Dickson’s double ends Weymouth’s FA Cup run

CHRIS Dickson’s brace proved enough for Chelmsford to overcome Weymouth 2-1 in their Emirates FA Cup third qualifying round tie at Melbourne Park.

In an opening half that was dominated by the hosts, goalkeeper Mark Travers did well to keep Dickson at bay with a succession of superb stops.

But Dickson finally beat the Irishman from the spot after he was felled by Ashley Wells, before sending a brilliant second into the top corner with 10 minutes left.

Weymouth’s Harry Baker then grabbed a late goal to set up a nervy finish, but the Terras couldn’t force a replay as the Clarets held on to take their place in the fourth qualifying round.

The Terras made two changes to the starting 11 that began Tuesday night’s 3-2 win over Basingstoke.

Midfielders Charlie Davis and Josh Wakefield came in at the expense of Toby Down and Harry Baker, meaning Josh Carmichael slotted into central midfield alongside Davis, while Wakefield took Baker’s place in the Terras’ forward three.

Weymouth’s nerves were jangled early on as Travers dropped the ball straight to Chris Dickson, whose cheeky backheel was cleared for a corner.

Moments later Dickson was able to get away from the Terras’ defence and test Travers with a powerful shot in what was the first shot on target in the match.

Dickson was the focal point for all the Clarets’ attacks but he was once again unable to convert a chance created by Thomas Hitchcock from close range after a Craig Braham-Barrett cross.

Having ridden out a shaky 10-minute opening, Weymouth mustered their first shot at goal through Josh Carmichael, but his effort narrowly went over.

In what was quickly becoming an exclusive battle between Travers and Dickson, the Irish goalkeeper thwarted the striker twice in the space of two minutes, firstly pulling off a flying one-handed stop before denying the forward after the Clarets had smartly built a move from a throw-in.

At the other end, Weymouth worked Clarets’ goalkeeper Sam Beasant through Brandon Goodship, who first earned a corner before sending a timid effort at goal.

Goodship’s chance was the starting point of a brief spell of Weymouth pressure, the visitors’ Charlie Davis testing Beasant with a quickly-taken shot as Mark Molesley’s men continued to grow into the game.

Travers was on hand again to stop Dickson on 40 minutes, and still had time to frustrate Hitchcock before the break, getting down smartly to save after Anthony Church’s cross had set the striker up.

Josh Wakefield saw his dangerous cross cleared by Michael Spillane as Weymouth ended the first-half strongly, before Kudus Oyenuga curled a shot from inside the box wide of goal as the score remained 0-0 at the break.

Weymouth began the second period brightly, with Goodship bringing an excellent diving stop from Beasant, who tipped the striker’s 18-yard shot over the bar.

Chelmsford made Weymouth pay for not capitalising on their good work when Dickson was upended in the area by Wells, before tucking home the penalty on 58 minutes.

But Weymouth responded positively as firstly Carmichael sent an effort just over the bar, before captain Jake McCarthy robbed Oyenuga of the ball and proceeded to mirror Carmichael in placing his shot above the woodwork.

Molesley then sent on striker Baker for centre-back Wells in the hope of finding a goal, but it was Chelmsford who scored next.

Dickson was again Weymouth’s nemesis, striking a corking effort into the top corner from distance that gave Travers no chance.

Chelmsford’s lead looked to be safe with one minute to go until Baker collected a long-ball and fired home to give the away side hope of earning a replay.

But Chelmsford showed their experience during injury-time to run the clock down with corners and throw-ins.

When Weymouth retrieved possession, a searching cross was safely gathered by Beasant in the last action of the match, as the Clarets booked their place in the next round.

Chelmsford: Beasant, Green (Johnson 85), Braham-Barrett, Haines, Spillane, Smith, Davies, Church, Oyenuga (Barnard 70), Dickson, Hitchcock (Miller 85). Subs not used: Stevenson, Jessup, West, Daley

Terras: Travers, Brooks, Buckley, Wells (Baker 72), Cooper, Carmichael, Davis (Stewart 79), McCarthy, Thomson, (Farrugia 85) Goodship, Wakefield. Subs not used: Harvey, J Prodomo

Attendance: 664