Recap

Weymouth victorious over Boro in final friendly

WEYMOUTH 2

Williams 57, Odubade 66

GOSPORT BOROUGH 1

Lea 68

WEYMOUTH ended their pre-season unbeaten, as goals from Brett Williams and Yemi Odubade sealed a 2-1 victory over Gosport Borough at the Bob Lucas Stadium.

Theo Lewis grabbed a goal back for the visitors, but the Terras were able to negotiate their final pre-season hurdle.

Weymouth boasted both new signings in their team, with Jack Hoey starting, and goalkeeper Callum Ward on the bench. Cameron Murray and Mark Childs also returned to the starting line-up, while substitute against Poole, Odubade, also started.

Lewis, Mike Carter, Ryan Woodford and Rory Williams, all summer acquisitions from Havant, started for Gosport.

The Hawks went full-time, which has seen a large exodus, with Gosport, Weymouth and Dorchester among the teams to benefit from players leaving.

The match began like a passing exercise for Weymouth, which they were succeeding with in the early stages.

It was an even start, with the first chance falling to Sam Argent for Gosport, nodding a deep cross straight at Weymouth goalkeeper Mark Childs.

Odubade grabbed the first chance for Weymouth, after a lethargic first 16 minutes, but his shot at an angle from close range was blocked.

The game began to warm up at this point however.

Wakefield attempted a free-kick from 25-yards out but it was over the bar.

A penalty shout then followed but it looked soft, after which Callum Buckley fired a shot from distance that went well over the bar.

George Barker was the next to threaten, with the Gosport man sliding a shot wide of the post.

A superb long ball from Ryan Woodford then forced Ade Olumuyiwa to carefully nod back to Childs, with Argent causing a lot of pressure for the Weymouth defender.

Gosport were on top by this point, with Jordan Rose having to block away a fearsome shot from Argent, while Richie Whittingham hit the bar moments later.

The first half ended shortly after however, with Gosport on top, but at the break they took off danger man Argent for Joe Leigh, with Ollie Harfield and Williams on for the Terras in place of Callum Buckley and Abdulai Baggie for the hosts.

It was a similarly quiet start to the second half, yet the Terras would grab the lead after 57 minutes.

A straight-forward move forward saw Odubade deliver the ball to Williams, who professionally fired across goal and into the net from just inside the box.

Odubade then followed up with a strike soon after, which went just wide of the far post.

After 63 minutes, Gosport had a threatening free-kick, centrally from 30-yards out.

Barker dinked it into the box, but Ashley Wells and Hoey were able to clear the ball away.

Odubade then doubled the lead after 66 minutes.

Harfield swung in a corner, that was met well by Hoey, but his headed effort rattled the crossbar, and down into the rest of the box, and Odubade was there to tap in amid the fracas.

The game had blossomed into life, and Gosport had a goal back two minutes later.

Joe Lea charged down the right, before producing a brilliant cross that Theo Lewis got on the end of to nod in past Weymouth substitute Callum Ward.

Williams thought he had a second in the match after 74 minutes, when Williams seemingly nodded in from a corner, but the celebrations were cut short with the referee blowing for a foul on goalkeeper O’Flaherty.

The game began dying with a raft of substitutions for the visitors, breaking up any consistent spells of play.

Neither side were producing a clear cutting edge, with the defences well on top as the match came to a close.

Odubade pinged a cross over to Ben Thomson, who nodded over the bar in what was a quiet game for the forward.

However, the Terras would hold on to claim victory in their final pre-season game.

Weymouth begin their Vanarama National League South campaign away to Maidstone United on Saturday (3pm).

Terras: Childs (Ward 46), Wells, Wakefield, Buckley (Harfield 46), Thomson, Baggie (Williams 46), Murray, Odubade, Olumuyiwa, Hoey, Rose. Subs not used: McCarthy, McQuoid, Farrugia.

Gosport: O’Flaherty, Roberts, Woodford, Partridge (Huggins 79), Carter (Chugg 79), Robinson, Williams (Ridge 58), Whittingham (Kennedy 60), Lewis, Argent (Lea 46), Barker Subs not used: Walker-Harris.

Attendance: 373

Referee: Mark Derrion (Dorchester)