Recap

Dragons deal blow as Weymouth lose

WEYMOUTH 1

Brooks 90+3

BASINGSTOKE TOWN 2

Pearse 18, Smart 59

WEYMOUTH missed the chance to go a point behind leaders Taunton with a difficult 2-0 defeat at home to Basingstoke in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier South.

Goals from Harry Pearse and Sam Smart sealed the defeat for the Terras, despite Brooks rescuing a goal back late on in added time.

The Terras were entirely unchanged from their 2-0 win at Gosport Borough on Tuesday.

Ben Thomson was not fit enough to make his return from a calf injury.

Weymouth began well, and had two great chances inside the first five minutes.

Firstly Josh Wakefield swung in a wide free-kick from 35 yards out that Yemi Odubade headed wide for Weymouth.

Then man of the moment Harry Baker led the charge, into the box, before pulling back to Brooks, who lashed a shot that stung the palms of Thomas McGill.

Yet McGill parried it into the path of Brandon Goodship, who fired wide from five yards out.

The game went quiet for a while, with Jake McCarthy clearing a Smart cross the only action of note.

After 13 minutes, Weymouth tested McGill when McCarthy slammed a shot aimed towards the bottom-left corner which McGill did well to save.

From this point, the Dragons began doing damage with their counter attacks, and were gently applying more and more pressure.

After five minutes, the Terras faulted.

A ball into the box found Pearse, who was left with too much space to slot in under the legs of Thomas McHale after 18 minutes.

Callum Buckley then came on for Jordan Ngalo, who tweaked his hamstring, as the Terras made an instant response to going a goal down.

Weymouth went close again several times in the half, but could not find a clinical touch to equalise.

Firstly, Baker was sent through one-on-one, but fired wide from just inside the box with a defender on his shoulder after 24 minutes.

Two minutes later, Brooks made a good run, cutting into the box from the right-hand side but his ball back across was easily cleared.

Yet the problem of leaving the last man free in the box almost struck again, but Smart’s shot from a tight angle was easily saved by McHale.

This prompted a succession of corners that gave the Terras’ defence a thorough examination, but one that they passed.

In the final third of the half Goodship went close twice, but both times his shot from the edge of, or in the box, went narrowly wide of the far post.

The first half ended with the Dragons ahead, and they only became more dominant in the second.

Firstly Stephane Zubar almost scored an early own goal, but recovered to clear the ball away.

Wakefield attempted a strike which went high and wide before Goodship saw a shot blocked away, as they attempted to drag the Terras back into it but rarely looked like threatening McGill.

The Terras were shot a warning when Pearse found Sam Argent with a pass from the right to the latter who was running on centrally but McHale did well to save.

Two minutes later, the Dragons had doubled their lead.

A similar ball, this time from Argent to Smart, saw the latter confidently fire past McHale.

This really rattled the Terras, who did not look at all themselves for the next five minutes and looked more like conceding than scoring.

Yet they did recover and should have had a goal back.

Firstly there was a couple of penalty shouts in quick succession: Odubade went down inside the box from a challenge by Robert Gerrard, before a strike was rattled in prompting cries of handball.

Brooks also curled a shot in that was easily blocked away.

Goodship then had a shot which went narrowly wide, with some of the crowd thinking it was in.

Buckley tried his luck with a shot from the edge of the box but it was down the throat of McGill.

The Terras almost got out of jail in a dramatic finish, as Brooks rifled in a shot to hand Weymouth late hope, but despite late pressure they could not claim a point.

Weymouth travel to Met Police on Saturday (3pm).

Terras: McHale, Brooks, Ngalo (Buckley 19), Wakefield (Carmichael 75), Zubar, McCarthy, Murray, Baggie, Baker (Wells 46), Goodship, Odubade.

Subs not used: Martin, Molesley

Basingstoke: McGill, Orvis, Gerrard, Stow, Hollamby (Collier 27), Wakely, Smart, Duncan, Argent (Redford 83), Deadfield, Pearse (Granger 71)

Subs not used: Harris, Akers

Attendance: 795