Weymouth survive late pressure to condemn Concord

CONCORD RANGERS 1

O’Donoghue 54

WEYMOUTH 2

Baggie 40, Odubade 56

WEYMOUTH survived intense late pressure to record a precious 2-1 victory at Concord Rangers in the Vanarama National League South.

Substitute Abdulai Baggie handed Weymouth a 40th-minute lead after captain Josh McQuoid hobbled off with injury.

Concord levelled following a goalmouth melee nine minutes after the restart but Yemi Odubade put the Terras back in front two minutes later with a smart angled finish.

Concord rallied and Ben Wells rattled the post in the dying stages but Weymouth held out for a second successive away win.

Weymouth boss Mark Molesley made five changes to the side that began the 1-1 draw with Dulwich Hamlet last time out.

Goalkeeper Mark Childs, centre-back Stephane Zubar, midfielder Jordan Ngalo, winger Baggie and forward Ben Thomson all missed out – all five taking a place on the bench.

In came Calum Ward, Odubade, Ade Olumuyiwa, Tom Whelan and Brett Williams – the former and latter having shaken off injuries to claim their starting XI berth.

Weymouth were targeting the league double over Concord after convincingly beating the Essex side 3-0 in late September at the Bob Lucas Stadium.

Early signs of completing a second win over the Beach Boys were promising as striker Williams shot wide in the fourth minute, albeit from an offside position, after Tosin Olufemi had rippled the side netting for Concord.

Williams slashed another shot wide and the Terras were again on the front foot as McQuoid’s fizzed cross along the six-yard box was hastily cleared by Olufemi with Josh Wakefield lurking.

Midway through the half each side wasted golden chances as Odubade was denied by keeper Chris Haigh before Ward was called into action, pushing his parry just shy of Concord’s Henry Woods.

However, Weymouth received a big blow when captain McQuoid went down with another niggle to his troublesome right hamstring, forcing Molesley to bring on Baggie in the 26th minute.

Weymouth created another superb chance for Odubade soon afterwards but the forward could only scuff wide from six yards before Woods fired over for Concord following a mistake from Olumuyiwa.

Baggie, having been on the pitch just 14 minutes, then put Weymouth ahead. Racing onto Odubade’s lofted through ball, the winger steamed ahead and nudged the ball past Haigh in the 40th minute.

Baggie’s goal, his ninth of the season, brought him level with Jake McCarthy as the Terras’ leading scorer this season. Neither man could add to their tallies before half-time, though.

Nine minutes after the restart, Weymouth conceded an equaliser.

Defender Shaun Hobson had done well to snuff out a Hayes attack, albeit giving away a corner from which Michael O’Donoghue’s delivery caused mayhem.

A mass of bodies at the near post collided and the ball was eventually deflected past Ward, O’Donoghue claiming the goal.

Weymouth’s disappointment lasted just two minutes as Odubade finally got on the scoresheet, burying a difficult chance past Haigh from an acute angle.

Odubade saw two shots blocked by Billy Roast, one a nasty hit in the groin, before Whelan tested Haigh from distance as Weymouth dominated.

Amid extreme Concord pressure late on, McCarthy guided a free header at Haigh after home midfielder Ben Wells clattered Ward’s post with a piledriver from fully 30 yards.

Concord were by now hammering on the door and Wakefield had to stab off the line as Weymouth grappled with a tremendous Concord assault on goal.

As Concord threw men forward, Baggie countered with a one-on-one but was halted by Haigh before the final whistle put an end to the pressure and handed the Terras all three points from a second successive away day.

After Dorking’s 4-4 draw with Billericay, Weymouth edged into fifth spot – 12 points off leaders Wealdstone.

Weymouth host Verwood Town in their rearranged Dorset Senior Cup semi-final on Tuesday (7.45pm).

Concord: Haigh, Olufemi, O’Donoghue (Carlyle 77), Wells, Pollock, Roast, Reynolds (Hernandez 87), Krasniqi, Elliott, Woods (Sheriff 65), Nouble.

Subs not used: Search, Minshull.

Terras: Ward, Harfield, Wakefield, McCarthy, McQuoid (Baggie 26), Odubade (Thomson 83), Olumuyiwa, Whelan, Williams, Camp, Hobson.

Subs not used: Childs, Zubar, Ngalo.