Match Report: Cambridge City 0-1 Weymouth | 30th August 2014

Yetton winner seals win over Cambridge City
By Dan Rose

Boss Matthews was forced into one alteration from the XI that triumphed on derby day over Dorchester Town.

Ed Palmer picked up an ankle injury late on in the bank holiday Monday clash, ruling him out of the squad completely, with Sam Poole slotting into the centre of the defence.

There was also a welcome return to the first team for Luke Winsper for the first time since March, he came back on to the bench to add some more midfield options following Shane Krac’s announcement that he had left the club.

And after finding the net promptly against both Dorchester and Hitchin Town in their last two outings, Weymouth continued their swift scoring form as Yetton took just eight minutes put them ahead, for what proved to be the winner.

From a devilish free kick swung in by Chris Shephard, which couldn’t be dealt with by the hosts’ defence, Yetton was first to react and strike home the opener to put his side a goal up.

Adam Kelly then had another effort well saved just moments later, but it could have so easily been 1-1 when Andrew Phillips, hat-trick hero from the Lilywhites’ last outing, had a glorious chance to level things up.

His strong run allowed him to get well in behind the Weymouth back four, but he fluffed his lines and couldn’t muster an effort on target. Poole then produced a superb last ditch tackle to deny the fvrontman again five minutes later.

The Terras’ sharp strike duo of Yetton and Tim Sills then nearly combined to pay dividends midway through the first half, when the former produced a pinpoint cross for the head of Sills, who forced it back across goal and narrowly wide.

Shephard then linked up well with George Rigg in the midfield to give himself half a yard of space, but he saw his snap shot sail well wide.

Callum Donnelly, brother of Hitchin Town’s Brett who caused the Terras all sorts of problems the previous week, could not replicate his sibling’s goal and smashed a shot over the stand from a City corner.

Then just moments before the interval, a route one ball forward from Weymouth nearly unlocked the Lilywhites’ defence for a second time.

A Sills knockdown from Matthews’ punt fell to Shephard, who tried his luck once again and failed to hit the target.

The creative midfielder then looked to test Zac Barrett in the Cambridge City goal once again almost instantly after the restart, and Yetton saw a cross well intercepted by defender Lee Chaffey.

Shephard was then in the thick of it once more as he was cleaned out by a nasty challenge from Tom Pepper, who earned the first booking of the contest.

Yetton had a chance to double his tally when he tried to lift the ball over the onrushing Barrett, but the goalkeeper was up to the task to keep his side in the game.

As the hosts pushed forward past the hour mark and made a couple of changes, a strong block from Ashley Wells followed up by a smart stop from Matthews kept the Weymouth clean sheet intact as City’s Danny Kelly surged forward on the offensive.

Cries for a penalty from the home fans then ensued as Jordan Copp was accused of bringing down his man inside the area, but they were waved away by the official as the Terras continued to hold firm.

Tempers began to flair from both sides as Donnelly squared up to both Poole and Copp and Chaffey found his name into the book for the visitors, as did Sills minutes later, with both cautions coming for dissent.

As the home side’s frustrations grew Weymouth’s Adam Kelly then could have put the game to bed when he had the goal at his mercy on the breakaway and spurned the opportunity.

But it was not to matter for the Terras, as they clung on to three priceless points away from home.