WEYMOUTH boss Ian Hutchinson has welcomed Pierre Joseph-Dubois as his latest acquisition – but lost striker Jake Reid to Grays Athletic.

On another day of mass confusion at the Wessex Stadium, Joseph-Dubois penned non-contract terms and will be ushered into the squad for today’s showdown with Brain-tree.

However, Grays have swooped for Reid and speculation is mounting that defender David Obaze may follow him to the Blue Square Premier Division outfit.

Although delighted to have captured Joseph-Dubois, who played for the Terras last season, Hutchinson has lamented the exit of Reid.

He said: “Pierre’s been someone I have seen in the past. He will be a good addition to the squad and is very quick, which will give us another dimension.

“Not only is he a very likeable lad who gets on really well with everyone, but he will give our threadbare squad much-needed firepower.

“That will be even more important if we are without Jake Reid. I said I wouldn’t stand in his way if a club in a higher division came in for him, because I know he wants to better himself.

“I have nothing but admiration for Jake and David Obaze, who is also a class act and who would also be a big loss to us, but it’s out of my hands.”

When contacted by Echosport, Reid told how tough a decision it was to exit Weymouth before paying tribute to the influence of Hutchinson.

Reid said: “I knew Grays had been watching me in a few games and although it is a good move, it wasn’t easy to leave Weymouth.

“Credit to Hutch because he’s got a group of lads who want to play for him and he got me enjoying my football again. As long as Hutch is there, Weymouth won’t get relegated.

“The dressing room spirit was the best I’ve experienced in football. In the last few weeks we played much better and made some massive strides.”

Weymouth recovered from a disastrous start in the reverse fixture at Braintree a fortnight ago, where they conceded three times in the opening 45 minutes.

Goals from Josh Llewellyn and Reid gave the Terras hope of snatching a point but a third was not forthcoming and the Iron held on for maximum points.

Nevertheless Hutchinson took great heart from his troops’ battling second-half performance and believes they can cause Braintree problems today.

He added: “We know quite a bit about them now. It would be great to get some points on the board. I still believe in this group of players and we are going in the right direction.”

n Dorchester Town’s Blue Square South fixture at Chelmsford City today has been postponed because of snow. The Melbourne Stadium pitch failed an inspection yesterday after Essex had been blanketed by several inches of snow.