CHIPPENHAM TOWN 3

Griffin 58 63, Gilroy 68

WEYMOUTH 0

THREE goals in 10 second-half minutes sentenced Weymouth to defeat at Hardenhuish Park last night.

Chippenham Town entered the clash on the back of a disappointing run of six league games without a win.

But Alan Griffin’s double, quickly followed by a third from striker partner Dave Gilroy, effectively secured a first Evo-Stik Southern Premier victory of 2012 for the play-off hopefuls.

It could, however, have been a different story had the Terras made the most of their first-half superiority – twice being thwarted by the woodwork.

Boss Brendon King, whose side remain 16th, said: “They took their chances and we didn’t.

“We played really well in the first half and we could have been four or five-nil up at half-time.

“We came out for the second half, we conceded one and our heads dropped.”

With James Coutts back on loan and Ben Joyce joining on a permanent deal, the Terras made two changes from their last outing some 15 days ago.

Both men were drafted straight into the starting XI, with Lewis Clarke and Matt Groves dropping to the bench.

Unfortunately, there was no place in the squad for Byron Napper with the paperwork for a second loan stay yet to be completed.

However, Mark Ford’s switch from Blandford United received the necessary ratification and he was named among the substitutes.

The Terras entered the game the rustier of the two sides, but it was they who created the better openings in the first half.

Craig Duff headed over from a Stephen Reed corner on the quarter hour but the majority of the action occurred in the final 15 minutes.

First, a Scott Dixon delivery was hooked onto his own crossbar by defender Scott Casey while at the other end Ross Stearn’s strike was deflected wide and former Dorch-ester Town target Gilroy fired into the side-netting.

Weymouth saw penalty appeals waved away by referee Richard Hulme in the 38th minute as Ashley Williams appeared to catch opposing skipper Warren Byerley with an elbow, before the woodwork came to the home side’s rescue once more – Duff denied on this occasion.

Debutant Joyce then linked up with fellow striker Byerley but the latter’s header failed to find the target.

The final chance of note also fell to Byerley and this time his acrobatic effort was hacked away at the vital moment.

The visitors enjoyed the better of the first-half exchanges but their failure to capitalise came back to haunt them in the second period as Chippenham sealed victory with three goals in quick succession.

With 58 minutes on the clock, Griffin flicked home a pin-point cross from Stearn before the former beat the offside trap and slotted past a helpless Nick Jordan.

And within another five minutes it was 3-0 as Gilroy cut inside and gave Jordan no chance whatsoever.

It could have got a lot worse for the Terras but Jordan’s feet prevented Gilroy netting a brace of his own.

Substitute Clarke, who replaced the injured Coutts, shot over in the closing stages but having twice suffered defeat at the hands of Weymouth already this season, Town finally came out on top at the third time of asking.

Bluebirds: Smith, Herring, Lamb, Williams, Casey, Kite, Lye, Stearn, Gilroy, Griffin (Gullick 78), Guthrie. Subs not used: Rudge, Randhawa, Harvey, Evans.

Terras: Jordan, Tribe, Jeannin, Dixon (Ford 73), Gerring, Poole, Duff, Coutts (Clarke 48), Joyce, Byerley, Reed. Subs not used: Groves, King, Povall.

Booked: Bluebirds – Jamie Guthrie (foul, 25).

Terras – James Coutts (foul, 46)

Referee: Richard Hulme (Radstock)

Attendance: 305

* Next Tuesday’s clash with Chesham United has been postponed due to the Generals’ involvement in the Red Insure Cup.