failed to beat Tasker to the ball.

Hulbert replaced Allison at half time, and the second half started in a pattern that was to last the rest of the match, with Frome making the running, and Andover seemingly content to defend in depth, protect their lead and rely on breakaways.

This made for a fairly dour half with Frome looking to unlock the defence, but tending to play the ball into the air too often, enabling the tall Andover central defenders to make numerous headed clearances.

Lapham had a chance in the 53rd minute as he was found in the Andover box by Minnis, but his shot was easily saved.

Andover had a long range effort pushed past the post in the 56th minute, and another in the 70th minute that was deflected for a corner.

Millard replaced Lake in the 74th minute, giving Frome four strikers on the pitch, but it seemed that the Anodover defence were quite comfortable.

However, that all changed in the 82nd minute as a left wing Frome corner led to a bout of head tennis, that eventually led to the ball being headed out of the Andover area.

As Cheeseman followed the ball out, he left it for Gomes who produced what could be called either a moment of genius or a hopeful lob from at least 35 yards out.

The ball flew high and then dipped cleanly into the goal, with Tasker apparently not really seeing its flight.

Crowd: 213

Star man: Ben Thomson

REACTION, PICTURES AND MORE FOOTBALL IN FRIDAY'S WILTSHIRE TIMES

• Print
• Email
• Share