ALDERSHOT & FARNHAM 1 v WEYMOUTH 4
WEYMOUTH picked up their first win in three matches to get their promotion campaign back on track.
The result sees the Seasiders retain second spot in Hampshire Division One above Salisbury on goal difference, albeit with a game in hand.
Following his four-goal heroics for the seconds the previous week, Andy Stiles re-joined the first team, replacing the unavailable Aaron Wilkinson.
The only other change saw Matt Bell missing the trip to North Hampshire, having dislocated three fingers and fracturing two metacarpals in a tumble early in last week’s loss to Bournemouth.
The hosts took the lead on 10 minutes when a strike was duly despatched into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, past the despairing dive of goalkeeperDavid Civil.
A groin injury to play-maker Dan Bowles resulted in an early reshuffle of formation — utility-man Mike Westlake advancing forward to take his place while Roly Gill came off the bench to pair up with 57-year-old Dave St Budeaux at centre-back.
The stalwart tackling of the defensive duo, ably-assisted by left-back Dave Games, provided the platform for a number of Weymouth forays into Aldershot territory.
The equalising goal came as just reward from the hard-pressing forwards at the other end of the pitch.
Their efforts were justly rewarded when Patrick May rounded the last defender before neatly posting his shot across the keeper.
The last 10 minutes of the half were a scrappier affair. Weymouth dominated possession but individual errors led to the host having a number of breaks of their own. Westlake was sinbinned for an ill-time chop on the hands as he tried to prevent one such breakaway.
Further assaults on the Weymouth circle followed with Civil forced into a number of last-ditch saves.
The penultimate action saw Weymouth’s increasing dominance rewarded.
After excellent play in the midfield, Stiles found winger Luke Drewitt in the D who quickly rounded two defenders, looking to shoot. Just as he looked to have lost control of the ball, the Aldershot keeper clattered through him. The umpires called play to a halt and awarded the visitors a penalty stoke and sin-binned the keeper for five minutes for the challenge on Drewitt.
Captain Steven Membury stepped up to calmly slot the ball past the hapless substitute kicking-back on the stroke of half-time.
Knowing that for the first five minutes of the second half Aldershot would be without their keeper, Weymouth fought hard to force the ball into the opposition’s D. In retrospect it was perhaps a case of more haste and less speed required as the long balls the Seasiders attempted were picked off and the hosts were able to ride-out the power play.
With the game 11-a-side once more, Aldershot had their most dominant period. A high Weymouth line provided the Hampshire side with a number of one-on-ones with Civil in the Weymouth goal that he was just about able to keep out.
At 3-1, Weymouth again fought off a number of Aldershot attacks, during which captain Membury was a little flat-footed and yellow-carded for deliberately kicking the ball.
The pressure was contained and the points secured with another Underhill goal.
The effort of chasing Weymouth’s hard-running forward line of May, Stiles, Drewitt, Membury and Ben Heckford had inevitably caused the Aldershot defence to tire. This meant that Stiles found himself in space inside the host’s 23-metre line where he played a weighted ball to Membury — his square pass to Underhill being neatly despatched beyond the keeper.
Weymouth’s last three games sees them entertain leaders Winchester on Saturday (Redlands 2pm) before a trip to North Dorset to play fourth-placed Gillingham the following week.
The final game on April 5 is at home to Gosport Borough.
Weymouth will compete in a knockout competition at home against United Services Portsmouth in the last 16 of the Hampshire Plate.
The match, on Sunday, starts at Redlands at 2pm.