Josh Llewellyn and Joe Keehan shared the goals in the first half before a brave half-time change that saw Jordan Rose replace Matt Groves helped Stephen Reed and Jake Reid apply the winning touches.

Although Rose did not have any direct impact on the outcome, the new shape and extra man in the middle employed by Gill stopped Lewes’ threat through the centre and allowed the Terras to dictate the play after half-time.

Gill decided against making any changes to the starting 11 for his first match in charge, although Andy Harris came in for Jamie Frampton on the Terras’ bench.

A nervy start saw both sides struggle to hold on to possession but Weymouth looked the better of the two sides as they tried to impose their 4-4-2 formation on the visitors’ more conservative 4-5-1.

After Lewes’ William Peauroux shot wide and Jean-Michel Sigere misplaced a free header in threatening moments from the visitors, it was actually the Terras who took the lead when they broke from that set-piece wasted by the Rooks’ Sigere.

Llewellyn was allowed to escape on the right and race through one-on-one, but still needed three bites of the cherry before swallowing the chance.

Goalkeeper Rikki Banks excelled in blocking twice from close range but could not prevent Llewellyn showing enough composure to shift his feet and slide it beyond the custodian into the bottom left-hand corner in the 17th minute.

Reid was harshly adjudged to be offside soon after when he ran through and netted, and the visitors took advantage of the let off to go straight down the other end and equalise from the penalty spot.

Jamie McGuinness tangled with Arron Hopkinson on the Wey-mouth right, which resulted in referee Derek Eaton pointing to the spot.

Keehan stepped up and drove the resulting kick down the middle while Harrison leapt despairingly to his left. Sigere could have turned the game on its head when he set his sights from 20 yards out in the 29th minute but thumped his left-footed shot against the bottom of the stanchion to the left of Harrison’s goal.

Wheeler shot wide as the visitors continued to threaten the rattled Terras but Groves went close to easing that tension when he span the Lewes’ defence and shot narrowly wide with Banks at full stretch.

That seemed to re-ignite the home side, who produced a wonderful move involving Stephen Reed, Simon Radcliffe and Ben Farrell before Reid’s low drive across the face was just missed by the outstretched boot of goalscorer Llewellyn.

The Terras nearly found themselves behind when they let their concentration slip but Scott Chamberlain lost his composure under pressure from Scott Bennett and shot wide from outside the area when he had time and space to charge in on Harrison’s goal. Jordan Rose replaced Groves at the break and Weymouth switched formation to accommodate the substitute in a three-man midfield.

Reed stung Banks’ hands with an effort from range and that helped him set his sights when restoring the home side’s advantage in the 58th minute with an early contender for the Terras’ goal of 2010.

After picking the ball up right of centre he unleashed a left-footed shot from 20 yards that was still rising when it hit the top right-hand corner of the net.

The midfielder almost turned provider when his raking pass set Llewellyn clear, but after wrestling free of the last defender the striker was only able to guide his shot into the body of Banks. It needed only another two minutes before Weymouth finally grabbed the match by the throat.

Slocombe fed Radcliffe on the left and, instead of shooting, the winger calmly slid the ball across the face of goal for Reid to finish with the easiest of tap-ins.

Brice could not quite connect with Reed’s free-kick as the Terras tried to press home their advantage while and Harrison saved well from Wheeler’s header with the best of Lewes’ four late efforts created more out of desperation than expectation.