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Terras lose despite spirited fightback
By Nigel Biddlecombe
DESPITE a spirited fight back, the Terras lost their first
match of the new Blue Square Premier campaign 3-2 to Forest
Green Rovers.
Jason Tindall kept the starting line up from Saturday's opening
game against Halifax Town for last night's fixture at the
New Lawn. The only change being on the substitutes bench where
Narada Bernard replaced Jefferson Louis.
The Terras had a great chance to open the scoring within
the first minute when Anton Robinson broke through the home
defence and combined with James Coutts to put Conal Platt
in on goal, however the Weymouth man's shot was well saved
by Ryan Robinson.
Just three minutes later disaster struck when Les Afful found
room down the Terras' left flank and crossed for Simon Clist
to fire in a shot. Jason Matthews saved superbly, but Lee
Dodgson put the ball back into the six-yard box for Clist
to bundle over the line.
Simon Weatherstone was unlucky when his eighth minute free-kick
from 35 yards was superbly saved by Robinson diving to his
right before the ever dangerous Afful set up Stuart Fleetwood
with a great through ball, the Rovers man shooting high over
the crossbar.
However the home side doubled their advantage in the 24th
minute when the completely unmarked Danny Carey-Bertram headed
in Fleetwood's cross from the right.
And just three minutes later the match appeared to be all but
over when Fleetwood was allowed to run unchallenged through
the visitor's defence before firing home right footed for Green's
third goal.
Weymouth reacted positively and were playing the better football
without being able to find the final touch. Striker Stuart
Beavon hit the crossbar with a snap shot and then saw Rovers'
stopper save another effort in a fine four-minute spell.
Beavon was the architect for the Terras' opening goal when
he broke away and fired in a terrific cross for Coutts to
net with a powerful header in the 36th minute.
Coutts might have reduced the deficit further on the stroke
of half time when Weatherstone and Anton Robinson combined
to give him the chance to shoot from eight yards, but his
effort flew harmlessly across goal and out of play.
Weymouth narrowed the host's lead just two minutes into the
second period when Coutts stepped over Paolo Vernazza's corner
from the left and Weatherstone fired home an unstoppable drive
from fully 30 yards out.
The home side made a double substitution in the 49th minute
to try and stem the tide, but the Terras should have been
on level terms when another Vernazza corner fell to Kyle Critchell.
Unfortunately the Terras' full back snapped at his shot and
it flew over the bar.
Weymouth thought they should have been awarded a penalty
in the 63rd minute when Beavon played Robinson into the area,
Alex Lawless bundled him over, but the referee waved away
their appeals.
With the home side shoring up their defence Weymouth were
unable to find the equalising goal that their football surely
deserved and the game finished with Beavon shooting well wide
after he had intercepted a poor clearance by Lawless.
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