WEYMOUTH 0

EBBSFLEET UNITED 1

Payne 57 pen

WEYMOUTH suffered their first defeat in manager Brian Stock’s tenure as Ebbsfleet took a deserved 1-0 victory at the Bob Lucas Stadium.

Josh Payne’s second-half penalty after Lee Martin was felled was enough to give Fleet victory, although a more polished counter-attacking display might have yielded more goals.

In the Terras’ final warm-up before their National League campaign begins next Saturday at Altrincham, Stock was looking to continue momentum from an unbeaten start to life at the helm.

Weymouth matched Ebbsfleet in the opening stages but shaky goalkeeping from Tom Hadler saw the Fleet stopper misjudge Ollie Harfield’s diagonal ball with the lurking Cody Cooke unable to connect.

Hadler made amends with a fine stop from Tom Whelan before a stretching Myles Anderson nudged the resultant corner over.

Ebbsfleet responded through lively ex-Dundee United striker Rakish Bingham who slammed an effort against the bar before seeing gloveman Jack Bycroft sharply save a drilled shot moments later.

Weymouth’s best chance of the half fell to Brennan Camp who did not commit to a shot 12 yards out, allowing Hadler to get down and save before half-time.

Ebbsfleet emerged the better side after the break and earned a penalty when Tom Whelan tripped Martin in the box.

Payne duly stepped up to convert clinically into the top-left corner past Bycroft in the 57th minute.

Two minutes later, Bingham fired inches wide of the far post as Ebbsfleet got in behind Weymouth again.

Cooke went close for the Terras with a looping header but Ebbsfleet always threatened on the break and, but for a lack of composure, could have come away with more than one goal.

Terras: Bycroft, Harfield, Trialist A, Anderson (Brooks 65), Camp, Whelan (Ngalo 65), McCarthy, Wakefield, Murray (Pearson 65), McQuoid (Thomson 76), Cooke.

Subs not used: Benfield, Leslie-Smith, Hoey, Burns.

Ebbsfleet: Hadler, Adebayo-Rowling, Taylor, Kahraman, Goodman, Payne, Bingham, West, Martin, Paxman, Chapman.

Subs: Holmes, Wood, Egan, Dobson, Mekki, Allen, Cundle, Grant, Trialist B