Hutch sacked after Ricky runs riot
By Derek Bish

IAN Hutchinson suffered the heaviest defeat during his time in charge of Weymouth after being undone by a Ricky Holmes’ hat-trick at the Wessex Stadium on Saturday.

And the defeat proved to be Hutchinson's last match at the helm after he was sacked, along with assistant Andy Mason, by chairman George Rolls yesterday afternoon.

Captain Scott Brice gave the Terras the lead 30 minutes in but found themselves pegged back by Holmes’ close-range header.

The City striker notched twice more after the break before Robert Edmans’ injury-time strike, but Weymouth could have been back on level terms had the officials allowed an effort by Josh Llewellyn to stand.

Sporting their brand new kit, Weymouth remained unchanged from the 2-0 victory over Dorchester Town on New Year’s Day.

Chelmsford started the slightly better of the two sides and Holmes curled well over from 20 yards with the first attempt of the afternoon but City were shaky at the other end in the very early stages.

That was obvious none more so than when Mark Haines missed his clearance completely and then proceeded to kick the corner flag instead of the ball with his second attempt before limping off injured after coming off worse.

From the resulting throw-in, Reed curled a high looping cross into the penalty area which goalkeeper Ashley Harrison missed, allowing Matt Groves to drill a low ball in that Pierre Joseph-Dubois could not quite put the finishing touches too as Chelmsford cleared.

The visitors went straight down the other end and forced Ryan Harrison into an excellent save at his near post to deny Lewis Smith in the 13th minute.

Harrison held on to a Smith drive shortly after while Joseph-Dubois broke free of his man at a Reed free-kick but could not connect to divert the ball beyond Ashley Harrison.

Holmes headed off target as City continued to look the more dangerous while Weymouth were forced to wait for opportunities on the break.

It was the Terras who went in front on the half-hour mark through the most unlikely of sources.

Joseph-Dubois held the ball up on the edge of the box and it broke for skipper Brice whose drive deflected off Ben Martin and looped over Ashley Harrison into the Chelmsford net.

Dave Rainford volleyed straight at Ryan Harrison after the Weymouth goalkeeper failed to connect properly with his punch but Reed should have doubled the Terras’ advantage at the other end when he burst into the penalty area, only to drag the ball out of play while trying to round the goalkeeper.

The midfielder’s profligacy proved costly as City went straight down the other end and levelled through Holmes who nodded Anthony Cook’s header into the net from three yards.

Ryan Harrison made a fantastic stop from Lewis Smith as Chelmsford threatened to turn the game on its head in the space of two minutes and the half-time whistle came at just the right moment for the home side.

Chelmsford were fortunate to keep all 11 men on the pitch three minutes the other side of the break when Martin seemed to tug Joseph-Dubois back as the pacey forward tried to race clear.

At the other end, Holmes slid wide when he should have doubled his afternoon’s tally after getting the other side of Jamie Frampton, who was on as a half-time substitute for Scott Bennett.

As the game opened up the chances came thick and fast with Brice going closest of anyone when he guided a header against the crossbar from Reed’s right wing free-kick just before the hour mark.

However, it was Holmes who found the net in the 69th minute when he skipped past Brice’s challenge and, from just outside the area, rifled the ball into the bottom right-hand corner of the net beyond Ryan Harrison’s outstretched left arm.

Llewellyn curled wide and John Martin shot at Ryan Harrison as the two sides continued to trade blows but Cook should have put the game beyond the Terras’ reach when he smashed Ricky Modeste’s low cross wide of the goal.

Controversy ensued nine minutes from time when Joseph-Dubois’ low cross was bundled home by Llewellyn, only for the linesman’s flag to deny the Weymouth striker a dramatic equaliser.

The home side’s misery was compounded when Holmes then cut in from the left and drilled the ball low beyond Ryan Harrison into the bottom right-hand corner before substitute Robert Edmans tucked home from close range in stoppage time.