Weymouth have fallen out of the top five for the first time since September after they crashed to a 3-0 defeat at second bottom Banbury United on Saturday
The Terras went into the match knowing it was a must win game, but there was little optimism among the fans who’d seen their side win only once on the road since the turn of the year.
It was a tight and nervy first half, with captain Stewart Yetton having the Terras best chance when he got in front of the defender and headed the ball narrowly over the bar.
Chris Shephard tested keeper Leigh Bedwell from the edge of the box, but in truth the game was in need of some sort of spark.
Then right on the stroke of half time, disaster struck, as United took the lead.
Brilliant work on the wing from Kynan Isaac saw him beat two defenders before pulling the ball back for Daffern, and he laid to ball off to Tappin who stroked the ball home to give the hosts a lead.
Weymouth tried to force a response early in the second half – both Steve Colwell and George Rigg tested Bedwell, before Darius Browne spurned a great opportunity to double the Puritans’ lead when he blasted over the crossbar from a couple of yards out.
And it looked like that missed opportunity might come back to haunt Banbury when Weymouth were given a golden chance to get back into the game.
Adam Kelly was fouled in the box, and he picked himself up to take the resulting spot kick.
But apparently thinking he was playing a 5-a-side game, Kelly simply scuffed his effort tamely into the grateful arms of Bedwell.
Weymouth’s misery was then compounded minutes later as they fell two goals down, when Ashley Wells misjudged a cross and failed to clear his lines, and it allowed Howards to score from close range – leaving Weymouth in utter despair.
That was the queue for many travelling fans to head for the exits, whilst those who stayed completely turned on the side.
Another thoroughly miserable away trip was rounded off two minutes from time, when Jordan Copp hauled down his man in the box and received Weymouth’s umpteenth red card of the season.
Walcott showed Kelly how it’s done – calmly slotting the ball home to give Banbury a rare home win, and some hope they could pull off the great escape.
Weymouth on the other hand are left in utter despair. And St Neots Town’s draw at Dorchester means they move into the play-offs above Weymouth by virtue of their far superior goal difference.
In an entertaining game at the Avenue, Dan Smith gave Dorchester the lead just past the hour mark, but it was cancelled out just five minutes later by Tom Ward.
Both sides would probably have left feeling pretty pleased with the draw. The point apiece means Dorchester are now safe from relegation, and St Neots are into the play-offs.
Mark Jermyn deserves immense credit for the job he’s done in resurrecting the Magpies’ season, and now the county town club are safe from the drop, they can begin to build for next season, and they’ll hope to be making a fist of things at the opposite end of the table.
Meanwhile just along the coast, Poole Town closed the gap on league leaders Corby to four points, but they had to settle for a point after a 2-2 draw at home to Hitchin Town.
In another entertaining game, it was the visitors who drew first blood just six minutes in, when Dan Webb fired home unmarked from a corner.
Having lost their last three games on the bounce it would have been easy for the Dolphins to fold after such an early setback, and they were frustrated for much of the first half.
But out of absolutely nothing they grabbed the equaliser right on the stroke of half time, when Richard Gillespie received the ball in the box, before turning and firing across goal into the far corner. A crucial goal at a crucial time.
They completed the turnaround twelve minutes into the second half when Will Spetch smashed the ball home off the crossbar from close range following some great work down the wing from Luke Burbridge.
But the lead was short lived, as Ian Rees rifled the ball into the top corner following some neat build up play to earn the visitors a deserved point.
The draw was certainly a fair result, and whilst the hosts were dissapointed at dropping another two points, it could yet prove a crucial point with Corby going down to a late penalty at Truro City.
Truro’s win though moves them right into title contention. They’re only a point behind Poole, but crucially the Dolphins still have two games in hand – one of which is at home to Banbury United on Tuesday night.
Banbury are fighting for points for different reasons, and are just starting to find some form, but Poole know a win would move them back to within a point of the league leaders, so it promises to be a nervy evening at Tatnam.
Weymouth and Dorchester Town will also meet for the fourth time this season on Tuesday night when they contest the final of the Dorset Senior Cup at the Bob Lucas Stadium.
The Terras have won all three previous meetings between the two sides this season, but since their last meeting on Boxing Day the tables have turned dramatically.
Weymouth have suffered a catastrophic collapse, whilst the Magpies have been revitalised under Jermyn, and they’ll be keen to heap more misery on their neighbours.
With nothing else to play for, one would imagine Dorchester will field a strong side, but with a must win league game coming up against Corby on Saturday, it’ll be interesting to see what sort of team Weymouth field.
They’ll want to save their best players, but then, none of them have done much to warrant being “rested” or “saved” over the last few months.
James Spring
