WEYMOUTH 2
BRAINTREE 1
SUPER-sub Ray Wellman fired Weymouth into the third round of the FA Trophy with a dazzling goal against Braintree Town at the Wessex Stadium.
Mark Robinson had put the Terras into a first half lead but it was Wellman’s late strike which sealed the victory for certain.
It was not Weymouth’s most convincing display of the season, though, and they allowed their Ryman League visitors in to hit a consolation goal with the last kick of the game.
But the Win was the Terras’ fifth in succession and manager Fred Davies was pleased to be through to the next round.
He said: “Under the circumstances, with the injury situation we’ve got, we’ve done well to get through.
“We had enough opportunities to put the game out of the way in the first half and when it’s 1-0 for so long the concern is that they are going to nip in and get something.
“In the end we were fortunate when their player headed over the bar and Paul Myers made a few good saves and we got ourselves into a risky position when there was no need for it.
“Having said that though, I’m delighted to be in the next round.”
Both sides created early chances and in the 13th minute the Terras were awarded a free kick in the Braintree area after a visiting defender had passed back to keeper Paul Catley.
From about eight yards out Darren Powell laid the ball across to Chris Evans, whose effort was deflected for a corner off a defender’s boot.
The breakthrough came ten minutes later following a darting run down the left from Nick Flory.
He released Evans, whose shot was fumbled by Catley and Robinson powered the loose ball borne.
Evans should have made it 2-0 on half time when Waldock set him clear with a superb through ball.
He raced into the box but his shot curled inches wide of the right post.
Shortly after the break there was an action replay at the other end, this time Hutchinson providing Evans with the opportunity and after a swift spurt into the box the luckless striker beat the keeper but also the right post.
Braintree came increasingly into the game and they must have cursed their luck in the 72nd minute when substitute Ian Gedney, who had scored a hat-trick for them in the last round, drove the ball against the left post.
Star striker Gary Bennett then inexplicably sent the rebound over the crossbar.
Six minutes from time Davies made a double substitution, bringing on Wellman and Simon Browne and with virtually his first touch of the match Wellman made the game safe.
He received the ball near the half way line, charged 40 yards, leaving the Braintree defence trailing in his wake, and sent a 15-yard shot searing into the back of the net from a fine angle.
With a little more concentration, the Terras could have kept a clean sheet but in the second minute of injury time they let Braintree reduce the arrears.
Alan Vincent was left unmarked on the edge of the box and he had no trouble heading home when he was given a perfect corner by Scott Forbes.
Weymouth: Myers, Gamon, Flory (S Browne 84), A Browne, Waldock, Powell, Robinson, Hutchinson (Mansell 75), Adcock, Evans (Wellman 84), Boulton.
Unused sub: George.