Hawks contained by brave Terras
By Dill Butcher

DESPITE a brave second half showing Weymouth could not quite find the goal their attacking enterprise deserved against a disappointing Havant & Waterlooville side.

The Terras now face a replay to decide this FA Trophy third qualifying round tie tomorrow night at Westleigh Park.

Towards the end of a low-key first period Lewis Tasker, on his return to the Bob Lucas Stadium, missed a glorious open goal chance to give the hosts an unexpected lead but Weymouth then went on to create several more openings during a much brighter second half.

However, none of these were converted with Warren Byerley twice denied.

First the talisman looked to have netted with a close-range header only to see keeper Lyall Beazley come to the Hawks’ rescue with a magnificent full-stretch save, and then moments later, the woodwork kept the visitors alive as Byerley’s attempted lob came back off the bar.

However, despite their lacklustre second half showing, the Blue Square Bet South outfit had one notable chance to steal victory when home keeper Tom Manley spilled a cross and it was hearts-in- the-mouth time for Terras’ fans as Craig Duff just managed to hack the ball off the line to deny Ollie Palmer.

Afterwards Terras’ boss Brendon King summed up the game when he said: “In the first half they had a lot of play without hurting us, but after the break we got the response from the lads we were looking for and we got our rewards.

“Our work-rate was outstanding and we were superb all around the park.”

And looking ahead to tomorrow’s replay with the Hawks, King said: “We’ll be looking forward to this and we will have a right good go at them.

“We know it will be an even harder task but we’ve built belief and confidence so we’ll go back with the same attitude.”

Prior to kick-off there were two notable changes to the Terras’ line-up from the previous week’s home defeat to Redditch with Matt Groves recovering from a back injury to replace flying winger Jamie Beasley, who dropped to the bench.

The other change saw Tasker handed a start on the left side of midfield to begin his second spell at the club in place of suspended Stephen Reed while Chris Luke came in for Richard Marshallsay on the bench.

Former Terras’ striker Carl Mutch donned the gloves in the dugout in suspended Chris Povall’s continued absence while Ryan McKechnie and Mitch Conning made up the rest of the substitutes but there was no place for Dorchester loanee Seb Broomfield who was denied permission to play from his parent club.

The hosts made a bright start and within the first minute Tasker won a free-kick on the left side of the Hawks’ area but Sam Malsom’s dangerous delivery evaded everyone as it skipped past a melee of players eight yards from goal.

Moments later towering centre- back Sam Poole nodded a Malsom corner just over and in the 11th minute Byerley looked to have a clear sight of goal when played in by Malsom only for the offside flag to come to Havant’s rescue.

The visitors though went on to enjoy the territorial advantage for the rest of a bitterly low key first half without really threatening to score.

In their first real opening Craig Braham-Barrett slipped in former Swindon front-runner Lee Peacock but he couldn’t get enough purchase on his shot as the ball eventually went out for a corner.

From that flag kick though the game had to be held up for a minute as Chris Holland flattened Terras’ stopper Manley in an aerial challenge so that the keeper required treatment.

Six minutes later Poole stretched to head away a testing centre from Steve Ramsay before a rare foray into the Hawks’ half of the field ended with Duff’s effort easily gathered by Lyall Beazley.

The hosts continued to defend stoutly and Ben Gerring made a terrific crunching tackle to stop former Portsmouth winger Sammy Igoe when put through by Peacock moments before the centre-back was forced to head away an Igoe corner to the near post.

From the resultant corner in the 36th minute Havant perhaps should have opened the scoring but Ramsay’s stooping header from Igoe’s driven delivery just cleared the bar.

From yet another dangerous and deep Igoe cross, Manley collected well under pressure and the Terras were dealing comfortably with the few lukewarm problems the Hawks were causing them.

However, in the last three minutes of the half it was the hosts who started to ask questions of their own after a Tasker driven free-kick almost caught out Beazley.

A minute later though, Tasker appeared to waste the best chance of the match as Byerley’s right-side centre was flicked on by Groves but, with the goal at his mercy at an unguarded back post, Tasker could not quite guide his effort on the stretch towards an open goal.

In the last action before the break the Terras, still on the front foot, saw a Tasker corner deflect up off of Holland’s thigh and there was Poole to head just over at the back post. The fans were to be treated to far better fare after the turnaround and the home side continued to grow in belief as Malsom’s early 35-yard free-kick whistled inches over the top of the bar.

The winger went on to play a big part in proceedings from that point and two minutes later he side-footed wide when well-placed after Byerley had side-stepped Paul Hinshelwood to get in a teasing cross.

On the hour a speculative drive by Tasker flashed well wide and then Malsom’s energetic run and delightful cross into the danger area had to be headed clear for a corner by an alert Holland.

In the 67th minute Malsom outstripped marker Jon McDonald down the right but again his telling cross came to nothing as did his free-kick seconds later that was easily gathered by Beazley.

With 20 minutes to go the Hawks, in a rare excursion into the hosts’ box, were very nearly gifted a highly undeserved winner when Manley lost his grip when collecting a harmless enough Igoe cross.

However, fortune held for the Terras as a surprised Palmer could not get full purchase as he stabbed goalwards and there was Duff to hack from the line.

One goal would decide the tie and Weymouth very nearly got it when Poole nodded on to Byerley whose flicked header brought out the save of the game from Beazley who flew to his left to turn the ball away for a corner.

From that flag kick the Terras continued to lay siege and Groves flashed wide before Byerley looked to have won it when he stretched out a boot to lob Beazley only for the ball to drop down back off the bar.

In the dying seconds a half-volley from Groves whistled past a post and Byerley saw another header well held by the keeper as time ran out for the hosts to clinch a richly deserved winner.

Proper Job Man of the Match: Sam Malsom