FROME Town made it nine matches unbeaten as they smashed eight goals past tenth-placed Redditch United on Saturday in their highest-ever victory in the Southern League Premier Division.

The opening quarter was fairly uneventful but Frome looked to be far more proactive than Redditch and with Jake Jackson hitting a shot into the side netting in the 16th minute, the home side were definitely starting to turn their possession into chances.

A minute later, they should have taken the lead as Marcus Mapstone won a header at the far post and as the ball bounced along the line, both Jackson and Mitchell Bryant somehow managed not to get a touch and force it over.

Redditch goalkeeper Bradley Catlow made a good from Jon Davies five minutes later as Frome carved open the Redditch defence with slick interchanges, and he did well again shortly after to tip a dipping 20-yard Ollie Knight volley over the bar for a corner.

However, the visiting goalie was let down by his defence at the corner as Davies swung the ball to Jackson at the far post to control and hammer home a shot into the top corner to make it 1-0.

With Frome completely running the game now, chances for George Miller and Sam Teale came and went before the hosts made it 2-0 as Davies turned defence into attack with a run that saw Jackson and Knight going right and left and the Redditch defenders hopelessly outnumbered.

Davies showed his class by waiting for the perfect moment then releasing the ball to Knight, who curled the ball over Catlow from 18 yards to make it 2-0 to the dominant home side.

The Robins made it 3-0 in the 41st minute as a Davies produced a carbon copy corner after a George Miller shot had been blocked, and Jackson’s deflected allowed Bryant to force the ball over the line from close-range. No doubt the riot act was read to the Redditch side at half-time but it didn’t make that much differenc as Frome made it 4-0 in the 54th minute.

From a corner, a high dropping ball caused chaos and with Clayton Green, Bryant and Knight all involved, Teale was on hand to supply the final touch that took the ball into the corner of the net.

Redditch finally found some fight after this and pulled one back five minutes later as Danico Johnson finished from close range after Kyle Phillips had saved from Luke Keen, but the fightback soon petered out as Catlow was penalised for pushing a Frome player out the way.

With the referee explaining that he had clearly warned the keeper about this tactic several times, Davies made no mistake from the penalty spot and Frome took a 5-1 lead in the 61st minute.

Jackson could easily have added a sixth as he was played in by a misplaced pass from Redditch defender Jordan Cullinane-Lindurg, but he scooped his shot just wide from 15 yards.

But then he did add another in the 77th minute as James Fitzgibbon stormed in from the right and pulled the ball back to Jackson, who cleverly turned and poked the ball into the far corner of the net despite the attentions of two defenders.

Jackson turned provider three minutes later as he outmuscled Duane Courtney to win the ball and cut in from the right and despite being on a hat-trick, he unselfishly pulled the ball back for Bryant to hammer home from 10 yards.

Catlow pulled off a good point-blank save in the 87th minute to deny the rampant Frome forwards but he was powerless to prevent Jackson from getting his fully deserved hat-trick in the 91st minute as he stooped low to head home a cross from Darren Jefferies.