WEYMOUTH 3
BALDOCK TOWN 1
DETERMINED Weymouth shrugged off the past week’s traumas to claim a sparkling victory over Dr Martens Southern Division strugglers Baldock Town.
The three points they picked up from the thrill-a-minute match at the Wessex Stadium lifted them to second place in the table as Bashley slipped up against Witney.
And it was a dream start for David Laws in his new role as the Terras’ caretaker manager.
He said: “I couldn’t have wished for a better start — the overall performance was brilliant.
“The team have not been playing to their full potential recently but today they gave 110 per cent.”
He added: “I feel honoured to have been asked to be caretaker manager and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
“I was a lot more boisterous on the pitch and relied on Terry Nutman on the side to keep the instructions going.”
And Laws led from the front with a whole-hearted display which left him caked in mud by the final whistle.
Once again he did a lot of the running, enabling his teammates to reap the rewards – this time it was Mark Robinson, Alex Browne and Andy Mason who grabbed the -goals.
As early as the fifth minute Laws produced a wonderful goal-scoring chance, floating an excellent cross into the box which Mark Jackson turned just wide.
On 17 minutes Laws slipped the ball through a line of visiting defenders, collected it on the other side and tapped it on for Robinson, who showed a cool head by playing the ball calmly past advancing goalkeeper David Walton.
And apart from one anxious moment when Baldock failed to capitalise on some awful confusion in the Weymouth area, the rest of the half belonged to the Terras.
With Laws, Browne, Chris Leadbitter and Darren Powell all seeing shots deflected, hooked off the line or crashing clear off the woodwork, it was amazing that the home side went in just one goal up at the break.
But things started to go wrong in the second half as Baldock began to show a lot more fight.
On 69 minutes, shortly after Ian Hutchinson’s strong header was tipped over the bar by Walton, play swung to the other end.
Effan Elad smashed a powerful drive at Paul Myers and the slippery ball evaded his grasp.
From the resulting corner the ball flew into the crowded box and swirled into the net off the unfortunate Jackson’s head.
And it was not until nine minutes from time that the home team regained their lead but when they did the reaction from the 709 spectators was deafening.
Flory’s cross was headed against the post by Laws, then as Baldock cleared the ball skipper Browne collected, dribbled to the edge of the area and produced a stunning, clinical finish into the bottom right corner.
And as Baldock forced defensive mistakes as they pushed desperately for a share of the points, the Terras broke again.
Laws won the ball, slid it through to Hutchinson and he in turn fed man of the match Mason, whose shot screamed home to seal the victory on the stroke of time.
Weymouth: Myers, Powell, Flory, Browne, Waldock, Mason, Robinson, Hutchinson, Jackson, Laws, Leadbitter.
Unused subs: Boulton, Carr, Watkins.
Attendance: 709