The Wessex Derby: Jägerbombs, flares and flashes of brilliance.

Words: Andy Stone

Images: Martin Pearce

Supporting images and video: Andy Stone

Just seven miles separate Westbury United and Frome Town. The maps say Westbury is in West Wiltshire and Frome in East Somerset but this is a derby of the ancient Anglo Saxon kingdom of Wessex.

Both play in the Southern League Division One South and are renewing the rivalry after Westbury United got promoted a couple of seasons back.

A pint at the Railway Inn meant meeting up with the Frome Town travelling supporters “The Dodge Ultras” to soak up the pre-match atmosphere.

Frome was considered a little rough around the edges shall we say and referred to as “Dodge City” so their fans took it as a badge of honour.

The travelling fans sink pint after pint with the occasional Jägerbomb thrown in for good measure to the chants echoing around the pub of “we are the Dodge; we are the Dodge” as the anticipation begins to build for what the derby might serve up.

It’s 35 minutes before kick-off and the shout is made by one of the leading supporters, “lets go” and everyone empties out as a further 20-30 Frome Town supporters walk down the main road singing and chanting songs about the club and its players as they make the approach to the pub to meet up with the rest of “The Dodge Ultras”.

Flags are unveiled and a red flare is set off and you can see they are ready; they have arrived and its time to make the walk to Meadow Lane.

©Andy Stone/ Terrace Edition. Frome Town at Westbury United.

With numbers now of around 50-60 “The Dodge Ultras” begin their march to the stadium, walking the same route used in the filming of Green Street apparently, and the scenes on show tonight would not have been out of place in the movie.

Everyone is dressed in dark clothing and there are Stone Island badges and Aquascutum scarves galore on show before the streets are lit up as one of the supporters lets off a flare and cries of “we are the Dodge” bellow out through the residential streets of Westbury

As we turn the corner you can see the floodlights in the distance, we are here, the other Meadow Lane and the home of Westbury United, step four of non-League.

You can see through the gaps in the fence that there are already good numbers in the ground with ten minutes till kick off.

Into the ground now and I this is where I leave the travelling fans to pitch up behind the goal at the top end of the stadium.

The pitch is soft under foot due to the barrage of poor weather we have been having recently, but makes perfect conditions for a grudge match

The good old-fashioned traditional coin toss and choice of ends is done, the match official blows his whistle and local hostilities are renewed.

Minutes in and “The Dodge Ultras” make themselves heard and seen as four more flares go off inside the ground behind the goal where they have all congregated.

This really is some atmosphere for a non-League game at this level. Frome had the first chance with an effort cleared off the line by Westbury which bought huge noise again from the travelling support but little did they know, this was all about to change.

WESTBURY IN FRONT: The home side go a goal up from a short corner where the immaculately named Harvey Flippance tucks in a low shot into the bottom corner and runs off celebrating, cupping his ears to the Frome Town fans as they watch their side go a goal behind.

There are tackles and half-chances for both sides with yellows apiece but then Westbury man Jasper Jones hits a volley from inside the box that loops over the Frome keeper and into the top corner to make it 2-0 to the hosts.

It feels like moments after struggling my way through the decent 783 crowd at half-time that Frome decide to make things interesting as John Davies notches from close range to make it 2-1 after the restart.

Derbies like this are settled by moments and Westbury could and should have made it 3-1 and goodnight Dodge when Callum Demkiv made a run into the box but was denied by Frome Town keeper  Phillips.

Then, with ten minutes plus stoppage time on the watch, Westbury’s Sean Keet was shown his marching orders for two yellow cards, which almost lit up the Frome fans flares for them.

©Martin Pearce. Westbury United vs Frome Town.

Some moments are slow motion and some are fast forward and the end to the game was a blur as Sam Meeks found space in the back-line for Frome and drew them level at the death but the game wasn’t done.

A stoppage time free-kick some 25 yards out, brought that Roy Of The Rovers and Paul Gascoigne Wembley long-range moment rolled into one.

You could almost hear Barry Davies asking if he was going to have a crack as John Davies stepped up and sent an unstoppable free-kick into the top corner.

Some Frome fans were on the pitch before the ball had hit the net it seemed, the flares lit up again like it was a World Cup win instead of the Wessex Derby.

From 2-0 to 3-2 , the comeback is officially complete and Davies is carried around on the shoulders of The Dodge Ultras.

I very quickly make my way to the away dressing room in hope of catching some celebrations from the Frome Town players and staff, where I end up being bundled in there by some of the travelling fans who want to join in with the party, water bottles being splashed around, arms in the air and players dancing with the fans.

The celebrations show that winning the Wessex Derby means something in this part of the country.

For the victorious away fans, it’s time to get back to Dodge.