**FROLESWORTH UNITED 4-3 GLEN PARVA**
JOE COOK’S superb 87th minute winner spared Frolesworth blushes and gave United their third successive win after a dramatic second-half collapse saw Glen Parva incredibly come back from three goals down.
Jack Boulton returned to the side to give the hosts the lead after just nine minutes and Luke Pontin doubled the Rabbits’ advantage just seven minutes later to cap a wonderful start for Ben Harris’ side.
Greg Garner then notched his third in just 83 minutes of football since returning from Luton last weekend just before the interval, but the Rabbits completely capitulated in the second period as the visitors hit back just 10 minutes after the restart. Captain Mark Baker then put through his own net in the 75th minute, and a goal directly from a corner just four minutes later completely stunned the Warren to silence.
And Harris would have been forgiven for thinking that his side had let a precious two points slip away until Cook burst through just three minutes from time to fire home an unlikely winner and send Hall Park into delirium.
Manager Harris had a paucity of options available unto him last weekend as he had to completely axe two players from his match day squad. However, he was bereft of such luxuries this time out as he was only able to name one substitute, Chairman Josh Baines.
Jack Boulton replaced Daniel Herring, who had returned to Plymouth, at centre-half and he immediately rewarded his manger with a goal and Martin Finnigan replaced the injured Matt Rains at left-back to complete a much more familiar-looking back-four.
Youngsters Greg Garner and Miles Splevings both returned to the starting XI after impressing off the bench in last week’s 7-1 rout of struggling Leicester Academicals, which meant that Cook was employed in the hole behind the pacy Pontin.
And Harris’ team selection paid dividends as Frolesworth took a deserved early lead through an unlikely source. Splevings’ free-kick only found Pontin, but the front-man turned superbly on the edge of the box and fizzed a low cross across the goalmouth for an unmarked Boulton to gleefully tap home his first goal of the campaign.
Pontin himself then doubled the hosts’ advantage just seven minutes later, latching onto Baker’s incisive long ball before prodding home past the advancing keeper to give Frolesworth a dream start.
However, Parva were the architects of their own downfall for Frolesworth’s third just before the break as Garner, who had been quiet by his own admission exiled on the right, gambled on a short back-pass before effortlessly rounding the keeper and squeezing the ball home off the crossbar with his weaker foot.
In spite of a fantastic opening 45 minutes for his side, Harris warned against complacency amidst swirling winds at the break, but it appeared that his words of wisdom had no affect as a rejuvenated Parva hit back just 10 minutes after the restart.
Matt Errington had been kept quiet during the opening exchanges, but he had to be alert to thwart Polish striker Lukasz Tabaka as he raced off his line and bravely dived at his feet. It was a sign of things to come too, and United were dealt a massive blow when Pontin picked up a groin strain and was replaced by Baines, with Splevings moving into the lone-striker role.
And chairman Baines couldn’t prevent a cross from the right reaching the far post in the 55th minute as a vicious drive flew past the despairing Mark James and in at Errington’s near post, who was rooted to the spot.
Errington then again made another superb save, before James blocked the follow-up with a sprawling challenge. Frolesworth were now under the cosh and couldn’t get out of their own half and they had another reprieve as a looping Parva corner thumped the post and Finnigan somehow managed to scramble it to safety.
It looked as though United were going to weather the storm, but with 15 minutes to play the visitors reduced the arrears. There was nothing the helpless Errington could do about this one either, as another cross from the right-hand side was headed into his own net by the skipper, Baker.
And the Clarets simply couldn’t turn the tide, as the comeback was complete just four minutes later when another corner was caught in the swirling winds, and agonizingly dropped straight in at the far post.
This was proper Sunday League stuff.
With Jordan Halford the only member of the coaching staff in the technical area, he made a tactical change in with just five minutes to play, moving Splevings to the right and leaving the exhausted Cook up front on his own in attempt to prevent the opposing full-backs pressing forward.
But incredibly, the change worked wonders and there was one final twist in the tale as Cook latched on to Baker’s thump forward, before shrugging off the defender and smashing the ball home off the upright with his left-foot.
FROLESWORTH: ERRINGTON 7, JAMES 8, BAKER 7, BOULTON 7, FINNIGAN 7, EVANS 8, PANTONY 8, SPLEVINGS 7, GARNER 7, COOK 8 (MOM), PONTIN 7. SUBS: BAINES 6.
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