Frome Town defeated Hanwell Town to put an end to their winless run of 17 games in the league. First-half goals from James Ollis and Albie Hopkins put the Robins ahead before the visitors rode out the duration with composure. Victory for Danny Greaves’ side indicated a drastic turnaround from their disappointing weekend result at Marlow as the BA11 outfit recorded just their second league win and ensured that three points would be taken back to Badgers Hill against the odds.
Frome began the evening looking to bounce back from the weekend’s painful defeat at relegation rivals Marlow. In the meantime, the Club’s Board had made a statement backing Greaves as manager and urging those associated with the club to pull together despite the poor run of form. A trip to the capital on a Tuesday night against a team unbeaten in eight before today made this fixture a tough ask and the odds felt stacked against the BA11 club.
The Robins made themselves known from the off though, Archie Ferris crashing into a defender within the first few minutes and red shirts harried the black-and-whites immediately. Frome found joy down the right hand side, courtesy of Zak Drew and Ethan Vaughan link-up play and deliveries, the latter getting his first-time shot away but straight at the Hanwell keeper. Hanwell managed to box them in after fifteen minutes, sustaining the pressure with corner after corner. Each Robin mucked in at the back, but Sam Teale, Pierce Mitchell and Jac Poffley were flawless with their clearances and blocks.
An outlet was looking unlikely until Ferris and Vaughan combined neatly on the flank and the Welshman provided a low ball, skimmed in between keeper and defence, for Ollis to poke home at the back post, just rewards for standing up to the Hanwell’s barrage. Two minutes later, summer signing Hopkins got himself on the scoresheet as the Robins led by two clear goals for the first time in the league this season.
The away supporters’ calls to blow the full-time whistle a half early sadly went unheeded. The Geordies were unbeaten in eight going into the game and had a Trophy tie with Eastleigh to look forward to this weekend. Sat at tenth in the Premier South before the game, the Toon’s home form had been far from perfect, their last win at the Powerday Stadium coming in back in August. The only meeting between the sides back in 2016 had seen Kyle Phillips keep a clean sheet and Marcus Mapstone score a winner in the FA Trophy. A two-goal lead still seemed precarious, but Frome rode out Hanwell’s advances early in the second half.
The betrousered Jordan Edwards paid the price for his sartorial choices when he somehow failed to connect with an effort that had ricocheted off the right post just before the hour mark. From there, the Robins thrived, though a huge chance to put the game to bed was squandered as Ollis went through one-on-one with the keeper and pushed the ball wide. Drew went to curl an attempt in from the edge of the box after corner, but Carter-Rogers saved. The Geordies’ keeper produced a dream-like diving stop, Teale heading a corner into the fray before Ferris did brilliantly to turn and get an powerful shot away.
The frustration was getting to the Hanwell players and fans alike, Dwayne Duncan only booked for an apparent stamp on Joe O’Loughlin while one particularly passionate supporter in attendance took umbrage at Ollis’ ‘parrot beak’. Their despair merely seemed to spur the visitors on, an inevitable sense that three points were heading back to Somerset dawning well before the final whistle.
Danny Greaves talked about his previous experiences of stopping the rot and bucking the losing trend, most recently in the spring of 2023. With just a couple changes from the Marlow defeat, he and the same players had proved to themselves that they are more than good enough for this level and can kick on. This ninety-minute blueprint must be replicated, the commitment shown when the side were under the cosh, the clinical display at the business end of the pitch and the reassured demonstrated by each member of the line-up. Whether or not having a bus on-site is the key, this was a win that was not only craved but one that comes at just the right time, ahead of Poole Town away on Saturday and a busy festive period.
Live updates and match report written by Zeb Baker-Smith
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Thank Goodness for that - the winless run is over, a clean sheet and a couple of goals. I thought Saturdays game at Poole was the easier fixture as their form of late has been pretty poor and like us, they don’t score a lot of goals. So I see hope from that one too.
We are still a million miles from getting out of this mess but I’m pleased for all concerned as it’s been such a miserable time. Now – just a glimmer of light at the end of a very long tunnel. Well done Danny & the Boys who give the fans absolutely everything – even when things are going a bit awry. Their commitment is never in…