Never mind the quality, feel the points
by Steve Dadd & Pete Pavey

6th April 2003

This was a must win game for the Terras, and with the results coming in at full time indicating that teams below had won, a defeat would have plunged them further into the relegation mire.
 
The event itself was high on balls and low on quality as Phillips, Waldock, Robinson and Impey jumped off the physio’s couch and Boomerang Bailey made a welcome return.

On a warm, bright afternoon the Terras made the worse possible start when a suicidal header from Redwood fell well short of its intended target of Matthews. The Weymouth gloveman managed to force Abbott wide and then get a hand to his cross, but was helpless to stop Booth from firing home at the far post to put Welling one up with less than five minutes on the clock.
 
Weymouth responded immediately, Russell picked out Phillips a yard or so inside the Welling half, he controlled the ball well before rushing goalwards. The leggy O’Shea was turned by the gap toothed Cornishman and so resorted to the classic combination of boot and grab, however the strong Terras front man shrugged him off and still bore down on goal, O’Shea had another handful of Phillips laundry and gave him a shove for good measure as he entered the box, reaching the sanctuary of the area the Terras leading scorer finally stumbled and fell with the Welling defender still fondling the fabric.

Mr Edmonds pointed to the spot and awarded O’Shea a caution, although other officials might not have been so lenient.
 
Steve Tully stepped forward and absolutely crashed the ball into the roof of the net giving Knight no chance.
 
Welling had a chance to re take the lead with 19 minutes gone, a free kick on the edge of the area found the head of Russell Edwards at the far post, with the net beckoning he headed wide.
 
For those sitting in the stand a closer view of the ball was a bonus for the premium seats, whilst those in the Barbara Windsor stand had to shield their eyes from the bright sunlight as both sides enjoyed a round of keepy uppy.
 
Entertainment was thin on the ground and only the portly gait of the referee’s assistant kept the wags in the crowd amused, and, as time wore on, hope of another goal was evaporating as quickly as the water on the pitch.
 
Phillips and Jackson, ably assisted by Robinson, chased every ball lumped forward, and the easily irritated visitors back line needed a few yellow cards to calm their enthusiasm for scalps. Phillips had a scorcher of a shot just before the break, flying off the leg of O’Shea and into the crowd.               Mr. Edmonds awarded a goal kick much to the annoyance of the behind the goal faithful.
 
So at half time the score was:
 
Weymouth 1 Welling 1
 
Michael Sajic replaced Simon Browne for the second half, and from the off the Terras started well with Tully as hot as the sun. His 46 minute cross from the right found the levitating head of Jackson who headed well wide of the mark. Two minutes later that man Tully, with his head looking a lot better, was set up for arguably the best move of the game. Bailey won the ball in midfield, he pushed it to Tully, his scorching run ended with a pass into the box to Jackson. Standing strong, he held the ball, then returned it to Tully who smacked it with venom, beating Knight and shaving the face of the bar.

The Terras took the lead on 54 minutes, Tully’s corner from the left found Jackson whose text book downward header had Knight scrambling in the sand.
 
The hosts took their foot off the gas and resorted to lumping it forward, whilst Welling took the opportunity to search for an equaliser, although, to be fair, Impey and Waldock unceremoniously dealt with any incursion from the nippy front men of Kent.
 

Matthews did spill a Paul Booth header and, as he closed in to shoot home, Robinson cleared off the line with 67 gone
 
But as the clock ground down manager Geoff Butler’s injury problems went into full throttle. Firstly Jackson (hamstring) was replaced by Lamb then Phillips (hamstring) was replaced by Green, although not before he had a tremendous effort crash over the bar after Robinson had tee’d him up.