Terras must turn draws into wins
By Adam Summers

Monday 23rd August 2010

DRAWS must start being turned into victories or the Terras will face “a long, hard season” in the Zamaretto Premier Division, according to frustrated boss Ian Hutchinson.

Weymouth endured their third successive stalemate at the Bob Lucas Stadium on Saturday when Richard Groves handed them a first-half lead only to see it wiped out by a fantastic strike from Oxford City’s Harry Harding just after the break.

The Terras dominated in the opening 45 minutes with Sam Clarke also hitting the bar but in the second half the visitors hit back and would have claimed all three points had keeper Tom Manley not pulled off a fine point-blank stop to deny Mark Janes.

That save ensured Weymouth’s unbeaten start to the campaign continues but Hutchinson is still not satisfied as he is well aware that much tougher tests lie ahead, starting with tomorrow night’s daunting trip to Salisbury City (7.45pm).

Speaking after the game, he said: “It was two points dropped without a shadow of a doubt. If we are to stand a chance of overturning our points deduction and getting out of trouble we must be beating teams like Oxford, particularly at home.

“No disrespect to them but much tougher games lie ahead, there is no doubt about that, and we must start turning draws into wins or face a long, hard season.”

“We were desperate for that second goal in the first half but it just did not come,” added Hutchinson. “Football is about the basics before anything else and that is winning individual battles and second balls, and we did not do enough of that in the second half.

“We then handed them a goal. You don’t mind conceding a 25-yard screamer but the way it came about is beyond belief.

“He was their danger man but the ball travelled 60 yards to get to him. We then let him come inside on to his stronger right foot and paid the price but Jamie McGuinness will live and learn from that.”

When asked whether tired legs attributed to his side’s disappointing second-half display, Hutchinson said: “I am certainly not going to put it down to that.

“It’s about how mentally prepared you are and going that extra yard to get you through and after the break we did not do that.

“Again, we lacked that little bit of extra quality but in terms of the budget we are nearly there now.

“You have got to be strong mentally as well as physically, and at Salisbury we will need to be both if we are to come away with a positive result.”

The Terras remain bottom on minus seven points, eight points adrift of safety.