Match Report by Liam Drury
A late goal from Brandon Bak saw a youthful Weston side win the Somerset Premier Cup for the fifth time in their history by beating Frome Town 1 – 0 at Twerton Park.
Max Harris was the only starter left from the most recent league victory while U19 players Zak Kempster, Jack Harding, Louis Singfield and Josh Oliver were also named in the starting lineup. The bench was made up of academy players including U16 centre-back Faith Ikpeama, and Head of Academy Gary Warren.
Frome started the brighter with James Ollis being denied by the feet of Harris early on, before Ethan Vaughan saw a downward header tipped aside at the back post following Ollis’ deep cross. The ball then struck the top of the crossbar down the other end when a Bailey Kempster header following a loose ball spun off of a Frome foot and struck the top of Seb Tylek’s woodwork to concede a corner.
Pierce Mitchell glanced a Joe O’Loughlin cross over following a short corner, before Eliot Dugan was denied the opening goal of the match when he was adjudged to be offside after forcing home an Ollie knock-down from yards out.
Alex Monks hooked a long throw from Warren Maidment straight into the arms of Harris, before Dugan nodded wide at the back post when he rose to attack a cross from Frome’s right-hand side.
Half-Time: Frome Town 0 – 0 Weston-super-Mare AFC
Ollis also had the first chance of the second period, his left-footed strike from 18 yards after reaching a long clearance straight into the gloves of Harris. Jamie Soule then went close for the Seagulls, his shot at Tylek’s near post following a James Waite backheel kept out by the Robins shot-stopper. From Bailey Kempster’s resulting corner, the ball dropped towards Pedro Borges whose low volley was pushed away by Tylek.
Frome substitute Albie Hopkins drove straight at Harris from 25 yards with one of his first touches, before Waite went close down the other end when he beat his man 20 yards out but could only find the palms of Tylek.
The Seagulls took the lead in the 76th minute through some superb forward play. A combination of Bak and Waite worked the ball into Soule down the left, who charged towards the area and beat his man only to see his shot kept out. The ball fell for Bailey Kempster, who fed the ball back into the box first-time for Bak. Bringing the ball under control and holding off his man, he turned inside the area and drove a powerful shot across goal into the corner for his fifth goal in this competition this campaign.
With Frome now pushing men forward in search of an equaliser, the Seagulls defended resolutely to try and hold their opponents at bay. Harris pushed a shot round the post from substitute Archie Ferris, before Ollis headed a Sam Teale cross wide of the target. Teale then blazed over from six yards against his former club after being set up by O’Loughlin, before another former Weston player Rex Mannings drove over from 25 yards.
Not long after, the referee blew his whistle to crown Weston the champions of Somerset for the first time since 2019, and attention now turns to this weekend’s tough match against Maidstone United at The Optima Stadium.
Full-Time: Frome Town 0 – 1 Weston-super-Mare AFC (Bak 76)
Weston XI: Harris, Zak Kempster (Lawrence 72) Bailey Kempster, Harding, Jenkins, Singfield, Oliver, Borges (Lynden 80), Bak, Waite (C), Soule.
Unused substitutes: Pashley, Milne, Ayers, Warren, Ikpeama.
Attendance: 422.
MOTM: Louis Singfield. A rock at the heart of the Weston defence, putting his body on the line during multiple occasions and composed while in possession to help build performances.
