Frome Town were knocked out of the FA Trophy on penalties after a determined display in their 1-1 draw after ninety minutes with Havant and Waterlooville. A goal apiece in the last ten minutes of normal time saw the cup tie go straight to spotkicks after James Ollis responded to Alfie Whittingham’s breakthrough for the visitors. But the Robins fell agonisingly short, Havant progressing after Joe O’Loughlin’s sudden-death penalty was saved by the Hawks’ keeper Ben Dudzinski.
Only two Saturdays prior, Danny Greaves’ side had capitulated to a 5-0 defeat away at Havant in the league, another stern reality check for the BA11 fanbase who had swiftly become all too aware of how difficult life could be at Step 3 in the non-league pyramid. A vital point gained at Hungerford eleven days before, the opportunity for several training sessions and the advent of a competition where the Robins had shone last season seemed to have girded the squad in the first half.
Both sides began cautiously though. Curtis Jemmett-Hutson was twice on the receiving end of forceful challenges, both incidents demonstrating that this was going to be an arduous afternoon. Frome were disciplined, refusing on several occasions to become flustered by the Hawks’ direct approach. The wind did not dissuade the side in white and blue from firing probing balls high up the pitch to test skipper-for-the-day Pierce Mitchell in defence, while his partners, Matt Wood and Warren Maidment, coped well with deliveries in from the flanks as the gusts swirled.
There was little between the sides, neither able to cause any real jitters among opposition defenders before the break. Each went close from a direct free-kick, Marcus Day’s flying just wide and goalkeeper Kyle Phillips shooing away an exquisite thirty-yard effort by the visitors. The Hawks’ form on the road had been poor, their 5-1 defeat at neighbours Sholing the latest result in a poor run of just one away win so far this season.
The BA11 side warmed into their role quickly in the second half, seeking to be proactive and make use of an uptick in possession. For portions after the break, there was a palpable increase in tempo and the Robins prospered, not least when Jemmett-Hutson’s spectacular curling crack at goal was parried away by Dudzinski.
Their spell of influence came to an abrupt end when substitute Albie Hopkins was struck in the face by the ball, attempting to chase down his man before he was forced from the pitch with suspected concussion. Havant went through the gears and found the opener as Whittingham was allowed to charge into the box from the right and bundle in after Frome’s only defensive miscue across the ninety minutes.
Heads did not drop, but time was of the essence. A neat exchange of passes saw Ollis tap in from the maddest of scrambles on the goalmouth. Doubt over whether the ball had crossed the line and made contact with the defender’s hand was removed when the referee gestured that the goal would stand and dished out one in a succession of bookings.
A draw after the allotted ninety meant the tie went straight to a shootout and hopes of a repeat of the scenes against Worthing last November. This was a pageant of perfectly-taken penalties, Ollis’ effort the only one that was nearly kept out until O’Loughlin, the last man up, placed his too close to Dudzinski who duly saved to deliver his side a spot in the First Round proper of the competition.
It was a showing that was worlds away from the miserable afternoon on the South Coast and the embarrassment of crashing out of the FA Cup against Larkhall last time out at Badgers Hill. Strides have been made by Danny Greaves’ side who now have only their league campaign to focus on, their next assignment against Basingstoke at home next Saturday. On another day, the lottery of penalties could have swung the Robins’ way and another fabled cup win might have been added into the BA11 chronicles. What was glaringly obvious to those in attendance was the marked improvement in attitude from the players. The bagfuls of commitment on display was unmistakeable - plenty of cause for optimism even for the doubters.
Live updates and match reports written by Zeb Baker-Smith.
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Reflecting on the Havant and Waterlooville game.
Zeb’s match report reflected accurately what most people witnessed at the Hill on Saturday. The Robins competed ferociously, they were tenacious in the tackle, organised like a panzer unit, and their collective work ethic completely stifled a supposedly superior opposition. I think it would have been unjust if H&W had actually won the game, having scored their late goal – justice was served when Ollie got a well-deserved, if unexpected equaliser. The loss on penalties, was to some extent, compensated for by the vast improvement in the team’s ability to compete at this level. The management and players deserve great credit for the overall improvement shown over the past two games. Without making…