We go back to March 1983, where Frome Town’s fine season had hit the buffers with three league defeats in a row and now they faced a daunting Somerset Premier Cup quarter-final tie at Bath City.
The Romans were going well in the National League (then Alliance League) and were the current holders of the trophy. It was a wet evening at Twerton Park and in front of a sparse crowd of 250, The Robins lined-up as follows:
GARY LEWIS
STEVE GAY
ANDY DYMOND
RICHARD CROWLEY
PAUL GARDINER
MIKE MALPAS
KENNY GILL
STEVE WALKEY
DAVE ALLEN
COLIN DREDGE
COLIN FREEMAN
Sub DAVE HALSEY
Not surprisingly, Bath did most of the attacking, but they were thwarted time and again by a superb Frome rearguard who repelled all that was thrown at them and when it looked like they might be breeched, custodian Gary Lewis came to the rescue with a string of fine saves.
On a rare foray into the home half just before the hour mark, the ball bobbled just outside the penalty box where Steve Walkey lashed home a stinging volley which beat Dave Mogg all ends up.
They held on to their 1-0 lead with a vice-like grip, thanks in the main to a well-marshalled offside trap which the frustrated Bath forwards fell into time after time.
Final score…. BATH CITY….0 FROME TOWN….1
Manager Steve D’Arcy was clearly delighted in his programme notes for the next home game…
“It was a superb team performance, but I can’t finish without giving praise to a superb goal by Steve Walkey following up his one against Barnstaple and also Gary Lewis who after a couple of dodgy games for him, came back to form and was very safe all night.
“Again, I would like to thank you all for your support at Bath, the players and I thought it was a home match…”
The victory kick started a wonderful and hectic run-in to the end of the season, twenty games unbeaten in ten weeks and although Bideford pipped them to the Western League title, there was ample consolation in winning both the Somerset Premier and Great Mills League Cups.
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