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Paulton pain for Weymouth as Sills sees red
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| A SENSE of déjà vu hit Winterfield Park for Weymouth, as they fell to their second defeat of the season against Paulton Rovers.A header from defender Shayne Anson proved enough to separate the two sides as, like they did at the Bob Lucas Stadium in January, Rovers found an early breakthrough.
Also in similar circumstances to that night just more than two months ago, the Terras saw a man sent off in controversial fashion minutes before the interval. This time it was striker Tim Sills who was given his marching orders by referee Lee Sheridan. Weymouth’s starting XI was unchanged from the side that beat Arlesey Town last weekend. Midfielder Chris McPhee, who had been struggling with a back problem, came on to the bench to replace injured player-boss Jason Matthews in the squad. Hosts Paulton handed a start to Danny Wring after completing the paperwork to sign him hours before kick-off, fellow new boy Zayn Alime was also named among the substitutes. As Weymouth looked to settle into the contest, Rovers didn’t take too long to claim an advantage from a set-piece. A corner from former Poole Town man Jon Davies’ was not dealt with by the visitors, and it was Rovers’ Shayne Anson who forced home a powerful header into the net to draw first blood for the home side. While he conceded his first goal in Weymouth colours, stand-in stopper Joe Wollacott then made a good save to keep the score at 1-0. The Bristol City youngster, playing his second game for the club, was on hand to thwart an audacious back heel from Mitchell Page, who scored when the sides met earlier in the campaign. Wollacott was then on hand to claim a routine long fall forward as Paulton looked to release Scott Wilson, as the Terras looked to weather the storm. A through-ball from Paulton old boy Dean Evans on his return to Winterfield Road then ricocheted off a defender and fell into the path of Weymouth hitman Stewart Yetton, who failed to find the target as the Terras went in search of a leveller. Page and defender Jamie Laird then collided and both required treatment, before ex-Paulton ace Evans was put into the referee’s notebook for a foul. And things went from bad to worse for Matthews’ men, as controversy struck and the Terras lost a man moments before the break. Marksman Sills was given his marching orders after clashing with Clayton Green in the middle of the park, and referee Sheridan made no hesitation of brandishing a red card. Sills then protested his innocence and was given a hostile reaction from the stands as he walked off the field, leaving the Terras a goal and a man down at the break. Player-coach McPhee then entered the fray returning from injury to replace Colwell early in the second half and was welcomed into the game by being pole-axed by Paulton’s Scott Brice minutes later, as the fiery nature at the end of the first-half carried on following the interval. Evans continued to be in the thick of the action as his drilled first-time effort then forced a good save from Kyle Phillips in the Rovers’ goal as Weymouth began to up the anti with 10 men. Paulton winger Davies, who has attracted interest from the likes of Oxford United and Luton in recent weeks, then produced a mazy run and steered the ball dangerously across the Weymouth six-yard box without any of his teammates able to get on the end of it. And moments after Ashley Wells was introduced in place of Callum Laird, the Terras came within inches of levelling things up. Yetton latched on to a delivery inside the area and struck an effort with his right foot which rattled a post, and was stabbed away to safety by the hosts. Tempers then flared once more. Rovers’ Stuart Tovey was carded as frustrations reached boiling point, and minutes after, McPhee couldn’t quite capitalise on some neat Weymouth interplay around the hosts’ area. Evans, on thin ice after receiving his early caution, was then brought off in place of George Rigg and Sam Poole’s powerful ball forward narrowly evaded Yetton. Jamie Laird then had to be bandaged up after a clash of heads – not for the first time this season – and a free-kick from Chris Shephard then tormented the Rovers’ defence as Yetton went close once more. Despite being a man light, the visitors threw men forward late on. Paulton gloveman Phillips was swiftly off his line to pluck the ball off the head of McPhee, and Adam Kelly headed into the stands under pressure from a free-kick to the back post as the Terras drew a blank and were left with nothing to show from their efforts.
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