Terras bashed
By Adam Summers
DEFENDER Shane White had a home debut to forget as Bashley exposed
frailties in Weymouths usually solid back-line to take
all three points at the Bob Lucas Stadium.
The ex-Plymouth Argyle man had to take a huge share of the
blame for Bashleys opening three goals but he was not
the only Terra off the pace in what was a dire team display.
Whites poor headed clearance led to Joe Maxwell opening
the scoring on six minutes and from there things did not get
much better for the young right-back.
Pierre Joseph-Dubois offered some respite by levelling eight
minutes later but White then put through his own net midway
through the half as Bashley profited some more hesistant defending.
Then, just seven minutes before the break, Whites misery
was complete when he switched off at a cross and allowed Ian
Oliver to ghost in front of him and head a third beyond the
beleaguered Tom Manley.
The Terras defence continued to look shoddy in the
second half and on 81 minutes the visitors made it 4-1 when
off-colour centre-back Ben Gerring compounded his poor afternoon
with an own goal of his own.
Ian Hutchinson kept faith with the same XI that started in
last Saturdays 3-1 defeat against Evesham United but
he did make two changes on the bench with Ollie Tribe and
Sam Charles replacing the suspended Matt Oldring and Jules
Emati-Emati, who was sidelined through food poisoning.
Ex-Weymouth stopper Joe Prod-omo was the one notable inclusion
in the Bashley squad.
The Terras were slow out of the blocks and they paid the
price after just six minutes when Whites poor headed
clearance ricocheted off Maxwells chest, and fell kindly
into the strikers path. The ex-Pilgrims star attempted
to make amends by trying to block the resulting shot but it
crept past him and beat the outstretched palm of Manley to
find the bottom corner.
The goal proved to be a wake-up call for the hosts and within
eight minutes they were level. Jamie McGuinness curled a lovely
ball into the box from the right and found Joseph-Dubois,
who got across the front of his marker before firing a low
shot on the spin beyond David Elm in the Bashley goal.
Buoyed by that, Joseph-Dubois then struck another effort
wide from 20 yards before Richard Groves robbed visiting midfielder
Paul Roberts and had another strike from distance saved by
Elm.
However, the Terras were still looking shaky at the back
and on 23 minutes they went behind again as White exper- ienced
another moment to forget.
An in-swinging free-kick from the right beat everyone at
the near post and when the ball squirmed past Manley, the
right-back could only turn it into his own net in a desperate
attempt to clear.
The jitters at the back continued for Weymouth and in the
31st minute only a fantastic last-ditch tackle by Cameron
Mawer stopped Mark Gamble from grabbing Bashley a third after
the fleet-footed winger had bamboozled Ben Gerring with some
neat skill on the move.
The Terras were still carrying a threat going forward with
Sam Clarke volleying off target on 33 minutes but every time
the visitors counterattacked they looked like carving the
home side open.
And it was Bashley who scored again on 38 minutes when Jack
Smith side stepped Joseph-Dubois far too easily before putting
over a fine cross to the far post, which Oliver headed past
Manley after completely losing White. In a purely tactical
change, the Terras replaced skipper Simon Radcliffe with striker
Sam Charles at the break but Bashley continued to cause problems.
Mawer headed over early in the second half before the visitors
replied with two efforts of their own, which saw Maxwell nod
over from a corner and Gamble draw a marvellous one-handed
save out of Manley.
The Terras desperately required a lift and on the hour they
nearly got it when Mawer fed Byerley in the box but the ex-Dorchester
Town forward screwed his shot horribly wide of the target.
Another recent addition to the Weymouth ranks, Robin Nicholls,
entered the fray on 62 minutes to make his home debut in his
second spell at the club but the hosts continued to struggle
to find an end product despite plenty of endeavour.
Their biggest threat seemed to come from set pieces and on
75 minutes only a goal-line clearance stopped Mawers
header from finding the corner of the net with the ball being
turned over by a defender stationed on the post.
Charles then failed to turn in a cross by Joseph-Dubois before
a nervy moment for Manley saw him spill a corner, only for
Gary Middle-ton to head over at the far post.
Bashley were beginning to threaten again and with nine minutes
remaining they added a fourth. Tom Hill was credited with
turning in Chris Ferretts corner by the stadium announcer
but it appeared to come off Gerring as the Terras abject
display at the back continued.
And the visitors could have had a fourth moments later when
Gamble broke into the box.
The powerful striker strolled in from the right but could
only drag his shot wide of the far post.
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