WEYMOUTH 3
Doherty, Bourne, Pearson
WORCESTER CITY 1
JUST when the fans were beginning almost to despair the Terras have come to life again.
On Saturday they produced many of their old skills and flairs in achieving an outstanding success over Worcester City in the fourth qualifying round of the F.A. Cup.
New boy Mick Doherty opened his account in making his home debut with a magnificent right-footed shot. Richard Bourne got up in the goalmouth to head an opportunist goal from a corner, and Gerry Pearson confidently hit a second-half penalty.
For Pearson the pressure must have been really on. He had missed two out of his last three spot-kicks – and this one was important to clinch matters in an important cup-tie.
In the end, the Terras pulled themselves together surprisingly well after going seven games without a win and giving a rock-bottom performance at Altrincham last week.
And they chose just the match in which to do it – against the fifth-placed side in the Gola League.
The fans loved it – and so did delighted manager Brian Godfrey, who told me: “We could have won by a lot more.”
He went on: “We are now starting to play again and it certainly makes you wonder how on earth we have gone through seven games without a win.
“We have beaten a very good side to get through to the first round. Everything had pleased me.
“And our fans have done us proud. They got behind us tremendously. Now all we want is a home draw again in the first round, whoever we have to play against.”
Weymouth won the match in the first-half, when they took a two-goal lead.
They also had to overcome the problem of continuing without experienced midfielder Gary Borthwick, who hobbled off with a knee injury after only 17 minutes.
He was replaced by substitute Brian Benjafield, who played well.
Borthwick will tomorrow be having a check by a specialist.
Weymouth had a fine start. Doherty scoring after six minutes.
Shaun Penny drilled the ball low through the box from the right, and Doherty did the rest, calmly controlling the situation and beating Paul Hayward with a peach of a drive from eight yards.
Hayward was beaten again in the 16th minute by a free-kick from Andy Townsend, but the ball cannoned from his bar.
For a period, Worcester came back into the game. Evans curled a shot over the home defence and against the bar, and both Paul Arnold and goalkeeper Len Bond, rescued the Terras with some great individual efforts.
However, Weymouth came back well towards the interval, Penny shot high over the bar from a clear-cut chance, and Tony Agana also shot wide from close-range, although he went close with a rasping effort on the run which Hayward tipped away in brilliant fashion.
Doherty, too, missed a terrific chance, delaying far too long after Agana had laid on an opportunity for him. Doherty eventually drove into Hayward’s body.
But the Terras deservedly eased ahead just before the interval. Bourne back-heading past Hayward via a corner.
The killer punch was delivered in the 54th minute when Townsend weaved his way through, beating four Worcester men before being up-ended by Don Wade at the expense of a penalty – of which Pearson took fullest advantage.
Weymouth finished well in control, with their front line tearing great gaps in the visistors’ defence.
Weymouth: Bond, Arnold, P Rogers, Borthwick (Benjafield), Bourne, Iannone, Pearson, Doherty, Penny, Townsend, Coombes.
Attendance: 1,226