Solid start for new look Terras
by David Swain

Monday 12 July 2004

WEYMOUTH 0 AFC BOURNEMOUTH 3 STEVE Claridge predicts that defending will be the Terras strong point this season - even though his new collection of non-League journeymen suffered a three-goal reverse in their opening friendly at the Wessex Stadium on Saturday.

"Three-nil was very harsh," said Claridge whose side trailed to a first half goal by Cherries Hungarian trialist David Disztil and should have levelled from a dubious penalty award in the 75th minute before two late goals in a minute from Alan Connell flattered Sean O'Driscoll's side.

"I was really, really pleased," said Claridge. "That was a good footballing side we played against and for an hour we matched them.

"Everybody out there didn't do themselves any harm. It was a good work-out and they are a good side to play against pre-season because they make you work."

Claridge, who began the match with an entirely new back four - three new signings and former Torquay defender Paul Gibbs who is on trial - said they had now brought "real quality" to the club.

"Our defence was probably our weakest area last year but it will more than likely be the strongest one this year so obviously I am pleased about that because we have some good players in their and I thought it was super performance all around.

"It's nice to be a manager and to get what you expect out of players and we did that today and hopefully we will get that more often than not."

He said talk about having to wait for new players to gel was a myth.

"If you set players up properly and the balance and shape of your side is right and they are good players they will play well together," he added.

Bustling former Brentford striker Stephen Hughes played the first half for the Terras and Claridge, who stayed on the sidelines throughout the match, said he would be having another look at both him and Gibbs in the other friendlies and planned to get in "another one or two" new signings before the season kicked-off.

Lee Phillips was easily Weymouth's outstanding player, even though newcomer Lee Charles clearly caught the sponsors' eye, and only pressure from Neil Young forced him to shoot high and wide as he burst into the box early on.

But after that Cherries goalkeeper Neil Moss had a comfortable time as Cherries slick football carved out chances for Danny Rodrigues who first chipped over and then saw Jason Matthews swoop to his left to get a hand to his shot after the Terras attempt to play the offside trap came unstuck.

Weymouth-born teenager James Coutts had Matthews diving to his right to pull off a great save, but the goalkeeper could do nothing to stop Disztil blasting into the roof of the net after Weymouth's new central defender Dave Waterman had blocked a Rodrigues close range effort on the goal-line.

Chukki Eribenne came on to face his former Cherries colleagues after the break and Claridge soon made another five changes. It was Phillips who went close to an equaliser when he fired against the outside of the post from an acute angle and almost immediately he had an easier chance to make it 1-1.

Shaun Maher lunged recklessly at Eribenne's feet a couple of yards outside the area and the big man's momentum carried him sprawling into the box. Referee Roger East saw it as a spot-kick however, and justice was done when Cherries young second half substitute keeper Kevin Scriven went full length to his left to keep out Phillips' well-struck penalty.

That took the wind out of the Terras sails and four minutes later Connell crisply volleyed in James Hayer's right wing cross before controlling Warren Cummings ball in from the opposite flank, neatly shaking off Nathan Bunce and hammering a tremendous shot past Matthews from just inside the area.

Weymouth: Matthews, Hooper, Gibbs, Bunce, Waterman, Wilkinson, Barlow, Charles, Hughes, Wilde, Phillips. Second half subs: Eribenne, Pethick, Browne, Tully, Hutchinson, Barandiaran.

A bumper crowd of 1,725 with an estimated 500 from Bournemouth, took everyone by surprise - and so did a police decision to stop the usual practice of parking on verges near the stadium.

As a result there was chaos in the car park just before kick-off with many fans queuing to get in only to find there wasn't a space to be found. Eventually they had to turn around and seek a parking spot on the nearby Granby Estate.