Claridge strike relieves Terras
by Matt Pitman

17th November 2003

Cometh the hour, cometh Steve Claridge.

The Terras player-boss broke fierce Eastbourne Borough resistance after 60 minutes of a pulsating contest to keep Weymouth top of the Dr Martens Premier Division.

The striker's solitary effort settled what looked like being a frustrating afternoon for the hosts at the Wessex Stadium.

Despite hogging possession, the table-toppers could find no way through a packed and well disciplined Eastbourne defence.

But it could have been very different had the visitors shown more ambition after Terras substitute Simon Browne took over in goal after just ten minutes when keeper Jason Matthews suffered a head injury which needed 11 stitches.

As it was though, Browne hardly had a save to make and Weymouth were well worth their third league clean sheet on a row.

Claridge made a couple of changes from the side which saw off Merthyr a week earlier, with Yeovil midfielder Andy Lindegaard drafted in on loan and Lee Phillips replacing Scott Partridge up front.

The tone of the contest was set in the first few minutes as Weymouth stroked the ball around and found themselves camped in Eastbourne's half.

A well flighted Lee Russell free-kick from just inside the Eastbourne half found striker Phillips who crashed a towering header against the bar.

But the afternoon turned sour three minutes later when Simon Ullathorne fired a low drive at keeper Jason Matthews from close range.

The Terras gloveman failed to gather the ball cleanly and clashed with the on rushing Darren Baker.

With reserve keeper Paul Gadsby ruled out for personal reasons, Browne was forced to don the gloves after Matthews was taken to Weymouth and District Hospital for treatment.

But Browne had to wait 40 minutes before he handled the ball, with proceedings still pretty much all one way traffic.

Eastbourne's sole effort on target in the opening period came when Matt Smart combined with striker Scott Ramsay to release Steve Yates but he could only screw his shot past Browne's far post.

The only surprise before the interval was how the Terras did not go ahead.

Claridge's flick released Martin Barlow but the midfielder sent his drive straight at keeper Lee Hook, while an instant spin and shot from the dangerous Phillips warmed the hands of the visiting keeper.

Claridge couldn't latch on to Barlow slide rule pass moments later and then a blistering Philpott drive shaved the far post with Hook motionless.

Lindegaard, who took no time to settle, tried his luck moments before the interval but he couldn't direct his close range header goalwards.

The Sussex side started the second period slightly more positively and almost took the lead with Browne spilled a cross, under pressure by Scott Ramsay.

John Westcott's header looked goalbound but Lee Russell came to Weymouth's rescue by hooking away from under the home bar.

But the Terras continued to plug away and were eventually rewarded when the excellent Philpott's free-kick from the left was only half cleared to Phillips.

The Cornishman, whose link play with Claridge was a delight, fired a shot which was pushed out by Hook to the evergreen poacher who made no mistake.

The chances continued to arrive with a looping Claridge header going just wide moments later.

Weymouth almost made the game safe when a crashing Phillips header was cleared off the line by Westcott on 67 minutes.

Claridge's side pressed further in a bid to sew the game up and Lindegaard came mighty close to making it two with 20 minutes left.

Phillips fed Lindegaard wide on the right wing and the youngster then cut inside and let fly from 25 yards.

It looked a goal all the way but somehow Hook got a hand on it and pushed the ball on to the bar.

Any hopes Eastbourne may have had of getting back into it evaporated on 71 minutes when the excellent Baker was given his marching orders for two bookings for dissent in a matter of seconds.

With Weymouth holding just a one goal lead, things became a bit edgy in the closing minutes.

Borough's best chance to snatch an unlikely point came in stoppage time when Danny Simmonds wriggled free to fire a drive straight down the throat of a relieved Browne.