TWO first-half goals from free kicks either side of a red card left Frome Town with a mountain to climb, but a much better second half performance almost saw them snatch a point.

Frome were slow to get going in this match, and Darren Chitty had to be alert to save a sharp header in the 12th minute and as Frome struggled to get into the game. Liam Eddy just failed to get onto the end of a left wing cross, with Chitty making a comfortable save in the end.

Truro’s first goal arrived in the 23rd minute as a free kick from just inside the Frome half was hit long and high and the unmarked Olly Brokenshaw ghosted in at the far post, with the Frome defence stationary, and poked the ball past Chitty.

Things got worse a few minutes later as Frome’s Kurt Hammonds was shown a straight red three minutes later as he jumped into a tackle on Cody Cooke after his first touch had let him down, provoking an angry reaction from the Truro players and giving the referee no real choice in the matter.

Rhys Baggridge headed home an Aaron Ledgister cross in the 30th minute only for the goal to be disallowed for offside, and a minute later a Ben Wood flicked header was cleanly saved by Ollie Chenowith, but then the task became tougher as Aaron Pugh out-jumped everyone at the far post to head home a corner to give Truro a 2-0 lead.

The lead nearly became 3-0 in injury time as Darren Chitty mis-kicked a clearance, only to be able to gather the ball as it cannoned back to him off a Truro forward, and on the stroke of half time Liam Eddy saw a shot from a tight angle just clear the far post.

Early in the second half, Truro had chances to increase theior lead with Eddy just failing by a whisker to get onto the end of searching crosses, and Chitty produced an outstanding block tackle to deny the dangerous Truro centre forward in the 65th minute.

Matt Smith pulled one back for the home side in the 65th minute as he rose to head home a pin-point Aaron Ledgister left wing corner and two minutes later a Smith volley whistled just past the post as the ball was headed back to him.

Ben Wood was so unlucky three minutes later as his pace allowed him to get to a through ball before Chenoweth, and a little dink past the keeper saw the ball roll agonisingly slowly towards the goal line allowing a Truro defender just enough time to get back and clear off the line.

Smith was very close to an equaliser with two minutes to go as he just failed to get a head to a free kick and was awarded the “H&B Tyres Man of the Man Award” by match sponsors “Raves from the Grave” for an outstanding, hard-working performance in midfield.

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