MARK Molesley conceded that his Weymouth charges had to “really dig deep” to overcome a Hastings’ side brimming with the confidence you would expect from a team unbeaten in their league, albeit two divisions below the Terras.
Abdulai Baggie finally broke the Isthmian League South East Division Arrows’ resistance with a razor-sharp finish 16 minutes into the second period that secured a place in today’s Buildbase FA Trophy first round proper draw.
Shortly after the game the Terras’ boss said: “They were always going to be a dangerous animal to deal with; riding high, full of confidence, with an almost underdog mentality.
“They contained us well and asked lots of questions in the first half. So, we had to reset at half-time, look at it in a calm way and be patient.”
The positive manner of Hastings play certainly made for an entertaining tie and Molesley was quick to praise their step four opponents for making his team battle all the way.
“I was certainly an entertaining game with two teams trying to play their way out of trouble and work their way through the thirds. At times it was like a game of chess, trying to outwit each other which made for a difficult afternoon.
“We have to give full credit to Hastings and we are delighted to get the win, “ he continued.
One disappointment was the early withdrawal after just 26 minutes of Cameron Murray who had been enjoying a rare starting berth in the Terras’ attack.
Fortunately, Josh Wakefield entered the fray in place of Murray and Molesley believes he was pivotal in helping his side get over the line.
He explained: “Cameron had been really patient so it was a real shame he had to come off and we missed his energy. But Josh helped settle us down, got passes away and got us moving. He gave us that little bit of guile and nouse to gain us a bit more control of the game.”
Finally, when asked who he would prefer to be drawn in the next round, the manager expressed his desire for another “winnable” home tie again.
“We’d like home advantage and a winnable tie – but we think they are all winnable! We’ll take anyone at home,” he concluded.
