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Aaron’s howler is a gift for Oxford
By Matt Pitman
Tuesday 29th August 2006
TERRAS goalkeeper Aaron Lee-Barrett was given a reminder
of how cruel football can be at the Wessex Stadium yesterday.
The new England non-League international dropped a stoppage
time clanger to gift Oxford United a barely deserved Conference
National point in the big Bank Holiday showdown.
Lee-Barrett failed to gather Robert Duffy's hanging cross,
allowing Chris Hargreaves a simple tap-in equaliser which
ended Weymouth's 100 per cent start to the season.
The error came just 72 hours after the former Cardiff City
youngster received a first call-up to play in the England
National Game side next month.
Hargreaves struck with virtually the last kick of the game
in front of a huge 5,244 all-ticket crowd, cancelling out
Gavin Johnson's 85th minute own goal for the Terras.
Aside from the two goals during the dramatic closing stages,
the meeting of the league's top two was scrappy and unremarkable.
With a swirling wind spoiling the contest, chances were few
and far between although Weymouth's Chukki Eribenne, Simon
Weatherstone and Lee Elam all enjoyed good opportunities.
Terras boss Garry Hill will be disappointed his side couldn't
hang on to claim a fifth successive victory; but a tally of
13 points out of 15 is probably more than even the biggest
optimist would have predicted this time last month.
After such a fine start to the season, Weymouth understandably
named the same starting line-up for the fifth successive match.
Following a patchy opening quarter of an hour, Abdou El Kholti's
corner from the right fashioned the first clear-cut opening
for Weymouth for Eribenne.
But the unmarked striker could only plant his header just
wide of Billy Turley's right-hand post.
Oxford suffered a blow a couple of minutes later when striker
Steve Basham hobbled off ipjured, to be replaced by Yemi Obudabe.
With a fierce wind swirling around the Wessex Stadium, both
sides struggled to cope with the tricky conditions.
As the opening period wore on, Weymouth started to get on
top and their most promising move came on the half hour.
"The impressive Simon Downer and ex-Oxford player Weatherstone
combined to release Nick Crittenden who sent a low cross fizzing
in from the right flank.
The ball was only half-cleared to Elam on the edge of the
United area but the floppy-haired midfielder failed to hit
the target.
With both teams scrapping for every loose ball, the remainder
of the half was bits and pieces stuff with no real quality.
Nade was a whisker away from finding Eribenne though with
a dangerous cross from the left, while Odubade caused Vickers
a couple of nervous moments at the other end.
You always got the feeling that the fireworks would come
after the half-time cuppa and Terras nearly took the lead
with a minute of the restart.
Elam made 30 yards down the left, released El Kholti whose
cross found Nade in the middle but the striker just couldn't
get a firm contact with his header.
The two unbeaten teams continued to cancel each other out
until Weymouth picked up the pace midway through the second
period.
Weatherstone latched on to a loose ball 25 yards out, chested
the ball down and sent in a well-struck volley that Turley
acrobatically tipped over.
Elam was then inches away from silencing the huge Oxford
following when he cut in from the left and fired a shot into
Turley's sidenetting.
Oxford hardly featured as an attacking force although Barry
Quinn was a whisker away with a curling free-kick with the
minutes ticking away.
But with six minutes left, Weymouth hit the front out of
nothing.
Vickers sent a long diagonal ball over the top which last-man
Johnson headed back towards goal, only to see the ball loop
over keeper Turley and into the net.
The former Ipswich veteran's blushes were spared though with
virtually the last kick of the game.
Big striker Duffy sent over a looping cross which Lee-Barrett
failed to claim through a ruck of players and there was Hargreaves
to side-foot home from close range.
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