Claridge
on the spot to save Terras
by David Swain
Monday October 18th 2004
WEYMOUTH monopolised - but player-boss Steve Claridge had to
play his Get Out Of Jail card to win his side a second chance
against ten-man Thame.
The Terras looked destined to crash out of this FA Cup Third
Qualifying Round tie to a team from two divisions below when
Claridge won them an 84th minute penalty and dusted himself
off before grabbing an equaliser from the spot.
The two sides replay in Oxfordshire tomorrow night and Claridge
knows his injury-plagued side will need to do a lot better in
front of goal to overcome a modest Southern League One outfit
who came to the Wessex believing a draw
was the best they could hope for - and left complaining bitterly
about the penalty decision that robbed them of a huge scalp.
The visitors spent much of the game - and the second half in
particular - defending as though their lives depended on it.
But despite making plenty of half chances, the Terras failed
to find a way through
in open play, even when Thame were forced to see out the last
15 minutes a
man short after John Merritt picked up a second yellow card
for dissent.
Claridge struggled through the game with a hip injury and though
Chukki Eribenne scraped through a late fitness test, injury
ruled out Martin Barlow and Matt Bound and Lee Phillips was
only considered fit enough to stand by on the subs' bench.
Any thoughts the Terras had of steam-rollering Thame from the
start were soon dispelled with the lanky Alex Stewart causing
home keeper Francisco Ramos to flap unconvincingly at an early
corner before belting a 30-yard free-kick just
wide of the upright.
Eight free-kicks in the first five minutes set the pattern for
a stop-start game with referee Alan Smith from Bridgwater -
the man who red-carded Claridge and Dorchester's Jamie Brown
last New Year's Day - doing his bit to disrupt the flow.
Thame's Jon Gardner, sporting a flame-red Mohican hair-cut -
jinked inside Dave Waterman on the left before delivering a
dangerous cross that John Mitchell volleyed wide and with the
visitors looking anything but over-awed by the occasion, Ramos
was forced to dash out to the edge of his area to whip the ball
off Mitchell's toe.
The Terras finally produced their first threat after 12 minutes
with Lee Philpott's left wing cross snaffled up in the goalmouth
by Thame keeper Steve Smith.
Then Claridge was halted by a superb tackle from Nik Stewart
after Adam Wilde's through ball split the defence and the Terras
boss soon made an opening for himself before firing in a shot
which the diving Smith turned behind for a corner.
With the Terras now warming to their task, Eribenne took an
absolute age to get his shot away after weaving into space inside
the area - and when he finally pulled the trigger his weaker
left foot sent a disappointing effort directly into
Smith's arms.
Paul Buckle's 31st minute shot from Claridge's lay-back was
also comfortably held above his head by Smith
and when Claridge spurned a shooting chance and chose instead
to set up Philpott, his slip enabled Thame to close the door
again.
The Terras laboured build-up allowed Thame all the time they
needed to get nine men behind the ball whenever the home side
were in possession - but after 20 minutes of Terras pressure
the visitors produced a 44th minute shock.
Weymouth lost possession from their own throw-in down by the
dugouts, Thame's Nando Perna speared a quick pass 40-yards crossfield
to Gardner and he checked back inside the area before firing
across Ramos into the far corner.
Sean Wilkinson joined the Terras injury list with a suspected
broken foot and was replaced by lan Hutchinson for a second
half which the home side began with a vengeance.
From the first of several corners Paul Buckle's net-bound piledriver
was blocked in a packed goalmouth and then Wilde coaxed a flying
tipver save from Smith.
Thame's bookings started to mount as their defending became
more desperate in the face of non-stop Terras pressure, but
still the break- through wouldn't come for Claridge's men.
Then in the 75th minute it looked to be all over for the Terras.
Thame forced a rare corner on the right and the ball looped
into the air off a mass of bodies at the near post before dropping
for an unmarked Mitchell
to head home.
A second goal then would surely have killed the Terras off.
But they
were rescused by the linesman's flag and their cause was given
another
boost within minutes when Thame were reduced to ten men after
Merntts suicidal outburst that followed first half booking for
taking out Wilde.
But the visitors still refused to yield as the Terras went for
the jugular.
Substitute Paul Gibbs saw his shot turned away for a corner,
Charles narrowly cleared the crossbar and Lee Phillips' drive
ricocheted across the goalmouth off a defender only to hit Claridge
and spin wide if the post.
Then came the moment of controversy that gave the Terras a reprieve
Claridge took possession inside the area and was heading towards
the corner flag with keeper Smith at his heels when he went
town far too easily for Thame's liking.
The Smith with the whistle seemed to hesitate, then pointed
to the spot
it the linesman's prompting.
When he dust and Thame's protests vhich brought bookings for
Smith
and skipper Tony Joyce, had finally settled, a mightily relieved
Claridge
did what was necessary to spare his side's blushes.
Weymouth: Francisco
Ramos, Steve Tully, Simon Browne, Shaun Wilkinson, Dave Waterman,
Lee Charles, Paul Buckle, Chukki Eribenne, Steve Claridge, Lee
Philpott, Adam Wilde
Subs: Ian Hutchinson (for
Wilkinson 45mins), Nathan Bunce, Paul Gibbs (for Browne 80mins),
Robbie Pethick, Lee Phillips (for Eribenne 70mins)
Thame United: Steve Smith, Jon Mills, Tony Joyce,
Nik Stewart, Ben Freeman, Justin Merritt, Jon Gardener, Nando
Perna, John Mitchell, Alex Stewart, Peter Weirich
Subs: Lewis Foster, Mark
West, Tom Goffe (for Stewart 70mins), Darren Moore, Jonny Wilson
(for Gardner 89mins)
Referee:
Alan Smith (Bridgewater)
Bookings:
Weymouth: Charles (diving)
Thame United: Smith (foul), Joyce (dissent), Stewart
(foul), Gardner (foul), Perna (dissent)
Sent-off:
Thame United: Merritt (two yellow cards - foul, dissent)
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