Match Report by Ash Symonds
December delight for Evesham United as The Robins get back to winning ways against Frome Town.
Evesham United picked up their first win in three games on Saturday as they saw past Frome Town at the Spiers & Hartwell Stadium.
Daniel Griffiths’ header late on in the second half was enough to see The Robins beat the visitors by a single goal.
Frome’s club captain, Samuel Teale, was sent off minutes after the goal for a rash challenge on Evesham’s Benjamin Hammett, an incident that prevented the Somerset-based side from a comeback in the final stages of the game.
The victory means Evesham move up to 26 points in the Southern South Football League with two games in hand on Westbury United, the side ahead of them in the table, whereas Frome find themselves on a two-game losing streak in a compact top half of the league.
The dominant hosts began strongly in the opening minutes of the game as midfield maestro Adam Mace hit the target from a close-range freekick.
Mace kept himself active throughout the first half and in the seventh minute Evesham’s number three set up Kyle Belmonte for a shot on the edge of the box, however, his effort sliced past the post with no danger of hitting the target.
With Frome up against the ropes, The Robins’ momentum continued as both Owen James and Jordan Lymn hit the woodwork in the eighth and 16th minute respectively.
Despite the number of chances, Mike Ford’s men had a hard time breaking the deadlock, something that was made more prominent on the half-hour mark as Griffiths found himself through on goal with just the keeper to beat.
The star striker went for power over placement, something Kyle Phillips, Frome’s goalkeeper, dealt with thanks to a stern save with his gloves.
The half-time interval halted the pressure on the visitors’ goal and the resulting 20 minutes of play after the break saw no team gain an edge, however, in the 67th minute, Lymn caught the Frome defense off guard and picked out Griffiths who converted from six yard out.
This breakthrough rattled the cage of the away side and just three minutes later, Teale was removed from the pitch by the officials following an off-the-ball challenge on Benjamin Hammett.
This sealed the game for Evesham United as they calmly kept the ball for the remaining 20 minutes and claimed all three points to the delight of the home side.
The Robins travel to seventh-placed Tavistock in four days for a game under the lights looking to make it two victories on the bounce.
Evesham United: Brearey, Keightley, Mace, Hammett, Wise, O’Regan, James (Chambers 68), Knowles, Belmonte, Griffiths (Dunn 89), Lymn. Subs not used: Denness- Barrett, Aldridge
Player of Match: Chris Knowles
Man of Match
Attendance: 192
Match Sponsor: Henson Plant Hire
Match Ball Sponsors: SM Plastering and Scotts Plant & Haulage
