BADGERS READY TO DIG DEEP
BOSS Danny Greaves is hoping Frome Town’s best home record for over a century will stand them in good stead for tomorrow’s Southern Division One South play-off final.
While opposition Bristol Manor Farm have only lost one away match in 2024, Frome haven’t lost at home since March 2023 and are unbeaten in 15 games all-in.
Two goals in the last seven minutes at home to Manor Farm last week extended those runs, which continued Tuesday night with a semi-final 3-0 success over Mousehole, all the goals in the first half.
“Our club historian told us the other day that the last time we went unbeaten for a season at home was 1911!” Greaves told The NLP. “That’s a nice little thing for us to remember.
“I’m really proud of our record. We know how to play our pitch and feel comfortable there.
“We wanted to start the game Tuesday on the front foot after a disappointing performance against Manor Farm, bar the last half hour. It gets the crowd behind us as well, which is important. Our fanbase is getting better and better.”
Relegated from Step 3 in 2019, Frome lost at home to Bristol Manor Farm in the play-off semi-finals in 2022, but Greaves doesn’t believe that will affect his players on Monday.
“Losing to them two years ago might have played on people’s minds more on Wednesday, with it being a semi-final,” he said. “Overcoming that hurdle was huge for us.
“We’ll go into the final knowing it’s going to be a tough game but we’ll be in a confident mood.
“I’m expecting a different game to the league one last week because of what’s at stake. Play-off finals are rarely free-flowing, players are usually a bit tense and nervous, so are people in the stands.
“They might come with a different gameplan. I think last Saturday is an irrelevance to how we’ll both prepare.”
The Badgers will start as strong favourites having taken Wimborne Town all the way for the Division One title, while Manor Farm finished 16 points behind in fourth.
Greaves confirmed that Badgers Hill will be undergoing something of a summer revamp, regardless of which level the club will be playing at.
“The changing rooms are being knocked down and rebuilt,” revealed Greaves. “There’s plenty of other things happening behind the scenes.
“We are ready for that level, but we have no divine right to be there – it’s hard to win a promotion and Manor Farm are a very good side.
“We know a lot about their players and I know Lee (Lashenko) very well. We’ll be prepared for them.”