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Agony at Oval for Terras
WEYMOUTH’S desperate search for a change of fortunes goes on following another disappointing defeat at The Oval.
The Terras made more than enough chances in this Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division encounter but Bedworth struck either side of the break to condemn Brendon King’s men to a third defeat in four league outings.
Kyle Critchell was restored to the starting XI, replacing the injured Alex Jeannin at the heart of the defence, but apart from that the visitors were unchanged.
Despite netting in both of the last two games Mark Ford had to make do with a place on the bench again where he was joined by Sam Poole, who was making his return from a groin injury.
King’s men made a bright start and after some fine interplay on three minutes it took a wonderful clearance from a covering defender to stop a threatening cross from the in-form Dan Smith.
The Terras continued to enjoy plenty of possession but on 18 minutes a lapse at the back allowed Mitchell Piggon to break away for the hosts, only to blaze his shot wide of the target.
That opening gave Bedworth a bit more belief and moments later they went close again when Luke Keen’s goal-bound effort was cleared off the line by Critchell.
Weymouth clearly needed to get their act together and on 25 minutes it was Smith that provided the inspiration again when he teed up Ben Joyce, whose shot was blocked by a lucky deflection before the home side finally got the ball clear.
Richard Wesley then struck the crossbar from 35 yards for Bedworth before Smith was denied by another piece of last-ditch defending at the other end after a fine cross from Duff.
The end-to-end nature of the contest continued and just after the half-hour the visitors should have taken the lead. Once again Duff was the architect but this time Groves miscued when faced with a clear sight of goal.
The Terras were now knocking on the door with regularity and once again they were left holding their heads on 38 minutes when Stephen Reed drove a shot against a post from 18 yards.
United looked shell-shocked but just 60 seconds later they took the lead against the run of play.
Piggon was afforded too much space and when he sent over an inviting cross there was Wesley to head the ball past a hapless Simon Evans.
Not for the first time this season the Terras trudged in at the break in disbelief that they were behind. And just two minutes into the second half their task got even harder when Bedworth grabbed a second after Joyce had a superb effort saved by Andrew Kemp immediately after the restart.
Once again Piggon showed great anticipation and on this occasion he came up with something special as his fierce shot left Evans with absolutely no chance.
A forlorn King sent on Ford and Lewis Clarke for Groves and Duff on 57 minutes in a desperate bid to turn the tide but although Smith continued to carry a threat and fired wide moments later, a dramatic comeback looked unlikely.
In fact, United nearly added to their lead with 15 minutes remaining when Belcher’s excellent strike brought a fantastic save out of Evans.
To their credit Weymouth kept plugging away and after Kemp pulled off another great stop to deny Scott Walker’s free-kick, Ed Palmer headed another chance just inches wide.
Despite the visitors’ efforts though it was Bedworth that came closest to finding the net in the closing stages when Piggon saw his header bounce along the crossbar before Reed eventually cleared.
Ford did fire an attempt wide at the other end in the dying minutes but once again the game ended with the Terras failing to score on the road in the league for the third successive time.
