WEYMOUTH RES 1 POOLE BOROUGH 3

THE Terras paid the price for a slow start against Poole Borough in the Magna Dorset Premier League.

Weymouth Reserves went into the match off the back of a three-game unbeaten run but found themselves two down in just 16 minutes.

James Stickland broke through and beat Weymouth keeper Jamie Perry at the second attempt to put the visitors in front but that woke the Terras from their slumber and they were soon making chances of their own with Luke Winsper firing an effort from range just past the right upright.

It appeared an equaliser was on the cards but on 16 minutes the visitors struck a second when Aaron Turner shrugged off Eubio Do Rosario and waltzed past Perry with consummate ease.

The Terras looked shell-shocked but within five minutes the deficit was back to one. Sean Zima provided the cross and there was Sanchez Baker right on cue to toe-poke the ball into the far corner.

The hosts then went on to dominate and just moments later the same two players combined again only for Baker to fire over from seven yards when it looked easier to score.

Zima then had a shot blocked by Tom Rees before Matt Morley went close with a volley from an acute angle that the Poole keeper tipped just wide of the far post.

Weymouth continued asking all the questions early in the second half and once again Baker missed a great chance to level when he shot narrowly wide after robbing a defender on the edge of the box.

Adam Anstey then had a header saved from a corner before Baker saw an attempted overhead kick fly wide.

Weymouth carried on pressing as the game wore on but Lady Luck continued to desert them particularly when the assistant-referee waved away claims for a goal after Lee Sharpe’s volley had cannoned down off the underside of the crossbar with just eight minutes remaining.

Substitute Matt Head then also went on to hit the bar in the dying seconds before Poole grabbed a third through Marc Harrison to leave Jake Richmond completely baffled at the final whistle.

The Terras’ joint-boss said: “Result aside, and forgetting the first 20 minutes, I thought we played really well.

“If we had put away the majority of our chances we would have won by a mile.

“I counted 12 clear-cut opportunities but we only took one whereas they had three and took them all. It was still a good performance though.”

The Terras’ next assignment is a trip to Blandford United on Saturday (3pm).

Terras: Perry, Batchelor (Holland 67), Sharpe, Do Rosario, Anstey, Greatrex, Morley, Akakpo, Winsper (Brown 72), Baker, Zima (Head 60). Subs not used: Harvey, Frame.