Matt finish
By Matt finish

Monday 10th October 2005

SKIPPER Matt Bound led by example to send Weymouth into the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup.

The towering defender lashed home a stoppage time free-kick to give the Terras a 1-0 win over battling Bath City at the Wessex Stadium.

The former Oxford United player also starred at the other end of the pitch, keeping Romans danger-man Scott Partridge quiet as Garry Hill's men chalked up yet another clean-sheet.

Bound and his rock-solid defensive team-mates have now failed to concede in five of the last six games.

This latest success, putting Weymouth on the verge of a First Round appearance for the first time in 20 years, came in a game that had a goal-less draw written all over it.

But just as Terras fans were plotting their way to Twerton Park for a replay tomorrow night, up stepped Bound to fizz a superb 20-yard free kick past visiting keeper Paul Evans.

The late drama masked what was a pretty forgettable contest at a rain-sodden Radipole Lane. Neither Weymouth or their Southern League old rivals mustered up much entertaining football in a scrappy tie containing seven bookings.

Until Bound's winner, the home side only breached a packed Romans rearguard on a couple of occasions, and even then keeper Evans wasn't seriously tested.

But cup football is all about results and with the Terras in the hat for today's draw, boss Hill won't be too bothered by the under-par performance.

Weymouth received an early blow when they lost in-form midfielder Brian Dutton to injury. The former Cambridge United man failed to shrug off a dead leg
picked up seconds in and was replaced by substitute Shaun Wilkinson.

Battling Bath, who had home fans fuming with plenty of physical challenges, settled quicker and could have taken a shock seventh minute lead.

Former Terra Gethin Jones strode forward from defence to combine with another ex Weymouth man Partridge down the left.

But Jones was holding his head in his hands after wildly slicing wide from Partridge's left wing cross.

Chances were few and far between and with no real incisive passing coming from midfield, set-pieces looked the hosts' most likely route.

Kirk Jackson's flick header from Andy Harris' long throw caused confusion in Bath's defence before Bound's nod from Wilkinson's free kick lacked power.

The physical battles all over the park continued and things threatened to get out of control for the rest of the opening half.

Referee Andrew Rodda booked six players in a fiery 20 minute spell and could easily have given one or two an early bath.

Bath's Graeme Power, the third former Terra in their line-up, started the run when his desperate lunge on winger Steve Clark saw him given a yellow card.

Weymouth's Chukki Eribenne and City keeper Evans soon followed into the book after getting involved in a tangle as Evans tried to shepherd the ball out near the corner flag.

And the two teams were at each others throats again just before the break when a heavy challenge by Wilkinson on Andy Sandell prompted a mass bundle during which the Terras mid-fielder was crudely thrown to the turf by a City counterpart.

With the referee beginning to lose control, the half-time whistle came at just the right time and proceedings were thankfully less chaotic after the restart.

But for all Weymouth's huff and puff, they still struggled to fashion any good openings.

Only winger Lee Elam, on his home debut, looked threatening with the former Yeovil Town man enjoying a couple of tricky turns down the right flank.

The nearest the hosts came to taking the lead came on the hour via the head of a Bath defender. Wilkinson swung over another free-kick only for visiting defender Steve Jones to head powerfully towards his own goal forcing Evans into a decent stop.

With the game drifting towards a draw, Eribenne and Jackson both did their best to break the deadlock, but their tame efforts went well wide.

Hill made a double substitute late on in a bid to find the elusive winner, sending on striker Wayne Purser and winger Tony Taggart for Eribenne and the ineffective Steve Clark.

And deep into stoppage, Weymouth's persistence finally paid off when Bath midfielder Jon Holloway was penalised for handball 20 yards out.

With a six-man wall between him and goal, up stepped Bound to thump a left footed drive past helpless Evans and send the home crowd into a frenzy.