Weymouth sweep past Concord to take fourth

WEYMOUTH 3

Thomson 13, Odubade 64, Murray 68

CONCORD RANGERS 0

WEYMOUTH climbed up to fourth in the National League South without ever really hitting the heights as they cruised home 3-0 against a lacklustre Concord Rangers to record their fourth win on the spin in league and cup.

Ben Thomson buried a peach of a strike early on and then the points were wrapped up with two further goals inside six second half minutes, but in truth the Terras won this at a canter and the final scoreline was somewhat flattering to the Canvey Islanders.

Yemi Odubade grabbed the hosts’ second of the afternoon and it was one to remember for substitute Cameron Murray who bagged his first home goal for the Terras just 13 minutes after replacing Lionel Ainsworth.

There was just a solitary change to the starting XI, with skipper Jake McCarthy starting in midfield ahead of Josh Wakefield who returned to the bench.

There was a particularly slow start to the action and in the opening 10 minutes there was just a single attempt on either goal.

That came in the third minute when Danny Green hit a speculative 25-yarder for Rangers that was fired straight at Calum Ward.

Although the visitors edged the opening exchanges that was to be their only noteworthy chance of the first period.

Played out in a somewhat subdued atmosphere the game finally woke up in the 13th minute when, completely out of the blue, Weymouth got themselves in front.

Abdulai Baggie teed up Thomson on the left corner of the area and the burly striker smashed a 20-yard rocket into the far corner to stun keeper Chris Haigh.

The goal appeared to wake the Terras up from their slumber, if only briefly, and they should have added to their tally during an attacking foray that lasted a further eight minutes.

The impressive Odubade’s neat reverse pass set up Andy Robinson to rattle in a fierce effort that Haigh did well to block with his feet before Thomson squandered two bites of the cherry from an Ollie Harfield corner.

Initially, Thomson headed goalwards and his attempt was inadvertently blocked by Odubade, but the ball rolled neatly back for Thomson to try his luck again.

However, the striker snatched at the chance and dragged his shot wide from eight yards.

Then, on 20 minutes, Baggie picked up a loose ball from centre-back George Essuman’s slack square pass, only to steer his 20-yarder straight at Haigh who gathered with ease.

The remainder of the first half saw the tempo drop off and it was not until five minutes before the break that the hosts began to threaten again.

First, Calvin Brooks embarked on a menacing run that was cut short just inside the box before he could pull the trigger, and then Odubade and Thomson linked up but from the latter’s return pass saw Odubade stumble at the vital moment and Harfield’s corner sailed harmlessly through as the half-time whistle sounded.

Three minutes after the interval McCarthy hit a low drive well wide seconds before the Beach Boys’ Lamar Reynolds’ equally tame effort was routinely gathered by Ward.

There was a scare for the Terras eight minutes in from a Danny Green free-kick that was half-cleared but Ward was down well to save as Kreshnic Krasniqi thumped the loose ball at goal.

It looked promising two minutes later for the hosts when Baggie made a fast break from his own half but his tantalising centre towards Odubade was fractionally over-hit, and there was soon more frustration when the winger was denied a penalty after he was seemingly bundled over.

Goals though had to come and in the 63rd minute Odubade gave the scoreline a more realistic slant after Shaun Hobson launched a long free-kick into the box that wasn’t headed fully clear and Odubade thrashed home the loose ball.

A minute later Rangers’ afternoon was summed up with two poorly executed free-kicks in quick succession from Marcel Barrington and Joe Claridge before Weymouth finally put the game to bed with some much needed gloss.

Calvin Brooks was the architect as he drove down the right side before pulling the ball back for Murray who neatly swept home for 3-0.

Ten minutes later Brooks was marauding again along the byeline and he showed terrific persistence to pull another ball back, this time for substitute Brett Williams, whose unorthodox effort with a cock of the leg had to be parried to safety by Haigh.

It was all very comfortable for the Terras but there were no further chances to add gloss to the scoreline on an afternoon where they never really had to find anything like their best football to win.

Weymouth: Ward, Harfield, Zubar (McQuoid 78), Ainsworth (Murray 56), McCarthy, Thomson, Baggie, Odubade (Williams 72), Robinson, Brooks, Hobson. Subs not used: J Prodomo, Wakefield.

Concord: Haigh, Olufemi, Claridge, Roast, Pollock, Essuman, Green (Sherriff 64), Krasniqi, Barrington (Search 86), Kiangbeni, Reynolds. Subs not used: Sanusi, Minshull, Howett.

Attendance: 921