Weymouth and Poole both bounced back from disappointing weekend defeats with crucial home wins on Tuesday night.
Weymouth had been knocked off top spot on Monday night by Corby Town, so they went into a difficult looking home game against St Neots Town needing to get back on track.
A cold and blustery evening meant it was never going to be a classic, and so it proved. Weymouth were limited to shots from range in a tight first half, though they were looking much more solid defensively.
News filtered through at half time that promotion rivals Poole Town had raced into a 3-0 lead at home to Chippenham, so now the pressure was all on the Terras to make a breakthrough.
The second half was just as tight and nervy as the first half. Weymouth continued to probe but the visitors were a constant threat on the counter, and they were using the long throw at every opportunity.
Lewis Hilliard forced Jason Matthews into a sharp save down to his left, before the Weymouth keeper superbly tipped an effort from Drew Roberts wide of the post minutes later.
And having done his bit to keep his side level, the player manager was celebrating on 68 minutes when he saw his side take a crucial lead, and who else but Stewart Yetton would be the man to score the crucial goal?
A well worked throw in saw the ball played to Adam Kelly who put in a cross which was simply undefendable. It just evaded the head of Tim Sills, but the poacher Yetton was once again in the right place at the right time. The ball fell to him inside the six yard box, and he showed superb compusure to fire home from close range to spark wild celebrations among the home fans.
Just moments later, Matthews again had to be at his best to deny the visitors, when Lorenzo Ferrari ran at the defence from midfield and unleashed a powerfull drive which was heading for the top corner, but Matthews made another stunning save to preserve the clean sheet.
Weymouth should have wrapped it up ten minutes from time when they were awarded a penalty for a trip on Adam Kelly. But Yetton struck quite possibly the worst penalty I’ve ever seen. Bastock dived early and the Terras captain simply rolled it into his gratefull arms, before being subbed off. In truth the shot was so poor Bastock would have had time to get up and walk across before picking the ball up had he dived the wrong way!
Not one of Yetton’s prouder moments, but in fairness he did look dead on his feet when he walked up to take it, and thankfully it didn’t come back to haunt him.
Despite a late bombardment of long balls from the visitors, the defence stood firm, and Weymouth held on to secure a vital 3 points which takes them back to the top of the table, still a point clear of Poole Town.
It was a much improved performance from Weymouth. The defence was faultless all night, and Jason Matthews put in possibly his best performance of the season. Defensively the Terras haven’t always been sound this season, certainly not compared to title rivals Poole Town, but the clean sheet, and the manner in which they dug in to claim 3 points will give everyone at the club a boost.
A word also for Saints goalkeeper Paul Bastock, who at the ripe old age of 44 continues to prove himself as one of the best goalkeepers around at this level. Tuesday night’s game was actually his 1000th match, which is an incredible achievement at any level. Congratulations to him.
The Terras can’t afford to rest on their laurels. On Saturday they welcome midtable Chippenham Town to the Bob Lucas Stadium for what will be another tough game. Games against the Bluebirds are always tight affairs, and they will come down here with a point to prove after Poole dismantled them so easily in the opening twenty minutes on Tuesday night.
The two sides met at Hardenhuish Park back in September, with the Terras coming out on top 3-2 in a fiesty affair, and they’ll be hoping for a repeat performance on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Poole Town face a difficult looking trip to Slough Town. The rebels comfortably beat Weymouth 3-0 last weekend before only managing a draw athome to bottom club Burnham on Tuesday night, so it’s fair to say consistency is an issue for them. They seem to do well against the top sides but drop points against the bottom sides.
Weymouth will be hoping that trend continues on Saturday, but the Dolphins will go there in good spirits after their excellent win on Tuesday night. It was the first time since October that they’d scored more than one goal in a league game, so they’ll be hoping the strikers have finally found some form in front of goal.
At the other end of the table, a rejuvenated Dorchester Town face a tough trip to 5th placed Truro City. There’s no doubt the Magpies go there as underdogs, but the whole club was given a massive boost with last weekend’s win and the appointment of Mark Jermyn, who’ll take charge of the Magpies for the first time tomorrow.
All three sides face tough matches this weekend, and all three continue to fight for every single point for totally different reasons. The pressure is really building now at both ends of the table.
James Spring
