We have lost for the third successive league game after Hampton & Richmond Borough handed us a 4-2 defeat on Tuesday night at the Bob Lucas Stadium.
Though we found ourselves 2-1 up six minutes before halftime, courtesy of Malachi Linton and Tom Bearwish, two close-range headers from Luis Fernandez before the break put the hosts in front.
Any hopes of turning the scoreline around were ultimately thwarted when Josh Anifowose scored the Beavers’ fourth 20 minutes before the end.
This result now means we have shipped eight goals in two games, a disappointing statistic after we had let in only half that amount in the five preceding fixtures.
The manner in which the goals were conceded provoked an “honest” post-match interview from Bobby Wilkinson, describing what he saw as “men against boys.”
However, despite our loss, we still remain 17th in the National League South Table, four following Dartford’s loss to Slough Town.
Wilkinson made just one change following Saturday’s contest with Worthing, bringing in Keelan O’Connell as Elliott Bolton dropped to the bench.
The gaffer stated before Tuesday that he would be “reminding” the players of previous fixtures against the Beavers, the most recent being dogged by flood lighting issues.
Yet, despite our pre-match motivation, it would be the visitors with the early chances.
Their first opportunity came after just three minutes, when Gerard Benfield was forced to make a save following an accurate Jake Gray strike.
Two minutes later, Fernandez would head over the bar, a sign of things to come.
Our first chance would come just before 20 minutes, when our captain hit a beautifully-struck typical Bearwish volley from outside the box.
Unfortunately, though, Adam Desbois was able to push the shot away.
But, despite our chance, Hampton & Richmond would come knocking once more.
It was only a minute later when Linton was judged to have handled the ball inside the box, handing a penalty to the visitors.
Isaac Pitbaldo was able to send Benfield the wrong way, giving his side the lead.
However, the setback wouldn’t last for long.
It all came about after some classic Weymouth liquid football, Harry Parsons feeding a chipped pass into Teddy Howe, who laid the ball off to Linton, who then fired past Desbois to make it 1-1 after 25 minutes.
Parsons looked dangerous once more just after the half-hour mark, and was perhaps unfortunate not to have a penalty awarded in his favour after he went down inside the box.
Brandon Goodship would then have a go at goal four minutes later, his curling strike fizzing just over the bar.
It wouldn’t be long before we had another chance.
After Goodship laid off the ball, Bearwish had another go at goal from just outside the box.
Luckily, this effort would prove too much for Desbois, the ball instead flying into the top-right corner.
With us now being 2-1, we only had to hold on for six minutes, plus stoppage time, before the halftime whistle.
However, courtesy of a succession of Sam Deadfield corners, our good fortunes would run out.
Deadfield’s first dangerous corner would come just two minutes after Bearwish’s goal, as it met the head of Fernandez to make it 2-2.
If that wasn’t unfortunate enough, in deja vu fashion, Fernandez would get his head to another corner-kick in the second minute of added time, heading past Benfield once more.
While the second half did not begin with the end-to-end action that was shown in the first, it would be us who had the brighter start, the visiting defence having to clear away several dangerous crosses from both of our full-backs.
Parsons would then have an opportunity six minutes after the hour mark, although his strike was sent well wide of the goal.
Benfield’s first notable action since the break would come three minutes later, when he produced a good piece of goalkeeping to get a hand to Gray’s deflected shot.
However, barely a minute later, he would not be able to keep out the next strike.
This time it would be the Beavers who would send in a dangerous cross, as Anifowose lashed past Benfield to put Hampton & Richmond two goals up with 20 minutes to go.
With us now being even further behind, Mel Gwinnett’s side began to defend their lead, blocking an effort from Harry Parsons six minutes after Anifowose’s strike.
Then, a minute before stoppage time, Gwinnett, in an almost similar repeat to Saturday, was booked for the visiting team.
The Hampton & Richmond gaffer’s yellow card, however, was the final notable action of the game, as the Beavers left Dorset with an ultimately deserved victory.
Match report
By Jack Webb
