Five-star Weymouth sweep aside Stratford

“BY far the best team we’ve played this season” was Carl Adams’ succinct comment after seeing his side overwhelmed by a clinical Weymouth team whose 5-0 victory was as convincing as the scoreline suggests, writes Bryan Hale.

Neither side had really threatened until the Terras took the lead in the 17th minute.

A quick break out of defence led to Dean Evans sweeping the ball out to Chris Shephard, who sprinted clear down the inside left channel to fire the ball beyond Town keeper Niall Cooper into the far corner.

Three minutes later Weymouth went two up when Town conceded a free-kick five yards outside their penalty area and Shephard curled a precision left-footer over the wall into the top corner as Cooper scrambled across his line in an unavailing effort to reach it.

Town nearly pulled one back five minutes before the break when Richard Gregory’s close-range effort came back off Weymouth keeper Dan Thomas, but shortly after the Terras could have gone further ahead when Ben Thomson shot wide with only Cooper to beat.

Stewart Yetton headed wide for Weymouth early in the second half, followed by Cooper tipping over a rasping drive from the hat-trick seeking Shephard, before Dan Smith’s crisp finish made it 3-0.

With the Terras firmly in control, substitute Sam Jordan added Weymouth’s fourth with ten minutes to go.

Town’s miserable afternoon got even worse when Gregory was sent off after kicking out at a Weymouth defender a couple of minutes later, and was complete in the 86th minute when Jordan fired in his second and Weymouth’s fifth.

TOWN : Niall Cooper, Dan Summerfield, Kieren Westwood (Warren Brooks 58), Guy Clark, James Fry, Jean Kalenda (Trey Brathwaite 72), Simeon Tulloch, Will Grocott, Richard Gregory (c), Edwin Ahenkorah, Edji Mbunga (Jamie Sheldon 58).

Full report and reaction in this week's Herald.