FRAMPTON UNITED are now four points clear of rivals Sharpness at the top of the County League table after a 2-0 victory over their title rivals.

With the rest of the County League fixtures falling foul of Storm Jorge, this tie was only staged by switching the game to Frampton.

An opportunistic second-half goal from Dan Martin and a Jack Bartman header was enough for Josh Loveridge’s Frampton to take the points. Tom Paterson’s Sharpness were left to rue a missed penalty before the break.

Frampton started brightly - Bartman seeing his shot cleared off the line.

Dan Hobbs saved Sharpness with a decent stop to deny Manolo Espada. The resulting corner saw Fin Blythe’s delivery headed over the bar by Nathan Dennis from eight yards.

On 18 minutes Frampton won another corner, but the delivery from Espada was poor and gave Sharpness the chance to break up field, but Fin Small failed to get the better of Jack Bartman in the final third.

A 30-yard shot from Frampton’s Dennis was deflected to Bartman, but his 25-yard effort was well saved by Hobbs.

On thirty-four minutes a cross from James Piateck saw an ambitious overhead kick from Bartman fly several yards wide. An equally ambitious shot from Craig Mills from 40 yards failed to test the keeper.

In the 40th- minute Frampton’s Mills gave away a penalty which was taken by Dan Gayner, but his shot was poor and Frampton keeper Aaron Taylor saved well. Just before the break, with Sharpness on the attack, Small got behind the Frampton defence only to see his cross-roll right across the face of the goal with Brad Hewer unable to make any contact.

The second-half kicked off in bright sunshine lifting everyone, including the 196 spectators at the game.

The deadlock was broken in the 53rd minutes when Martin went on a fantastic run weaving past three Sharpness defenders and nutmegging one in the process before calmly slotting the ball through the legs of Hobbs to put Frampton 1-0 up.

Frampton made it 2-0 in the 61st-minute. Espada’s corner was dispatched into the net with a powerful header from Bartman.

Sharpness had a very good chance to pull a goal back when a cross into the box fell to Alex Gayner but he dragged his shot wide.

With 10 minutes to go Sharpness spurned another opportunity when Jack Higgs nodded into the arms of Taylor.