Plymouth Parkway 0 – 2 Weymouth
A top performance, three points and a clean sheet – the Terras are back!
Weymouth quickly took the lead in the 9th minute with a goal from Torquay loanee Carson which would go on to pave the way to an early season win and a much needed boost, putting the seasons opening defeat firmly behind them. That’s not to say it wasn’t a challenging match, and Plymouth Parkway by no means made it an easy three points, but there was much more pace and cohesion on the pitch from the Terras, with the players all putting in a good shift and giving a top performance.
FIRST HALF
Entering the pitch in their Claret and Blue colours, Weymouth set the scene early on showing composure and coordination from kick off. Strong from the start they were clearly on the front foot from the get go. There was an early foul in the 7th minute and the Terras were calling for a penalty, or at the very least a booking, but the referee’s notebook made no appearance, and a goal kick was given to Parkway.
Soon after, a challenge from Hanger gave away a throw in from Parkway, but McCarthy quickly won the ball back midway in the home teams half of the field, sending it out towards Burrows, over to Watts who took it over the top into the penalty. Carson then took the opportunity to take the shot with his left foot into the bottom corner, putting the Terras in the lead in the 9th minute.
As the game continued, Parkway showed some pace to try and get back into the game, and Burrows became surrounded by Parkway players who proceeded with a dangerous counterattack. Soon after, Burrows went down and had to receive treatment which turned into an early substitution and he was replaced in the 14th minute, making way for Odiaka taking up a position up on the left hand side.
The pace continued strong for both sides, but Goodship found himself being booked on the 20th minute for simulation. Bearwish went to Goodship’s defence, and although it was a questionable decision, he none the less received the first yellow card of the game.
Parkway received two successive corners showing some fight to get back in the game, and continuing to gain some momentum and pace down their left hand side, they had a shot on goal which Clark successfully stopped, keeping the Terras in the lead.
The pressure continued from Parkway who started to gain more possession and confidence, with a few close calls where they could have equalised, showing consistent improvement as the half went on. McNerney received a second booking for the Terras, being shown a yellow card after clipping the Parkway Captain Rio Garside off the ball.
There was a shot on target late in the first half from a Weymouth header towards goal, but an excellent save from Parkway’s goal keeper didn’t give the Terras the second goal they needed to end the half comfortably. As the half came to a close, Carson was booked for pulling a Plymouth player down, giving Weymouth three yellow cards in the first half.
In the two minutes of added time, Plymouth were awarded a late dangerous free kick from the right hand side, almost level with the penalty spot. It was shot in towards the goal, hitting the post and headed away by Douglas, clearing the ball away. It was hard work for the Terras in the final moments before the break, but they ended the half in the lead.
SECOND HALF
As the second half began, there were no changes for the Terras and they kicked off quickly, continuing the pace we saw in the first half with some dangerous moments early on from Parkway finding themselves under pressure early on. At one point Goodship found himself surrounded by four players with Parkway soon after receiving two successive bookings a few minutes apart.
Ten minutes into the second half and Weymouth made a substitution, Robinson replaced Odiaka following a possible injury. A few minutes later Watts gets a shot on target, coming close to extending their lead.
It was around the 63rd minute that things became tense on the pitch and McCarthy received a yellow card for a challenge from behind when trying to win the ball back. A quick substitution followed with replacing McCarthy with Tom Hewlett.
The game eventually got back underway after a few minutes of disruption, and with 23 minutes to go the Terras continued to try and find another goal to secure their lead. Both teams continued to press on and play at a tense pace, both teams showing drive to find a goal.
At the 70th minute, a Weymouth corner by Goodship in towards the penalty area saw the ball drop out towards Bearwish at the edge of the area. A shot was taken and a deflection gave the Terras another corner from the right-hand side. Watts took the corner with Bearwish managing to retrieve the ball, but it was Reid who went in for the shot which was saved by some excellent defending from Parkway. The ball came out to McNearey who missed the target from eight yards, giving a goal kick to Parkway. Bearwish came down showing signs of injury and eventually taking his armband off, making way for Gyebi to come on to replace him.
The game continued, both sides trying to find a goal before the whistle, but it was in the 85th minute when Tom Hewlett scored his first goal for the Terras with a left-footed shot, securing their lead with that much needed second goal. The game continued at a fast pace, with 8 minutes of injury time added on. Both teams pressed on with the pace, continuing on until the end, looking for more chances to secure a goal.
Plymouth Parkway made it hard work for Weymouth, but it was an excellent performance from the Terras. The team earned their 3 points and a clean sheet, moving them up the table away from the bottom four and levelling out their goal difference.
Match Report by
Jayne Degiorgio
