WEYMOUTH boss Mark Molesley, his players and the Bob Lucas faithful were raging on Saturday evening at what they perceived to be an unjust conclusion to their Vanarama National League South fixture with Eastbourne Borough – a game that ended with a number of key incidents going dramatically against the home side.
Instead of celebrating a comfortable victory, the game was to end 2-2 after Charlie Walker, who had escaped a red card moments earlier, popped up with a last ditch goal for Borough, a justifiably livid Molesley was left to rue three key decisions in those closing stages that were to cost his team two points.
Afterwards, when asked if he felt his team were robbed, Molesley replied: “I think that’s a good word to be used. Ultimately my players have done everything to win that game of football and had it taken away from them by some inept officials.
“We controlled that game and played well enough to win it – other things out of our control is what’s cost us so I’m bitterly disappointed with the turn of events today.”
The Terras’ manager went on to describe fully the grievances he had with three late decisions that were to deny Weymouth a deserved victory.
In the moments leading up to Walker’s last gasp leveller Molesley believed Josh Wakefield should not have had a goal chalked off for offside as he “was five yards onside” when the linesman flagged,
In the manager’s opinion Walker himself shouldn’t have been on the pitch to score after a horror tackle on Abdulai Baggie near the halfway line was only punished with a yellow card, and then Molesley further believed that Brett Williams had been bundled over in the build-up to that goal when he said simply, “Brett’s been pushed over.”
However, although he had much to be upset with, Molesley remained upbeat when he described his pride in his players’ endeavours over a difficult run of three away games before this tough home game with Borough.
“Again I’m so proud of my players; after Wednesday (Havant & Waterlooville), the travel we have had – over 1,000 miles clocked up in eight days.
“The way the boys battled and played today, I was so proud and we played some great stuff when we could have been forgiven for being tired, but there was a great intensity about us.”
Molesley was also particularly encouraged by the way his team handled going a goal down half an hour into the contest having completely dominated the first half.
He explained: “We had the stuffing knocked out of us with a goal against the run of play when we had been knocking on the door – it was a kick in the teeth but we responded with two great goals.
“We’ve been right up against it lately but we’ve fought for everything.”