WEYMOUTH RESERVES 5

HOLT UNITED 3

SEAN Zima netted a brace as Weymouth Reserves fought back twice to defeat fifth-placed Holt United in an eight-goal thriller at the Bob Lucas Stadium.

When Chris Payne and Peter Richmond-Cole put the Bulls two up in the first half it looked like it was going to be another one of those days for the Terras, but they cut the deficit before the break and then went on to score four more in the second period to round off their finest victory of the campaign so far.

Joint-boss Jake Richmond, who was without the services of Adam Skelton, Charlie Holland, Danny Moore, Rob Maxted and Pete Jarvis, said: “We fully deserved it and even their manager said the same afterwards.

“Every single player was on it from the start and they were absolutely buzzing but to be fair we knew it was coming.

“We were unfortunate not to get something at Hamworthy Recreation and it was the same story against Westland Sports in our previous game but the lads have kept going and this time against Holt they got their just rewards.

“Every time we went forward we looked liked scoring and the fact we went behind twice in the game and still managed to fight back shows the tremendous spirit and character that is within the side.

“Hopefully now, this victory will add even more confidence to that and we can go on and put in a similar performance at Chickerell United this Saturday.”

The impressive Matt Morley went close for the Terras in the opening 10 minutes but it was Holt that drew first blood against the run of play when Jamie Perry could only parry a shot out as far as Payne, who fired in the rebound.

Chucky Taylor then saw an effort tipped on to the crossbar for the hosts before the Bulls netted a second.

This time the hosts could only stand in admiration as Richmond-Cole curled a 25-yard screamer into the top corner, giving Perry absolutely no chance.

The Terras were now desperate to find a way back into the game and Matt Head provided it on 36 minutes when he cut the deficit after the hard-working Josh Houghton had dispossessed the visiting keeper with an excellent sliding tackle following a back-pass.

Taylor then sent another effort just wide of a post before Mark Robinson was forced off for Weymouth with a hamstring injury, bringing Liam Gould into the fray.

Five minutes after the break, Luke Winsper set up Zima to make it 2-2, only for Holt to regain the lead moments later.

Perry had already pulled off a superb one-on-one save earlier in the half but there was nothing he could do on 71 minutes when Adam Anstey was forced into a desperate tackle, handing the Bulls a penalty, which was expertly converted by Luke Stone.

It appeared all was lost for the Terras but somehow they mustered the strength to immediately hit back with Zima tucking home a rebound after the Holt keeper could only parry Winsper’s driven free-kick.

Suddenly, it was now United’s turn to look forlorn and with six minutes remaining Anstey popped up to head in Morley’s corner at the near post to put the hosts in front for the first time before Gould wrapped things up with a fifth in the closing stages.

The victory has taken the Terras up to 15th in the Magna Dorset Premier League, eight points above the bottom two.

Terras: Perry, Sharpe, Anstey, Vincent, Robinson (Gould 42), Morley, Head, Winsper, Zima, Taylor (Budden 65), Houghton. Subs not used: Harvey, Stroud.