Weymouth came away with a point against Havant and Waterlooville in a 1-1 draw following a string of saves by Hugo Fisher which kept them in the game.
The goalkeeper’s heroics came as a result of a handful of opportunities from the hosts, one of which being a Jack Jebb free-kick in the 69th minute.
The Hawks’ main set-piece man looked to have put his side 2-1 ahead after curling effort bended round the wall towards the top left-hand corner.
However, the recently-signed shot topper managed to reach his fingertips to the ball and push behind for a corner kick.
This particular moment helped ensure that The Terras were to walk away from Westleigh Park with a point, an improvement from their outing against rivals Yeovil Town just four days earlier.
Yesterday’s result also puts Weymouth in 18th place with 17 points, a total of 12 greater than last season after the same amount of league games played.
It did not not seem like Weymouth were up against a team who were last place in the National League South, with the hosts enjoying the more dangerous chances particularly in the second half.
Gaffer Bobby Wilkinson warned of the opposition’s “tight unit” the day before the game; the match certainly showed that the Dorset outfit faced a team who still have a lot to offer over the course of this season.
TERRAS EARLY PROMISE
Weymouth entered Saturday’s outing with three changes following their defeat at Huish Park, one of them being skipper Tom Bearwish following his recovery from a hamstring injury.
The early minutes suggested that the replacements worked, with The Terras taking the lead inside just eight minutes after Hawks left-back Kai Innocent was unfortunate enough to convert the ball into his own net.
Innocent had been aiming to clear Keelan O’Connell’s dangerous cross, which had been delivered into a crowded area.
Weymouth were on the attack again just six minutes later, this time through Bearwish who got his shot underway.
However, the captain’s effort was ultimately blocked by Yoan Zouma, preventing Wilkinson’s side from doubling their lead.
Though the next crucial point of the game would not come until 12 minutes before half-time, when Ezio Touray was judged to have clipped Jake Roberts inside the box, resulting in a penalty for the hosts.
Touray would not be handed a lifeline for his foul, as Roberts slotted his spot-kick past Fisher into the bottom right-hand corner.
The goal would mark a turning point in terms of clear-cut chances, with Weymouth perhaps being fortunate not to have gone into half time a goal behind.
It was Zouma who found himself on the end of Jebb’s delivery, and the Frenchman could have easily put his side ahead.
However, his close-range header managed to only collide with the woodwork, meaning the two sides remained level as they headed down the tunnel.
FISHER IN FINE FORM
The second half did not display any chances for either team, until seven minutes in when goalscorer Roberts combined with Muhammadu Faal, who fired his effort straight into the hands of Fisher.
After Ben Thomson and Moe Shubbar were introduced for Touray and Elliot Bolton just before the hour mark, Fisher would find himself tested again only a few minutes later.
The Weymouth shot-stopper would be tasked with preventing the first of two Jebb free-kicks from entering the back of the net, in which he bravely came to collect the Hawks midfielder’s delivery.
However, it would be his second save which earnt all the plaudits.
Following another effort from Jebb which looked certain to put his side ahead, Fisher managed to reach his fingertips toward the top right-hand corner and push the ball behind.
The young goalkeeper would not be done keeping his side in the game, making a magnificent double-save just 15 minutes from the end.
After he reached a hand towards Devante Stanley’s cross, the ball fell straight to the feet of Faal, who saw his effort gently tipped over the bar.
Faal would again fail to get the better of Fisher just two minutes before stoppage time, again seeing a shot of his fire straight into the gloves of his opponent.
As the match was entering its close in the final minutes, it would be the defence proving strong for The Terras, this time Jordon Thompson managing to clear the ball following a mazy run from Faal, who was proving problematic for much of the second half.
Although this would ultimately prove to be the game’s final key chance, as both teams shared the points.
Wilkinson said after the game that it was important to “take the point on the road and then try and make it four points [in two games] on Saturday.”
His side have the opportunity to do just that against Welling United at the Bob Lucas Stadium in four days time [15.00 GMT].
Match report by
Jack Webb
