WEYMOUTH 2

Byerley pen 35, Marshallsay 37

EVESHAM UNITED 2

Palmer 16, Jones 57

THE Terras were once again in a charitable mood as they scraped a point against Evesham United at the Bob Lucas Stadium on Saturday.

Despite holding a 2-1 lead at the break, Weymouth looked shaky throughout and would have been on the end of a third successive defeat had it not been for some fine goalkeeping from Nick Jordan.

Afterwards a candid Brendon King told Echosport: “We gifted Evesham both their goals today and it was very frustrating.

“You can sometimes accept it when a team outplays you and cuts you open but they did not have to work hard for their chances this afternoon and that is disappointing.

“We also did not keep the ball as well as we should have done. Losing Rob Wolleaston to illness in the warm-up was a blow but others should have stepped up and took responsibility and I don’t think they did that.

“It is very frustrating because we want to do a lot better and we will be working hard in training this week to ensure that happens next Saturday at Chesham United.”

In a bid to tighten up his defence, King drafted in debutant Mark Peters and reverted to a 3-5-2 formation with Ollie Tribe and Lewis Tasker deployed as wing-backs.

The new-look system was also clearly designed to get the best out of playmaker Wolleaston, who was set to start behind the front two until he pulled up in the warm-up and was replaced by Richard Marshallsay.

The ex-Portland United man was originally dropped to the bench, where Mitch Conning was drafted in as a last-gasp replacement.

A minute’s applause was held before kick-off in honour of Terras’ follower Spencer Bates, who sadly passed away on Wednesday. His son Samuel was also handed the role of mascot.

The crowd endured a dour opening quarter of an hour with an altercation on the sideline between Matt Groves and Marlon Walters the only incident of note with both players only receiving a ticking off from referee Andrew Turner.

Weymouth were showing more endeavour but on 16 minutes a pitiful free-kick from the right from Stephen Reed was blocked by Josh Quaynor, enabling Evesham to stage a slick counter-attack.

The left wing-back fed Kevin Spencer on the right and when Peters committed himself with a desperate and unsuccessful lunge the Terras were left completely exposed.

The wide man cruised into the box and then drove a low ball across the face of home keeper Jordan, giving Marcus Palmer the simple task of tapping home from six yards.

It was a gift of a goal and the despair and frustration emanating from King in the home dugout soon spread around the ground as Weymouth continued to look completely out of sorts.

And they were extremely fortunate not to go two down on 31 minutes when the back three stepped up looking for offside, only for the flag to stay down to allow Palmer to race clean through on Jordan.

It looked a certain goal but somehow the forward inexplicably put the ball wide of the right-hand post from 15 yards with the Terras’ stopper rooted on the edge of his six-yard box.

Up to then, the hosts had failed to muster a single attempt but on 34 minutes they finally managed to apply some pressure and eventually got their reward.

A flick-on from Byerley saw Marshallsay test keeper Dave Adey and from the resulting corner Ben Gerring was felled in the box by Walters for a clear penalty.

Byerley was the man that stepped up to the spot and made no mistake, stroking his 12-yard effort into the bottom right corner.

Suddenly, the Terras now had some belief and just two minutes later they took the lead. Once again, a fine corner from Reed caused confusion in the Evesham box, enabling the onrushing and unmarked Marshallsay to head home from six yards at the far post.

Despite holding on to the lead at the break the hosts continued to look uncertain at the back and on 52 minutes they should have been punished again when no one picked up Spencer at a free-kick, allowing him to ghost in and head wide when he really should have scored.

That proved to be a warning shot as just five minutes later the same poor marking occurred again at a corner, enabling Andy Jones to head home Simon Fitter’s cross to tie the game up once again.

With Weymouth also failing to track runners from midfield, Evesham were now looking by far the more threatening side with Wayne Daniel having another free header from a set-piece blocked and hacked away to safety.

Tribe sent an effort over on the stretch at the far post in a brief moment of respite before Craig Wilding turned a labouring Gerring and sent through Quaynor, who was only denied by a point-blank block by Jordan.

The Terras’ keeper acquitted himself brilliantly under the constant wave of pressure, making several key interventions and claims from crosses, which proved the key factor behind the hosts holding on to a precious point.

Terras: Jordan, Tribe, Tasker, Peters, Gerring, Poole, Reed, Napper, Wolleaston, Groves (Bassett 75), Groves, Byerley. Subs not used: Manley, Stephen-son, Conning, McKechnie.

Evesham: Adey, Fitter, Hyde, Daniel, Jones, Luckett, Walters (Pountney 56), Spencer (Woodley 81), Palmer (Blake 56), Wilding, Quaynor. Subs not used: Hines, Poutney, Woodley, Durrgil.

Karen’s Motorcycles Man of the Match: Warren Byerley.