Powell's Perfect Start
By Matt Pitman
Monday 11th April 2005
VILL Powell enjoyed a dream Wessex
Stadium debut by scoring both Weymouth goals in their 2-1
win over Bognor Regis Town.
The loan striker fired a second half double as the Terras
leapfrogged their opponents in the Conference South table.
Powell, borrowed from champions Grays Athletic until the
end of the season, impressed with a performance full of brute
strength and power.
And it would have been even better for the former Retford
Town star, who notched more than 70 goals last season, had
keeper Craig Stoner not denied him a hat-trick in stoppage
time.
On the basis of this performance, Terras boss Garry Hill
must surely be hoping to lure Powell to Radipole Lane on a
longer term deal.
His double made it three wins from four league games under
Hill and settled what was a scrappy contest played in blustery
conditions.
Neither keeper had a great deal to do as both sides struggled
to get any fluent passing together.
In the end, the poaching ability of Powell proved the difference
as Bognor were left ruing the absence of injured top scorer
and former Terra Luke Nightingale.
Hill made a host of changes from his selection at Cambridge
City the previous weekend.
He recalled keeper Jason Matthews after suspension, while
Darren Wheeler, Brian Dutton and the excellent Simon Browne
were also given starts.
The quartet replaced Francisco Ramos, Charlie Welch and ill
pair Steve Clark and Charlie Macdonald.
Weymouth's hopes of reaching the play-offs are effectively
over and for 45 minutes it showed.
They struggled to create any clearcut openings during a dour
opening period in which Bognor lost skipper and former Yeovil
Town defender David Piper to injury early on.
Wheeler's volley was comfortably held by keeper Stoner, Shaun
Wilkinson saw a speculative shot loop over and good defending
by Jodey Rowland denied Kirk Jackson.
While that was as good as it got for the Terras, things were
not much better for the Rocks.
Ben Johnson wildly missed his kick after doing the hard work,
before the same played wasted Bognor's best chance on 34 minutes.
The nippy winger drifted in off the left flank, wriggled
his way past a posse of home defenders before screwing his
shot in keeper Jason Matthews's side netting.
While the half-time whistle probably could not come soon
enough for the home crowd, things really picked up after the
interval.
Any fans staying in the Wessex Stadium bar to watch the Grand
National, missed a frenetic 20 minutes following the restart
with the hosts piling on the pressure thanks to Wheeler's
galloping runs down the left.
And with Ian Hutchinson and Brian Dutton like workhorses
in the middle of the park, an opener looked increasingly likely.
It finally arrived on 51 minutes when Dutton linked well
with Browne who played an excellent ball into Powell.
The frontman twisted to roll marker Adam Mountfield before
tucking past Stoner from 12 yards.
The hosts should have sealed the points seconds after the
restart when Jackson's pinpoint cross found the unmarked Wheeler
who somehow volleyed over from close range.
And Bognor made the Terras pay for that miss by drawing level
on 56 minutes with virtually their first shot on target.
Matt Russell was allowed time and space to get on the end
of Dan Beck's, only to see Matthews push his header on to
the bar and away.
But the hosts failed to clear their lines and in the resulting
scramble, Browne was adjudged to have hauled down Darren Budd.
Referee Guy Beale awarded a penalty from which Kevin Murphy
netted, despite Matthews getting a hand on his effort.
Before Hill's arrival, Weymouth may well have folded after
that blow and gone on to defeat.
But they are made of sterner stuff these days under Hill
and just ten minutes after Murphy's strike, the hosts got
their noses in front once again.
The Bognor scorer was this time villain, wildly slicing Wheeler's
swirling cross from the left.
Keeper Stoner made a hash of the resulting high ball, allowing
the alert Powell to use his strength to bundle home from close
range.
Veteran Bognor boss Jack Pearce made a couple of chances
in a bid to salvage a point which they nearly did through
substitute Ben Watson's dipping volley.
With two goals to his name, Powell now sensed a hat-trick
and but for a linesman's flag he would have got on 75 minutes.
Bognor nearly snatched an undeserved draw on 89 minutes when
Guy Rutherford's shot broke invitingly for Budd but the defender
got his curler all wrong.
And with seconds left on the clock, it was that man Powell
who should have made it 3-1 and claimed the matchball.
A swift counter involving Hutchinson and Wheeler sent the
unmarked striker clean through, but his shot was blocked by
the legs of Stoner.
Weymouth : Jason Matthews,
Dave Waterman, Simon Browne, Matt Bound, Roy Q'Brien, Brian
Dutton, Shaun Wilkinson, lan Hutchinson, Kirk Jackson, ,Darren
Wheeler, Vill Powell.
Subs : Chukki Eribenne
(for Wilkinson) Ludovic Cadima, Bradley Thomas (for Jackson
83mins), Adam Wilde,
Francisco Ramos .
Bognor : Craig Stoner,
David Piper, Guy Rutherford, Darren Budd, Adam Mountfield,
Kevin Murphy, Matt Russell, Michael Birmingham, Dan Beck,
Jamie Howell, Ben Johnson.
Subs : Jodey Rowland
(for Piper 8mins), Ben Watson (for Johnson 62mins), Richard
Hudson (for Howell 80mins), Colin Hinwick.
Referee : Guy Beale (Taunton)
Bookings :
Weymouth : Dutton foul,
Bound foul
Bognor : Russell dissent,
Beck foul, Howell foul, Johnson dissent
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