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Terras on the back foot
By Matt Pitman
Monday 5th September 2005
DEFENSIVE ten-man Weymouth hung on for a draw they scarcely
deserved against Yeading at. the Wessex Stadium.
The struggling Terras survived more than a third of this
Conference South contest with a nine-man rearguard action
following defender Trevor Challis's second half sending off.
Boss Garry Hill withdrew striker Wayne Purser and left first
half scorer Chukki Eribenne as his lone frontman - and was
blasted by the home crowd for a lack of ambition.
The move back-fired as the Middlesex visitors - whose late
arrival at Radipole Lane forced the kick off to be delayed
65 minutes immediately equalised through Michael Johnson's
close range effort.
And how last season's FA Cup giantkillers did not go on to
condemn Weymouth to their fourth defeat in six games, only
right back Steve Wales will know.
The defender wasted two golden opportunities to embarrass
the preseason title favourites - hitting the bar with a close
range volley and somehow firing wide from 20-yards with an
empty net gaping.
With the misfiring Terras again under-performing, their long-suffering
fans are starting to run out of patience.
Hundreds of spectators joined in a slow handclap midway through
the second period as the full-timers showed little appetite
for trying to earn all three points.
After a poor start to the season, owner Martyn. Harrison
must be wondering just when things are going to come good.
.He invested heavily over the summer to turn the Terras into
serious title challengers and on this form they will be lucky
to make the top half.
And Hill will need no telling Harrison, who sacked Steve
Claridge last season after a start not much worse than this,
is not a man who waits forever for results.
After arriving late through motorway congestion caused by
an accident near Ringwood, Yeading were expected to be easy
pickings for Weymouth.
But instead it was the hosts who looked sluggish and heavy-legged
for much of a scrappy first half.
The visitors nearly caught the lacklustre Terras cold early
on when Errol Telemaque steered home from close range, only
to have his effort ruled out for offside.
It took some good defending by Roy O'Brien to deny Ding skipper
Darti Brown midway through the half.
For their part, the hosts rarely threatened from open play
and their early play was summed up when Shaun Wilkinson carried
out an air-shot from Adam Wilde's cross.
But as the interval grew closer, the delivery of Wilkinson
and Wilde from set-plays started to bring some joy for Weymouth.
Purser latched on to Wilkinson's quickly taken free kick,
but the striker's header was superbly turned behind by Ding
keeper Delroy Preddie.
But the goalie was left grasping thin air from Wilkinson's
resulting corner and there was Eribenne to hook home skipper
Matt Bound's nod down.
Yeading, donning red and black stripes, were forced to change
into Weymouth's gold third kit at the interval because of
a colour clash.
The change of identity by the opposition did not affect Purser
whose neat spin and shot was deflected just wide after the
restart.
The contest was still hardly hitting the heights but then
came an actionpacked couple of minutes to spark
things into life.
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After a couple of beefy challenges in midfield from either
side went unpunished by referee Mike Hawken, Challis pole-axed
visiting winger David Clarke.
The referee, who immediately acknowledged the foul, allowed
play to run on for a few minutes before being reminded of
the offence by assistant referee Tim Lawrence.
After some confusion over who carried out the challenge,
referee Hawken eventually located Challis and issued him his
second booking of the afternoon.
A goal to the good with 36 minutes left, Hill immediately
withdrew Purser in favour of left back Tony Taggart, leaving
Eribenne to work tirelessly up front on his own.
But the defensive switch came back to haunt the hosts as
within 120 seconds Yeading were level.
A move involving Marvin Morgan and Davis Haule down the right
led to Johnson stealing in unmarked to fire past keeper Jason
Matthews from close range.
The away equaliser signalled a final half hour of one-way
traffic for Johnson Hipplyte's men which infuriated the home
crowd.
Telemaque had a decent shout for a penalty turned down when
he was sent tumbling by Matthews, before moments later the
keeper's poor clearance was seized upon by Wales with an empty
net gaping.
But the embarassed defender somehow put his effort from 20
yards the wrong side of Matthews' post.
An away win continued to look a certainty as the hosts created
next to nothing.
Weymouth fans' hearts were in their mouths with seconds left
as Clarke's cross was met by Wales whose thumping volley smashed
the Weymouth bar.
Not even the late introduction of Terras favourite Ian Hutchinson
for the first time this season could inspire the hosts who
trudged off at the final whistle - marked by a minor scuffle
between Eribenne and a couple of Ding players - to boos from
the home crowd.
Weymouth : Matthews,
Tully, Challis, O'Biran, Bound, Harris, Wilde (Jackson 85),
Carey, Wilkinson (Hutchinson 79), Purser (Taggart 54), Eribenne
Subs not used : Webb,
Lee-Barrett
Yeading : Preddie, Wales,
Johnson (Protain 79), Behzadi, Saroya, Stanley, Haule (Mapes
85), Brown, Telemaque, Morgan, Clarke
Subs not used : Leach,
Brown, Blackmore
Bookings :
Weymouth : Challis
Yeading : Stanley
Sent Off :
Weymouth: Challis
Referee : Mike Hawken
(St Austell)
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