Terras hold their nerve
By Adam Summers
WEYMOUTH showed incredible character to finally capture the
victory their endeavour has deserved at St Georges Lane,
Worcester.
With last Tuesdays heartbreaking 3-2 defeat at Salisbury
City still fresh in the memory, the Terras would have been
forgiven for making a slow start against Evesham United but
instead they came out of the dressing room determined to prove
a point.
Warren Byerley fired them ahead from the spot on 13 minutes
and when Cameron Mawer tucked the ball home again from a corner
it looked like Ian Hutchinsons men were in full command.
However, in the closing stages of the half it then appeared
like the football forces might conspire against them again,
just as they did at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium, when eight
minutes before the break the Robins won a penalty.
One of Salisburys three late goals had come from a
spot-kick so the Terras fans instantly began fearing
the worst. However, keeper Tom Manley, who committed the offence,
pulled off a fine block to protect their lead.
But the danger of a dramatic comeback was still was not over
and on 82 minutes the hosts piled on the pressure again with
Danny Lennon cutting the deficit with a fine finish.
Weymouth could have easily wilted after that but determined
not to let history repeat itself they hit back moments later
through Jules Emati-Emati, who added a third to lay the ghost
of last midweek firmly to rest.
Speaking after the game, Hutchinson said: I always
felt it was only a matter of time before we got the win we
deserved because of the way we have gone about things and
I am chuffed to bits for all the lads, who have worked so
hard.
Seeing them after last Tuesdays defeat at Salisbury
was not pretty. They were devastated but since then they have
picked themselves up and showed a lot of character to come
away with all three points.
I said they would come back stronger for that experience
and that showed at the end after Evesham pulled one back.
Instead of allowing the pressure to get to us, we then went
again and finished it off by getting a third, which was a
fantastic.
Hutchinson made one change to his starting XI with new-signing
Shane White being drafted in at right-back in place of Matt
Oldring, who dropped to the bench.
Fellow new boy Rob Nicholls was also named among the substitutes
and replaced Pierre Joseph-Dubois with five minutes remaining
after the ex-Reading striker suffered a knock to an ankle.
Ollie Tribe and Sam Charles were the unfortunate ones to miss
out.
Hutchinson added: We were excellent all over the pitch.
Shane made his debut and performed well, and it was also good
to see Jules come off the bench and make an impact. He has
had to bide his time a bit but he came on in the last 15 minutes
and thoroughly deserved his goal.
Another man who impressed again was Byerley whose clever
movement and outstanding work-rate was quickly rewarded when
Danny Hodnett pulled him down in the box.
Some superstitious managers do not like the man that won
the penalty taking the spot-kick but Hutchinson had full faith
in Byerley and he did not disappoint as he slotted the ball
home with confidence.
Another good period of pressure by the visitors then ended
with a second goal midway through the half. Simon Radcliffe
whipped over a fine corner and there was Mawer to send the
ball crashing into the net with his right boot.
United then received a way back into the game when Manley
was booked for coming off his line and bringing down Neil
Barnfield. Justin Nisbett took the resulting penalty but his
strike down the middle ricocheted off the Terras stoppers
legs and away to safety.
Lennon then got one back in the closing stages but Weymouth
refused to buckle and when Joseph-Dubois had a shot saved
by Ben Lewis, the ball ran loose to Emati-Emati who tucked
home the rebound.
The game had been a decent spectacle except for a severe
injury suffered by home defender Rapinder Gill at the start
of the second period, which caused the action to be held up
for 40 minutes while an ambulance was called.
Hutchinson, who is a trained paramedic, said: Their
lad got it down in the corner and when Warren went to close
him down he got his studs caught in the turf and sustained
a bad fracture of the ankle.
I did run over to see what was what but I then left
it to the two club physios. It was a nasty injury and everyone
at the Weymouth FC wishes the lad well and hopes he has a
good recovery.
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