TIVERTON TOWN 0

WEYMOUTH 4

Wolleaston 36, Fowler 45, 74, Gerring 90

SKIPPER Mike Fowler bagged a brace as Weymouth climbed out of the drop-zone after capturing their biggest victory of the season.

Fowler led by example against basement rivals Tiverton Town and scored either side of the interval at Ladysmead, once Rob Wolleaston had put the Terras in the box seat.

Ben Gerring finished the rout on 90 minutes to confirm a result that has leapfrogged Weymouth above Didcot Town in the Zamaretto Premier Division.

The Terras are now one point clear of Didcot, whose game in hand will be played away to promotion-chasing Cambridge City tomorrow night.

And in an ironic twist of fate, Weymouth’s victory could have also sealed the destiny of second-bottom Tivvy, who were managed by boss Martyn Rogers for 19 years.

Speaking after a pivotal triumph, Rogers told Echosport: “It gives us a big lift and with the teams around us dropping points, it could prove to be a crucial victory.

“It has put us in with a great shout of staying up and it was the performance I was looking for after the debacle at Bedford Town last Tuesday.

“We needed to bounce back and we did. It was our sixth away game on the spin and I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a run of away games like that in my career.

“I’d said to the lads beforehand that we were in the last chance saloon and that it would probably be curtains for whichever side lost the game.

“Our two most experienced players (Rob Wolleaston and Mike Fowler) played together in midfield and both scored goals. They were the inspiration behind the result.

“But the young players also came to the fore. It didn’t work out at Bedford but they have proved just what they are capable of.”

Rogers added: “The key for us is to get two positive results on the bounce because we can’t afford to follow up this result with a performance like we put in against Bedford.

“We have got two home games now and I’d like to think that we can perform well and get good results in those so our survival will be in our own hands.”

With talismanic defender Gerring back from suspension, Ben Mammola was surplus to requirements while Jamie Beasley replaced the departed Stephen Reed.

Rogers was desperate to oversee a response following their midweek torture and his troops applied themselves well during the early skirmishes.

Gerring saw a header cleared off the line while at the opposite end, former Dorchester Town and Terras’ striker Jules Emati-Emati squandered a promising opening.

Controversy raged on 35 minutes when Warren Byerley bundled the ball over the line from a Jamie Mudge corner, only to be penalised for handball.

But the visitors were not to be denied less than 60 seconds later, when Wolleaston collected a loose ball on the edge of the box and drilled it past keeper Ryan Draper.

Weymouth were then in dreamland as they notched an all-important second goal in stoppage time, Fowler heading home another pinpoint corner from ex-Tivvy star Mudge.

As expected, Tiverton upped their tempo in the second period in their quest to retrieve the situation and forced the Terras on to the back foot.

However, the home side could not find a way past gloveman James Nortei and their frustration turned into despair when Weymouth effectively killed off the game.

Once more it was Fowler who provided the deadly final touch, using his head to great effect for the second occasion to nod in a Lewis Tasker delivery.

Tasker almost wrote his name on the scoresheet but shot wide after his initial effort had been blocked.

Nevertheless, the verdict was never in doubt and the Terras added gloss to a magical afternoon when substitute Matt Groves knocked the ball back into the danger zone, where Gerring to waiting to convert from close range.

Weymouth’s most convincing victory of the campaign, which completed the double over embattled Tivvy, could not have come at a more ideal moment.

And in a rollercoaster season that has often resembled a soap opera, could the scriptwriters really be penning a fairytale ending for the Terras’ long-suffering supporters after all?

Tivvy: Draper, Faux, Turner, Jee (Nardiello 65), Sampson, T Gardner, Ellis, Steele (L Gardner 20), Emati-Emati (Mortimer 77), Bushin, Leonard. Subs not used: Saunders, Skinner.

Terras: Nortei, L Clarke (Tribe 86), Tasker, Fowler (Groves 83), Gerring, Palmer, Smith, Wolleaston, Mudge, Byerley, Beasley (Jacobs 68). Sub not used: King.

Referee: M Derrien Bookings – Tivvy: Sampson (foul 22). Terras: Gerring (foul 40).

Attendance: 472