**GLEN PARVA 1-0 FROLESWORTH UNITED**
FROLESWORTH United were left lovesick on Valentine’s Day as they were sent to their third successive defeat at the hands of high-flying Glen Parva.
The Rabbits were left to rue a string of missed chances as Polish striker Lukasz Tabaka struck the only goal of the game midway through the first half to break Frolesworth hearts.
Manager Ben Harris returned to take the reins after last week’s 4-1 home defeat against Cleansing Services and he was without midfield magician Jake Pantony for only the second time this season.
Matt Errington made his bow between the posts and became United’s fifth choice goalkeeper of the campaign, whilst Matt Pell returned to the right-back spot after his omission last week. Josh Peel was partnered with stalwart Jack Boulton in the centre of defence, with Jack Rudman completing the back four.
Harris opted for an attacking policy, naming a four-man midfield, which saw the return of tricky winger Greg Garner and enabling youngster Miles Splevings to partner the returning top scorer Joe Cook up top.
Harris’ decision was vindicated with the visitors fastest out of the traps and they were unfortunate not to take the lead with the first chance of the game. Cook escaped the attentions of his marker and raced towards goal, but with both the dashing Rudman and Splevings in support, he could only poke the ball into the side netting.
There was certainly no love lost between the two sides and Pell picked up his first caution of the season for a wild hack at Tabaka, before Rudman joined him in the referee’s notebook with a thunderous lunge on the far side.
But the robust approach from the Rabbits was matched with some more slick passing, which resulted in Splevings missing a gilt-edged chance just shy of the half hour.
Neat build-up on the right from captain Craig Rowbottom and Garner sliced the host’s defence apart, but the teenage prodigy could only snatch wide on the spin from barely six yards.
It was the turn of Cook to be denied again moments later, as his effort struck the outstretched leg of the hosts’ plump goalkeeper and with Frolesworth in the ascendancy, Parva predictably struck with a sucker punch on the counter attack.
The division’s second placed side caught United napping with a long ball, which Tabaka raced onto and comfortably slotted past advancing keeper Errington, whose first job of the afternoon was to pick the ball up from his goal.
Harris opted to reshuffle the pack at the break in spite of his side’s dominance, moving Cook into the midfield alongside Steven Bottom and Rowbottom and leaving the pacy Splevings to occupy Parva’s defence on his own.
But Frolesworth continued in the same vein at the start of the second period, with young Splevings continuing to torment the hosts.
He set off on the gallop just past the hour mark and drove at the heart of the defence, forcing the home keeper into another smothering save at his near post before Martin Finnigan somehow sliced the rebound wide with goal at his mercy.
The visitor’s tails were up and they could smell blood, but for all of their hard graft they just couldn’t find a way through.
Rowbottom tried his luck from distance, before Peel flashed a free-kick just wide of the upright after a surging run from Cook, meanwhile at the other end, Errington had to be at full stretch to keep his side’s hopes of salvaging a point alive.
Harris turned his hand to Jordan Halford with five minutes to play, but the striker failed to have any impact on the game as he continues his recovery from injury, despite Splevings’ closing down resulting in the hosts surviving a late scare.
So for all of Frolesworth’s want and endeavour, they come away from Dorothy Avenue with nothing to show for their efforts and having breached the net just once so far in 2010.
But with the FA reimbursing the Clarets with four points and a sterling away performance today, they rise to 8th in the table and have proven they are up for the fight at the wrong end of the table.
http://www.teamstats.net/frolesworthunitedfc/
http://twitter.com/FEAR_FUFC
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=78446830679&ref=ts
For Every Man A Religion.
The People's Club.
F.U.F.C
