EASTBOURNE BOROUGH 1

WEYMOUTH 1

WEYMOUTH endured a difficult night at Priory Lane but were to return home with their long unbeaten run in the league intact despite being reduced to ten men with 20 minutes remaining.

It was a mixed night for Jake McCarthy who missed a first-half penalty moments before Charlie Walker shot Borough ahead.

But the Terras’ skipper was to earn a valuable point when he bravely converted a second penalty, just after substitute Brett Williams had been given his marching orders.

The visitors could boast a virtually unchanged matchday squad ahead of kick-off with just one change to the starting eleven from the side that humbled Braintree at home on Saturday.

Josh McQuoid, slowly regaining fitness, dropped to the bench in place of attacking midfielder Cameron Murray for only his fifth start of the season, while the rest of the bench was identical to that listed at the weekend.

When the action began on a cold night in East Sussex, it was the visitors that found the first real route to goal after seven minutes.

Ben Thomson cut in from the right side before playing in Yemi Odubade whose shot to the near post had to be pushed away for a corner by home keeper Tom Hadler.

Five minutes later it was Hadler who began a swift counter-attack that saw Nicky Wheeler drag a shot wide at the other end seconds before Thomson has the ball in the hosts’ net only for Calvin Brooks to be called offside.

Luck was again deserting the Terras when Murray appeared to be bundled over in the area but no penalty was awarded.

Then, in the 16th minute, McCarthy was upended by Kane Wills but the Weymouth skipper couldn’t find the quality he produced on Saturday with his free-kick effort easily gathered by Hadler.

Next, Sports opened the scoring when some slack play saw Thomson easily dispossessed by Greg Luer in the middle of the Park and his pass to Walker saw the frontman take one touch before dispatching a drive past Ward.

Despite this setback, the Terras were presented with a perfect opportunity to level matters just four minutes later.

Again McCarthy was adjudged to have been fouled but this time inside the area and he stepped up to take the spot-kick.

Alas, Hadler guessed right and, diving to his right, pulled off a fantastic save to keep the score at 1-0 going into the second period.

Five minutes after the restart Thomson toe-ended a shot just off target when forced wide just before Odubade was adjudged to have fouled the keeper with the ball in the home net again.

But what really appeared to be a killer blow to Weymouth’s ambitions was the sending off of Brett Williams just ten minutes after replacing Odubade. The striker tried to hook at a high ball but only succeeded in catching an opponent with a boot to the mouth.

Credit to the Terras though who showed real spirit to dig out a draw in the face of adversity.

As they began to press McCarthy smashes a drive over from distance but he would be presented with a second chance from the spot four minutes later.

Abdulai Baggie was sent tumbling and this time the captain fully atoned for his earlier miss as he confidently beat Hadler from 12 yards.

Later, in injury time, both sides had chances to nick it only for Calvin Brooks to volley into the side netting at the back post just before Sports rattled the bar at the other end.

Weymouth: Ward, Wakefield, Camp, Ngalo, McCarthy, Thomson, Baggie, Murray, Odubade (Williams 61′), Brooks, Hobson.