**PERRIN RANGERS 2-3 FROLESWORTH UNITED**
JAKE Pantony returned to the Frolesworth fold to open the scoring with a second minute penalty, before volleying home a superb winner 10 minutes from time to give The Rabbits a huge win over promotion-chasing Perrin Rangers and exercise the demons of their F.A Intermediate Cup Quarter-Final exit in the process.
Rangers thwarted United’s promising cup run with a 2-0 victory at St. Oswald’s Road back in January, but Ben Harris’ side restored some pride after a goalless draw at Hall Park with just 10-men at the end of March.
And they certainly got their revenge on Sunday morning, when the outstanding Pantony turned and volleyed home an 80th minute winner from Mark James’ long-throw to ensure Frolesworth reached the magic 20-point target that they were set at the beginning of the season.
The Clarets travelled to New Parks off the back of a 4-0 thumping at the hands of bottom-side AFC Hurricanes on Friday evening and were without the services of youngsters Josh Peel, Jack Sutherland, Tom Stokes and Miles Splevings.
Joe Cook was still sidelined after he was withdrawn after just 10 minutes on Friday and with Sam Young also absent the mantle up front was handed to Jack Boulton, the scorer of Frolesworth’s late winner at Horse last Sunday.
Captain Mark Baker opted for a 4-5-1 formation in the absence of managerial duo Harris and Jordan Halford, who would both miss kick off, employing Martin Finnigan at left-back, with James alongside himself and Matt Pell.
Steven Bottom returned in conjunction with Martin Fennon and they were joined in the middle by the industrious Eddie Glaister with chairman Josh Baines on the left and Pantony, usually employed behind the striker, got his wish to play on the right.
But it was indeed the little magician that gave the visitors the perfect start after just two minutes, when he exchanged passes with Fennon and was then hauled down inside the penalty area.
Referee Luke Gardener had no hesitations in pointing to the spot and the number 8 duly obliged, confidently dispatching his 12th goal of the season to give United a precious lead.
Harris and Halford arrived to hear the good news, but it could and certainly should have been much better in the 16th minute when the roles were reversed and it was Fennon this time that had a goal wrongly ruled out.
Pantony slotted the onrushing Fennon through on goal and he effortlessly rounded the keeper before applying the finish, but in contentious circumstances the goal was ruled out after Boulton was returning from an offside position.
It was the second time inside a week that The Rabbits had been on the receiving end of a poor decision from the officials, but understandably they would feel more aggrieved less than 60 seconds later.
From the ensuing free-kick, opposing striker Mark Graham nodded the ball down and Finnigan was powerless to stop in reaching his team-mate, and a powerful drive squirmed beneath Luke Evans into the net.
The Country Boys picked themselves up though and bravely responded, but it would be Fennon again that would be cursing his luck after he galloped his way into the area before being hacked down once more.
Frolesworth’s protest fell on deaf ears, however, two penalties away in New Parks seemingly and unsurprisingly too much to ask.
Perrin responded themselves, applying a smattering of pressure on the visitors’ penalty area but valiantly marshalled by skipper Baker and his giant goalkeeper Evans behind him, United reached half-time relatively unscathed.
They would, however, fall a goal behind shortly after the restart when another high ball into the area, this time from a corner caused chaos. United initially dealt with the set-piece, but failed to comprehensively clear the danger and following a mass goalmouth scramble, Evans was left frustrated to pick the ball out of his net for a second time.
But incredibly, Frolesworth would respond just before the hour, when another Harris masterstroke paid dividends. Pantony, who had remained relatively anonymous exiled on the right, swapped with Glaister and the pair immediately combined to haul United level.
The former slipped the ball behind the Rangers left-back, who had no answer to Glaister’s blistering pace and he confidently tucked the bouncing ball into the far corner to give the visitors a much-deserved equaliser.
But they weren’t content to sit back and hold on for a point, as the tireless Bottom and second-half substitute Swanwick grafted constantly to close down the home side and provide a platform for Pantony to really display his attacking flair.
Frolesworth could have even grabbed a third a minute later, as Fennon ripped his marker apart and delivered a teasing cross to the back-post, which Glaister couldn’t divert goalwards. Pantony then breached the static defence from Evans’ routine goal-kick, and ignoring a baffling raised flag on the far side, his distractions meant he could only fire weakly at the goalkeeper.
But he would more than make up for his miss ten minutes from time, when Boulton flicked on James’ mammoth throw-in and Pantony chested the ball down, before swivelling to fire an unstoppable volley past the helpless goalkeeper.
United threw away two points in this position against Horse earlier in the season, but they were determined to show they had learnt from that mistake and killed the game off expertly as the home side soon began to turn vicious.
Goalkeeper Evans was flattened, before firstly the match-winning Pantony and goalscorer Glaister were also pole-axed. But The Clarets kept their cool and held on for a sublime victory, meaning they have now won two of their last three away matches heading into next week’s finale against Glen Parva.
A 4-0 decimation away at the hands of Division Two-bound AFC Hurricanes on Friday evening, to a battling and deserved 3-2 victory away at promotion-chasing Perrin Rangers on Sunday morning, what a difference a day makes.
FROLESWORTH: EVANS 9, PELL 9, JAMES 9, BAKER (c) 9, FINNIGAN 8, BOTTOM 8, FENNON 9, GLAISTER 9, PANTONY 10, (MOM), BAINES 8, BOULTON 9.
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