Frome Town

Frome Town FC is a non-league football club from the Somerset town of Frome that was formed in 1904, initially competing in the Wiltshire Premier League at their home ground of Badgers Hill.

A move to the Somerset Senior League Championship proved fruitful as the team were crowned champions in 1906-07, 1908-09 and 1910-11. The club became members of the Western League in 1919-20 where they were placed in Division Two.

The debut campaign ended in triumph as ‘The Robins’ were crowned as champions before leaving the competition for a two year sabbatical in 1922. Once again Town left the league in 1927 before returning for the 1931-32 season.

Following World War Two, Frome were placed in Division One but were relegated to Division Two after just one season. A runners-up berth in 1954-55 secured promotion back to the top flight. A young Tony Book spent the following year with town before moving to Bath City and future glories.

The season also saw the team progress to the first round of the FA Cup. The tie against Leyton Orient saw the visitors run out 3-0 victors in front of a record 8,000 crowd at Badgers Hill, before the side suffered a return to Division Two at the end of the 1958-59 campaign.

The Western League became just one division from 1963-64, with Frome generally ending in mid table. The club won the Premier Division title in 1978-79 after the league had expanded to two divisions, and then went on to lift the League Cup the following season.

The Robins finished as runners-up in 1982-83 before a period of decline set in, which would eventually result in relegation to Division One in 1995-96. The club was re-structured for the final season of the old millennium as struggles on the field continued.

The club was saved from relegation owing to a re-structure of the Western League around the same time before fortunes on the pitch returned. Town won the Division One title in 2001-02 to reclaim their Premier Division status.

In 2008-09 Frome ended as league runners-up after five seasons of high end finishes and were promoted to the Southern League, where they were placed in Division One South West.

Derek Graham was manager in 2010-11 as Town qualified for the play-offs. Away wins against Mangotsfield Town and then Sholing took the club to the Southern League Premier Division where the team stabilised.

Brian O’Donnell was appointed as the new team boss in the summer of 2013, lasting just a year before being replaced by Adrian Foster who was in turn replaced by Nick Bunyard after another twelve months.

Bunyard was suspended for three years from all football activity, despite the clubs support, after an enquiry into betting allegations in November 2016. His assistant Josh Jeffries took over as manager leading the team to a best ever eighth place berth in 2016-17.

Jeffries resigned towards the end of the 2017-18 season with former Bradford Town boss Danny Greaves appointed as his replacement, as he brought several of his players with him to replace those who departed.

The club Was placed in the Southern League Premier Division South for the 2018-19 campaign as non-league football was restructured.

Frome Town FC will play in the Southern League Premier Division South in the 2018-19 season.

My visit

Frome Town 1 Hendon 1 (Saturday 11^th August 2018) Southern League Premier Division South (att: 245)

These were uncharted waters for Hendon as a new adventure began in the Southern League. The Supporters Association failed to get the required numbers for a coach, so we travelled at the front end of the players vehicle for a very reasonable fare of £20.

It was a lovely morning when I arrived at Silver Jubilee Park in time for a cuppa. We departed at 9.30am and headed down the Western Avenue, then M25 to the M4. It wouldn’t be for the last time!

It was lovely to chat with other fans who were becoming mates as time evolved. The journey was smooth and truncated at services near Swindon, where we came across a St Albans City fans bus and the Welling United team.

The Dons players seemed to be bonding well at the rear of the coach. New Manager Jimmy Gray and his backroom team of Mark Boyce and Rob Pattman were most amiable and creating a good impression as they fitted into their roles.

Rain began to fall as we arrived in Frome and the Badgers Hill ground came into view. We were directed into the car park by a suited assistant. This was pointed out to me in relation to my car parking duties at SJP!

There was plenty of time, so several of us walked down the hill to The Vine; which could easily have been the set for a West Country version of Early Doors. The locals were friendly enough.

I’d over indulged on my free Friday off work but was now feeling ready for a ‘livener’. I decided to opt for a Doombar. I’d struggled with it in the past, but I decided to give it another go, just in case had been simply in my mind, as not many gave it rave reviews.

Andy Boness, the Dad of young on loan goalkeeper had travelled with us. He was on his own at the bar, so I went and ended up having a great chat. It was strange how opinions were very similar about one or two other keepers on the non-league circuit.

After a couple of pints, we returned and paid £12 admission. Secretary Daz Bloor had sorted me a programme, which was getting attention from visiting fans. The programme editor had proclaimed that the hosts were up against Hendon Town on the cover.

Frome had arranged for a local country/folk singer to play pre-match in a gazebo outside to welcome in the new season. I’m not sure how big a success that was, especially when it started to rain?

Meanwhile, the bar also had Doombar on hand pull at a reasonable price. Several more away fans had arrived having travelled independently. Food was available inside, and my cheeseburger was OK for £3. We get spoiled with the quality at SJP!

I really liked Badgers Hill with its decent cover on all four sides. It was a proper non-league ground. The pitch was poor owing to the drought with the substantial cross pitch slope not helping, especially with rain on top making the surface slippery.

The first half was not dissimilar to a pre-season friendly as both sides fielded multiple debutants and looked to build some understanding. Hendon took the field with just one player; Luke Tingey, from the previous campaign including two players in the squad signed the previous day.

There was little goal mouth action to speak of. I was quietly content with that. It could have been very easy for a new line up to get caught out. It transpired that Frome were in a similar position. Hendon’s centre back partnership of Junior Osborne and Guri Demuria impressed, while keeper Dan Boness seemed very commanding for a youngster.

The second half saw a bit more fluidity. Taishan Griffith replaced Rene Howe, while Stephane Ngamvoulou came on for Prince Mbengui for Hendon. Ricky German should have put the visitors ahead when slid through. Somehow the linesman kept his flag down despite the player being a yard offside; much to the annoyance of a local stood alongside of me.

German made amends when collecting a badly dealt with low cross from Griffith to control and beautifully chip into the far top corner over keeper Darren Bechet and a couple of stranded defenders.

It looked like Hendon would hang on until Frome built up a bit of steam and equalised when a ball bagatelled across the six yard box before a ricochet off a defender was scooped back from behind the line by Boness according to the far side flagman.

A draw was probably a fair result, but it was a bit of a kick in the nuts after coming so close to three points. We returned to the bar and welcomed in the players as they went for their food before heading off just before 6pm.

Andy and Daz were tickety boo on the way back as their Leeds United side had won again. The atmosphere between the players seemed good, especially after a brief stop for them to refuel. I managed to grab some sleep in between being playfully prodded.

Tom Stockman gave me a ride up the hill after we arrived back around 9.15pm. All in all, it was a good if long day out and I was looking forward to Taunton a couple of weeks later. It certainly gave fans hope going forward and relieved a few doubts and worries.