Frome Collegians made their first visit to the Gerard Buxton Ground and started well against their hosts Royal Wootton Bassett Town. Having hit the bar on fourteen minutes they went close again with twenty minutes when Max Pollock was played in, but he fired straight at the Bassett keeper Ellis Parker. They finally did break the deadlock on the half-hour mark, Ben Griffths shooting from wide on the left hand side, his shot just making it over the line to give the visitors the lead which they deserved on the balance of play up to that point. The hosts had the chance to get back on level terms six minutes from the break with a free kick on the edge of the box. However, the free kick from Bailey Gallagher was fired into the wall and when the ball rebounded to Gallagher his header from the edge of the box was held confidently by visiting keeper Josh Bond. Gallagher was not to be denied for long though. The home side were awarded another free kick, this time Tyrhys Mifsud saw his shot saved by Bond but the ball fell to Gallagher who fired in to make it 1-1 two minutes before the interval. There was still time for the same player to hit the cross bar as it remained level at the break. It was a different story in the second half as the interval seemed to knock the visitors out of their stride and it was the home side who dominated proceedings. Charlie McCuish put them in front for the first time on the hour mark when he fired in from the edge of the box after claims for a penalty were waived aside after Bailey Gallagher went down in the box, the ball falling to McCuish who fired in to the top corner of the net for his eighth of the season. Three minutes later his tally for the season rose to nine as he got on the end of an excellent cross from Gallagher to make it 3-1 to the home side. The game was made safe twenty minutes from time when substitute Kabin Rai scored with a looping header from the edge of the box to make the final score 4-1 to Royal Wootton Bassett Town Development.

Credit: Mark Smedley
Last modified on Sunday 20th December 2020 at 17:39