MARK Molesley admits his side are gutted to now be the chasers as the Terras no longer top the table ahead of a potentially critical battle against Salisbury tonight at the Bob Lucas Stadium in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier South (7.45pm).
Weymouth surrendered their position at the top of the table on Saturday, with both Taunton Town and Salisbury overtaking them, when they fell to a 2-1 loss away at Kings Langley, with Jordan Rose receiving his marching orders after picking up two yellow cards in just 18 minutes.
Molesley said: “That is the challenge now, we are not at the top anymore. We are the chasers now, we need to react quickly. We want to get back to the top spot and we will be doing everything that we can to do that.”
The game already looks like a pivotal fixture at this juncture in the season, and current table toppers Taunton will have a keen eye on it.
The Peacocks have 32 points and have played one more game than both Salisbury, who are second, and Weymouth in third who both have 30 points and are separated by one in terms of goal difference.
The Peacocks are not in action thus the Terras can go top with a win, however, defeat will leave them three points adrift of the top spot having played the same amount of games as their rivals.
To add further tension, fourth place Hendon have played a game less than the Terras and are three points behind but with a significantly inferior goal difference to highlight just how narrow the top of the table has become.
When asked if having lost the top spot bothers him, Molesley replied: “We want to be top no doubt about it, we are gutted.
“We have got to turn that frustration into fuel for our fire to try and reclaim that top spot but I do not mind if we are not at the top spot all season just as long as we are at the top at the end of it.”
The Whites are managed by former Terras’ boss Steve Claridge, who took charge between June 2003 and October 2004 and had a very good win ratio of 42.71 per cent while in charge of Weymouth.
However, Molesley says the league is not a sprint and believes his side are doing more rights than wrongs at the minute.
He also reflected upon the 2-1 loss at Kings Langley and believes if the Terras played the game again today then, apart from a couple of things, they would have won the match.
Molesley said: “It is a marathon not a sprint, there are going to be plenty of ups and downs but I can see that we are doing the right thing more often than not, we are playing some good stuff.
“If we had to play that game again today, barring a couple of small things, I think we would have won the game.
“A couple of things out of our control but there is nothing we can do about that now, we have just got to live and learn and move on.”
The two sides have not faced each other in league competition in nearly nine years, when Weymouth beat the Whites 2-0 back in February 2011.
Salisbury come into the clash on a seven-match winning streak in the league, while the Terras, prior to Saturday, had been on a seven-match unbeaten streak in league competition
Pleasingly for Weymouth there are no knocks ahead of the match for the Terras, and Molesley had good news on Ashley Wells, who he says is nearing fitness now.
Molesley added: “It is now just people getting their match fitness, Jordan Rose, would have been been better for some game time if he had stayed on the pitch a bit longer but that did not happen but there is another opportunity on Tuesday.”
The Terras host Salisbury tonight (7.45pm).
