Terras in relegation trouble after a lesson in finishing
Summary:
Weymouth were made to pay for a lack of cutting edge in west London as they suffered a heavy defeat after wasting a host of chances. Hanwell took the lead early on from a corner, but Weymouth then dominated the game for a good 40 minutes before conceding again after failing to clear a long throw. Two more goals for the hosts followed as the Terras slipped into the relegation zone with just two games remaining.
Match Report:
Weymouth manager Jamie Wells made a couple of changes to his team from the previous game – Douglas was brought into central defence after Pollock failed a late fitness test, while Reid returned up front with Neale making way for Goodship to drop back into midfield. And it was Goodship who had the first meaningful shot of the afternoon, curling an effort from the edge of the penalty area which had to be pushed out for a corner by Beasant.
Hanwell were a big side who posed an aerial threat that caused Weymouth some problems in the opening exchanges, and that was where their first goal came from after 18 minutes. Evans had done brilliantly to tip a header from Bradbury over the bar, but the resulting corner was delivered high and deep to the back post where Bradbury was able to head home, despite the close attention of three Terras’ players.
Weymouth pushed hard for an equaliser and carved out a series of great chances throughout the middle part of the game. Goodship got into a great area, but his cross just evaded Reid. After 30 minutes Bearwish lashed a shot just over the bar from the edge of the area. Hutchinson curled a decent free kick round the Hanwell wall, but Beasant was well placed to make the save. Burrows won the ball on the halfway line and fed it to Swann whose low drive brought another good save out of Beasant.
The Terras did finally manage to get the ball in the net in first-half injury time through Swann, but unfortunately the offside flag was already up. Nevertheless, Weymouth started the second half in the same aggressive manner. After a great run down the right wing from Swann, the ball fell to Goodship 6 yards out but he side-footed wide of the target. Then Goodship fed Burrows cutting in from the left wing, but he skewed his shot wide. Bearwish volleyed over the bar and a Goodship volley was deflected onto the post by Beasant, as Weymouth persistently tried and failed to find the net.
Then after 64 minutes the hosts double their lead, much against the run of play. Weymouth failed to clear a long throw, Bradbury’s shot was blocked but sat up nicely for ex-Terra Luke Cook to drive home. This seemed to hit the Terras hard and completely took the wind out of their sails.
Six minutes later Bradbury headed into the path of Snee, who found himself through on goal and finished neatly in the bottom corner. And the victory was sealed after 78 minutes when a long throw into the Weymouth box fell into the path of Bradbury who drove it through the crowded area to make it four-nil.
Reaction:
Speaking to Air Dorset after the game, Jamie Wells expressed disappointment at his side’s failure to find the net, saying “we had opportunities and chances and we didn’t take them. We had the upper hand numerous times during the game … created far more chances than they did but didn’t take any of them”. Frustration with the defensive performance was also highlighted, as he added “we’ve gone from being one of the toughest teams to score against to being the easiest”.
Unfortunately, this defeat sees Weymouth drop back into the relegation zone after the three teams directly below them all won their games. There are now just two games left, Chertsey at home and Berkhamsted away, and the Terras will probably need to win both games to stand any chance of staying up.
Lineups:
Terras: Evans; Betts, Brooks, Douglas (Genesini, 22), Hutchinson; Robinson, Bearwish; Swann, Goodship, Burrows; Reid (Neale, 70)
Subs not used: Hanger, Moss, Pollock
Hanwell: Beasant; Sankoh (Odell, 93), Oladunjoye, Woodcock, Matton, Hoath (Hall, 92), Sanogo, Cooper, Bradbury (Rice, 89), Cook (Critchlow, 76), Snee (Waight, 87)
Subs not used: none
Goals: Bradbury (18, 78), Cook (64), Snee (70)
Attendance: 377
Media:
Watch Jamie Wells’ post-match interview here:
Scroll through the match photos here: 11-Apr-2026 Hanwell Town vs Weymouth | Flickr
Check out the match highlights here: A TERRA-RIFFIC VICTORY!! – Hanwell Town v Weymouth – Highlights – YouTube
Match Report by Ian Middlebrook
