Early goal sinks Terras as Matthews makes unexpected return
Summary:
Weymouth fell to their second defeat in a row on Saturday, after a headed goal from Taylor on 11 minutes punished the Terras for their slow start. Although Weymouth went on to dominate the latter stages of the game, they lacked the quality needed in front of goal to find an equalizer. And when Max Evans was dismissed, it presented a surprise opportunity for Jason Matthews to return between the sticks, drawing the biggest cheer of the day.
Match Report:
With Brooks and Hanger still on the injury list, Jamie Wells opted to keep the same defensive line up as the previous week, but was forced to make changes elsewhere after Brandon Goodship called in sick on the morning of the game. Recent signings Matt Neale and Tor Swann were chosen to start the game, while Burrows dropped to the bench where Jason Matthews was named as back up keeper for the first time this season.
The visitors started the game very brightly, with a couple of early chances falling to their top scorer Seager, but his first effort went high over the bar and his second was well saved by Evans. Just 11 minutes had passed when they took the lead, Maloney’s deep cross from the left wing being met by Taylor who rose above Genesini to head home.
The Hawks kept the pressure on. Weymouth had to scramble the ball away after Taylor had progressed deep into their penalty area, and Pollock then made a good tackle to prevent Thorpe from getting his shot away. It was 30 minutes into the game before Swann got a clear shot for the Terras, firing wide of the far post. Just before half-time the ball fell to Neale in the penalty area, but he sliced his volley wide.
The two sides traded blows at the beginning of the second half as the game opened up. Bearwish wriggled his way through the Hawks defence after 51 minutes but shot over the bar. Giwa-McNeil drew a brilliant reaction save from Evans after 65 minutes, as the Weymouth keeper tipped his close-range effort over the bar. Swann and Burrows were both creating havoc down the wings, but too often the final ball failed to find a teammate.
The big talking point came with 10 minutes to go. Evans rushed out of his area to intercept a long ball, but only succeeded in bringing down Giwa-McNeil who reached the ball ahead of him. This resulted in a second yellow card for the Weymouth keeper, who was sent from the field by the referee. Jamie Wells reacted by bringing on Weymouth’s 50 year-old Director of Football Jason Matthews, with Kieran Douglas the man to make way.
Matthews showed assured handling in his own area, and as the Terras chased an equaliser he even ventured up the field for a couple of corners in the dying minutes of the game. A final chance to salvage a point came Weymouth’s way in the 5th minute of added time, when they were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area. Hutchinson curled a lovely left-footed effort round the wall, but Ferdinand managed to parry it away to safety as the visitors held on to claim all three points.
Reaction:
Speaking to Radio Terras after the game, Jamie Wells admitted it was a slow start by his team, saying “it wasn’t really us and what we’ve shown over the last couple of weeks …” but felt that “we started to get control of the game again” towards the end of the first half. Moving on to the second half Jamie said “we dominated and were the stronger team … just couldn’t quite find that final bit of quality to get it over the line … and going down to ten doesn’t help in that situation”. Despite the result, Jamie believes the mood in the camp is still positive, saying “the work rate, desire, the attitude from the lads is still there … they are giving everything”.
With this loss Weymouth fell one place to 17th in the table, now just one point clear of the relegation zone. Next up is a trip to west London where the Terras face Uxbridge, and they will be looking to impose themselves on a side who only have two wins in their last 16 league games.
Lineups:
Terras: Evans; Betts, Douglas (Matthews, 81), Pollock, Hutchinson, Genesini (Burrows, 55); Swann, Robinson, Neale, Bearwish; Reid
Subs not used: Moss, Stavrianos
Red card: Evans (79)
Hawks: Ferdinand; Taylor, Milner-Smith, Willson, Seager, Maloney, Thorpe, Rooney, Aston, Laidlaw (Giwa-McNeil, 46 (Swann, 87)), Fosu (Pendlebury, 74)
Subs not used: Nkwonta, Whittingham
Goal: Taylor (11)
Attendance: 868
Media:
Watch Jamie Wells’ post-match interview here:
Scroll through the match photos here: 14-Feb-2026 Weymouth vs Havant & Waterlooville | Flickr
Check out the video highlights here: HIGHLIGHTS | Weymouth 0-1 Havant & Waterlooville
Match Report by Ian Middlebrook
