This week we feature:
· A return to winning ways – Frome Town Women 1 – 0 Purton Women FC
· Our next game against Weymouth FC Womens
Match report: Purton Women 0 Frome Town Women 1
On Sunday 28 January, Frome Town Women travelled to Purton (near Swindon!) to face off against Purton FC Women in the second of a South West Regional Womens League double header. Having narrowly lost at home at our previous encounter two weeks ago, Frome Town Women were determined not to come away from the game empty handed this time around.
Challenging pitch condition and low winter sun made for difficult playing conditions however FTW fought hard from the first to final minute to achieve an extremely well-deserved 1-0 victory over Purton at The Red House.
After a tough last few games and despite positive performances, the results haven't fallen in Frome’s favour despite positive performances, with their last game seeing a narrow 2-1 defeat at home to Purton, just two weeks ago. As ever though, Frome have been working extremely hard on the training pitch to keep improving their performances.
Frome started today’s match with a fast counter-attack as Purton looked to build forward, when after 3 minutes a pass from Minty finds Peet running clear on the inside right. Peet superbly beats the defender to collect the ball and lofts an unbelievable cracker from a tight angle over the keeper to make it 1-0 to Frome.
A few minutes later, Peet again wins the ball and beats the defender to create another chance, her shot unfortunately going just agonizingly wide of the post.
As the home side looked to create a response with some strong forward play, they created a chance which was superbly cleared off the line by Ratcliffe. There then followed a series of half-chances and corner kicks for the home team which Frome defended stoutly.
One chance came for Purton from an indirect free kick inside the Frome box which was superbly blocked by the midriff of Skipper Underhill, deflecting into the face of Didymus to prevent Purton from taking the lead. The moment typified the bravery and heart (or face and stomach in this case!) of Frome’s defence which would be a key feature of the second half.
Just before half time, a Purton corner was met with a near-perfect header, only for Player Of The Match Sophie Billet to make a world class save, tipping the shot over the bar.
In the 2nd half Purton came out chasing for the equaliser, throwing everything at Frome which the team were fighting hard, putting their bodies on the line and chasing every loose ball. A shot from distance was again thwarted by Billet, expertly pushing the curling effort over the bar.
The defence of Ratcliffe, Didymus and Perkins also impressed, being determined to win every ball against Purton attackers and clearing the ball when needed. As time went on, the home team became frustrated, trying more efforts from range, only for them to drift wide.
As Frome tried to ease the pressure in the second half Minty sent a long ball downfield to Peet who battlesd against the keeper and superbly gets to the ball first to chip over the keeper but unluckily the shot goes just wide of the post.
Frome battled hard all game, to dig out the result, in what was a gutsy performance, particularly in the second half, with the wing back of Rumens, Whisstock and Wyatt all making runs down the wings and defending excellently throughout. Also Underhill, Starr, Minty and Ham all winning key battles in midfield with some thundering challenges that prevented Purton from building their play forward. The attacking play from Harris, Peet and Restorick was impressive as well, with their defensive play off-the-ball making it hard for Purton to make progress.
A special mention goes to today's player of the match Sophie Billet who made two world class saves and also carried on while struggling for the last 20 minutes after being clattered hard while claiming a loose ball from a sliding opposition striker.
Keira-Leigh Underhill Frome Town Women Captain said: “It’s a great feeling to finally get a win today. The whole team put in an absolute shift from start to finish, we couldn’t ask for anymore. We plan to take this momentum into next weeks game at Weymouth.”
Ben Bolland Frome Town Women Manager said: “Fantastic away win for the team today. Not an easy ground to go to. The team were positive all the way, scoring a super goal from Martha Peet, but also defending magnificently and preventing Purton from playing. Sophie made a couple of match winning saves to. We picked up a couple of injuries, which is a concern, but overall a super performance from the team. Hard work and determination paid off today. Proud of every single one of them.”
Frome held on for 3 vital points on what could be a massive turning point in the season ahead of their away trip to Weymouth next Sunday (4th February).
Frome Town Women vs Weymouth FC Women
This weekend Frome Town Women travel to the Bob Lucas Stadium, Weymouth to face Weymouth FC Women in what promises to be an exciting away match. Both teams will be aiming for a strong performance in a battle for the three points as Weymouth are currently a place above Frome in the South West Regional Womens League table.
After clinching a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Purton last Sunday, Frome enters the upcoming away match against Weymouth with momentum. The team is determined to capitalise on their recent success and strive for back-to-back wins this weekend.
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