Crusders stumble in play-off race

Neither side mastered the conditions in a rather drab game, the blustery wind and the hard pitch making it difficult for both sides, and there were few goal-scoring chances, but Mark Draycott was unlucky when he hit the post from close range near the end, before man-of-the-match Jack Vallis headed the winner after 85 minutes to give the home side the points,
Although we remained in a play-off position, Truro regained 4th.place, whilst St.Neots drew level on points with a game in hand and our trip to the Cambridgeshire side next week will obviously be vital as the tight battle for the play-offs looks likely to go down to the wire.
The Frome clubs decision to invite spectators to pay whatever they liked obviously paid off as far as attendance was concerned, and over 500 turned up to watch the game and the home supporters were rewarded with a victory to keep up their recent good run which looks like halting their fears of relegation. We were set to face a strong wind in the first half, but whilst this sometimes made progress difficult, the home side found that the ball often ran away ahead of the attack and there were few attempts on goal. Alan O’Brien broke down the left but was injured as he tried to cross the ball in the first few minutes and, although he continued for some time, he was replaced by Dean Stow before the interval. Before he departed he put over an inswinging corner which was hooked wide and James Clark’s cross was scrambled away.
Frome went nearest however, when Paul Strudley deflected the ball onto the post and collected the rebound safely, whilst Clark shot high and wide near the end of a poor first half.
With the wind behind us, we should have been able to put the Frome defence under more pressure, but neither side found it easy to master the conditions and It began to look more and more like a goalless draw and it always looked as if a single goal would earn the points. Frome had a let-off when Mark Draycott hit the post from close range but the ball was deflected wide for a goal-kick and we were denied.
The decisive moment came 5 minutes friom the end when Harry Goodger appeared to be sandwiched as he went up for a header, but the ball ran free and Frome were awarded the free-kick on the edge of the centre circle. Matt Smith drove a good effort into the penalty area for Vallis, who had won everything in the air in a solid display at the centre of the home defence, got above everyone and headed home to deny us a point.It was a cruel blow,
Team; Strudley,Horgan, John, Rusby, Day, Rees, Clark(Goodger),Pilling, Brown, Draycott, O’Brien( Stow ) Subs;Collins, Boardman.