FROME'S first visit to Royston Town ended in disappointment with a comprehensive defeat.

The home side scored in the first half through John Frendo, who then added another at the start of the second half and the match was sealed in the 74th minute as Scott Bridges added a third.

After a slow start, Frome had the first shot of the match after three minutes, though it cleared the crossbar with ease, then Royston had their first sniff of goal as a Lee Chappell cross was headed over by Sam Corcoran in the seventh minute.

Veteran striker Frendo tried his luck with a speculative lob in the 12th minute and five minutes later as Adam Murray challenged Kyle Phillips, the ball looped up to Bridges who then proceeded to head the ball over the bar.

With the pressure building, the inevitable first goal arrived in the 22nd minute as Adam Marriott’s effort was well stopped by Phillips, but Frendo was on hand to bury the rebound high  into the roof of the net.

Frome were struggling to put any meaningful moves together in the first half, and with both Ed Asafu-Adjaye and Marriott having shots blocked and several incisive moves thwarted by the offside flag, they were doing well to be just a single goal behind at the break.

The second half started with a catastrophe as Frendo closed Phillips down to the extent that his clearance off the ground hit the striker on the back and looped up and over the stranded keeper and into the net.

Royston again went close in the 61st minute as Murray’s low header after a free kick went wide, then Murray himself floated a volley just over soon after.

Despite Chas Hemmings heading a corner just over for Frome in the 70th, the visitors were struggling to carve out any clear-cut chances.

Royston nearly increased their lead a minute later as substitute Josh Oyinsan burst through only to toe poke the ball into the side netting, and just after Darren Jefferies had almost found Page with a cracking low cross, Royston sealed the game with their third goal.

James Potton burst forward and crossed, Frome failed to clear and Scott Bridges was on hand to hammer a low shot into the corner from just outside the box.

Frome did try to get a consolation goal in the remaining minutes, but an effort from Mitchell Page was well saved by Joe Welch.