Goals from Joe Villiers, Lee Samways and Alex Watson in the final twenty minutes saw Frenford come from behind to defeat Holland at The Len Salmon Stadium in their Thurlow Nunn Eastern Senior South encounter.
The hosts knew a win would take them third for at least twenty four hours whilst Holland knew if they could grab all three points they would go level with second placed Little Oakley, again for at least twenty four hours, although the visitors preparation wasn’t helped after they arrived less than an hour before the scheduled 19:45 start time, hence the game was delayed to 8pm.
The match did kick off at 19:56 and the hosts had the first chance of the contest after visiting keeper Gary Hall had come and misjudged the ball into the box, the hosts could only glance a header wide.
Danny Fowler, the hosts keeper, then had to make a brilliant stop at the near post to deny the visitors, whilst down the other end the hosts dinked a ball to the back post, but this was headed over by full back Tommy Trowbridge.
Another ball into the visitors box saw Hall misjudge again but the header at the back post was headed away from goal rather than at it, before Holland then burst forward and saw Matthew Gray fire an effort inches wide of the post from twenty yards out.
Then came a rather silly moment on the touchline as hosts boss Dave Forbes and one of the visiting substitutes have a verbal altercation, and it ended up with both being sent off, which didn’t please either and to be honest a talking too and maybe a booking each would have probably been a better decision.
Anyway, back to the football, and Frenford fired an effort over the bar, before the hosts attacked down the right but the ball was fizzed in at pace and hit Samways who could not divert it goal wards and saw the ball fly wide.
Frenford then saw Luke Woodward burst into the box but fire an effort across goal and inches wide, before Holland sent a free kick to the back post but it was just too high for Gray who was coming in at the back post.
A minute before half time though Holland grabbed the lead as Bailey Barnard sent a brilliant curling effort beyond Fowler from outside the box into the top corner, and although the hosts had been the better side, it was the visitors who went into the break a goal ahead.
Half Time Frenford 0 Holland 1
The visitors sent another long range effort curling towards the hosts goal early in the second period which had Fowler scrambling across his goal to save, although the ball may have been going wide anyway, before another good chance for the hosts saw a weak finish from Woodward after the ball had been cut back to him.
Moments later Frenford fired over from a decent position, before the visitors then saw an opening down the other end but ended up firing wide on the stretch, and then the visitors saw a close range effort brilliantly blocked by a sliding defender, before Frenford struck over the bar down the other end.
Holland then sent a couple of long range efforts over the bar, but with eighteen minutes remaining Frenford brought themselves level when Woodward, who had been a constant thorn in the visitors side all evening, laid a ball in for Villiers who sent a lovely curling effort beyond Hall and into the far corner.
The hosts fancied the win now and saw a scramble inside Holland’s box after keeper Hall had failed to claim a cross, although this was eventually cleared, and Holland then forced a decent stop from Fowler although the whistle had already gone for an infringement.
Frenford though almost took the lead but saw Hall beat away another effort, and then the hosts curled an effort towards goal, but Hall was right behind it to save fairly comfortably.
Holland then fired another long-range effort, this one from forty yards out, over the bar, and then a great through ball almost saw the visitors in, but Fowler came to the edge of the box to claim and thwart the visiting side.
Frenford then saw a near post flick saved by Hall, but from the resulting corner the hosts went in front with four minutes left as the corner saw Samways glance a header at goal which Hall got a hand too but could not keep it out and the hosts now had the advantage.
Three minutes later the hosts sealed the points and a deserved win when Alex Watson swivelled and fired an effort beyond Hall and into the corner of the net, and it means Frenford go into third ahead of the Saturday fixtures, whilst Holland drop to fourth.
Full Time Frenford 3 Holland 1
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