A LATE winner from Kettering’s Elliot Sandy robbed Frome Town of a point that they richly deserved after a Rob Hobbs goal had equalised Saul Williams’ opener.

After a turbulent week at Frome, which had seen the departure of Adrian Foster and the arrival of Nick Bunyard as manager, Lloyd Chamberlain stood in to take charge of the squad while Bunyard was away on a pre-planned business trip.

With Ben Thomson, Jon Vance and Chris McGrath all having left the club during the week, the starting XI was always going to look different, but striker Tyler Sibbick was available for his first game of the season and new signing Jamie Horgan started on the left wing.

Kettering’s very first attack almost saw them take the lead, but, at full stretch, Darren Chitty managed to get the faintest of touches onto a shot from Saul Williams that was just enough to push it onto the upright and luckily the ball came straight back into the arms of the prone keeper.

As the match progressed, Frome looked much better than of late,were showing a hunger for the ball and a willingness to run for each other and this hunger very nearly led to a goal in the seventh minute as Jake Hutchings was very close to getting on the end of an in-swinging corner.

In the 21st minute a fine ball down the right set Horgan free and his low cross into the middle was only just intercepted.

Ollie Taylor let fly for Frome from 25 yards with a shot that just cleared the far post, and Kettering had a couple of chances on the half hour as Chitty saved from Courtenay Baker-Richardson and Jevani Brown in quick succession.

After Ben Worlock had shown his class by being in the right place to intercept and deal with a dangerous Kettering raid, Will Grocott hit another shot into Chitty’s chest to end an even half that perhaps Kettering just shaded, but not by much.

The second half saw Tyler Sibbick hit a snap 25-yarder over the bar in the opening minute, but Kettering took the lead five minutes later as a central attack was not really dealt with by the home defence and the ball broke to Saul Williams on the right who drove his low shot into the far corner from 12 yards.

Kettering looked dangerous just after the goal, but Frome had other ideas and Jamie Horgan showed his potential as some left wing trickery took him through and Enol Ordonez was forced to punch the shot away from his near post.

After Joe Tumelty had brought another save from Ordonez, Frome equalised in the 58th as a Steve Hulbert cross was met by the head of Rob Hobbs, Ordonez saved and after Taylor had mishit his shot, Hobbs was on hand to slide the ball over the line to the delight of the home fans.

Frome went for the winner now and a Taylor turn and shot from 25 yards just skimmed the bar.

Horgan broke through in the 65th minute and was twice denied by Ordonez, Sibbick appeared to have been pushed down in the penalty area, only for the referee to give the foul the other way and Tumelty hit the far post with a left foot shot that looked certain to go in.

However, the 81st minute saw Kettering miss a sitter as a mis-hit shot bounced high in the air allowing Hulbert to get back and clear, but Frome still looked dangerous and Sibbick and Taylor combined well, only for Ordonez to once again save and deny the Frome team the winner.

With the match balanced on a knife edge, Kettering won it in the 82nd minute as a break on the right saw Gary Mulligan find Jevani Bronwn on the left and a perfectly laid off ball allowed substitute Elliot Sandy to shoot home low just inside the far post, and apart from a chance in the 93rd minute as a Taylor shot just cleared the Kettering post, that was enough to give Kettering all three points.

Rob Hobbs was awarded the H&B Tyres Man of the Match Award by Gerald Gascoigne who had sponsored the match.