WEYMOUTH 2

Rose 56, 68

HUNGERFORD TOWN 5

Jones 5, 78, J Evans 20, Smith 81, Boachie 87

WOEFUL Weymouth were booed off after falling to a dismal 5-2 home loss that underlined their candidacy as Vanarama National League South relegation fodder.

The Terras were asleep in the first 20 minutes as Hungerford's Ryan Jones and Jake Evans netted easy goals.

Weymouth, to their credit, got themselves back into it with two Ahkeem Rose strikes but Jones’ second opened the floodgates.

Sub George Smith and Joe Boachie compounded the misery either side of a red card for Brendan Willson, given for bringing Boachie down as last man.

Loud boos greeted Weymouth’s players at the final whistle as fans made their feelings known.

READ MORE: Weymouth 2-5 Hungerford Town - how it happened

Weymouth boss Bobby Wilkinson made one change to the starting line-up that began the 0-0 draw at Braintree Town on Saturday.

Archie Procter came in for his Weymouth debut ahead of centre-back Nathan Carlyle, who dropped to the bench.

Joining Carlyle in the dugout were Ben Thomson, Matt Buse, Scott Rees and Keelan O'Connell.

Prior to this game, Weymouth had lost 14 of their previous 17 Tuesday night home matches in league and major cup competitions.

And the Terras’ lethargy under the lights was again exposed during a truly woeful opening 20 minutes in a game they badly needed to win.

Hungerford simply had more energy, more desire and impetus and it came as no surprise when they opened the scoring in the fifth minute.

Weymouth’s defence looked at sixes and sevens as a low cross slithered its way to Jones, who had time to control and pick his spot past keeper Zaki Oualah, whose fingertips could not keep the shot out.

Weymouth could only respond with a Tom Blair cross with too much power on it, sailing into the gloves of Jed Ward.

If the Terras’ faithful were not already aware they were watching a side performing painfully below the standard required to grasp safety, they will have realised it in the 20th minute.

Weymouth were caught out by a flick beyond the defence and astonishingly Hungerford had a four-on-one situation on the counter.

The Crusaders took full advantage of their three-man overlap, Evans tucking home a high finish beyond the hopelessly exposed Oualah from six yards.

Taking Weymouth’s first shot at goal in the 24th minute, Tom Bearwish volleyed Brad Ash’s cross wide to awaken the hosts.

Weymouth were only denied a goal by sensational goalkeeping from Jed Ward, the keeper tipping Rose’s venomous volley onto the inside of the post before springing off the floor to gather the loose ball.

Ash hooked wide of the far post after Bearwish’s effort was blocked and Ash later curled narrowly over from 25 yards as Ward backpeddled with worry.

Meanwhile, Weymouth’s deliveries were tame as Ward was able to command his area, although he would have been powerless to stop Rose’s next effort as the Jamaican kneed a Bearwish cross inches wide.

Two minutes from the break, Hungerford showed they were ready to time-waste as Matthew Berry-Hargreaves was booked for delaying the taking of a free-kick.

Wilkinson made two changes at the break, hauling off Procter and Xander McBurnie for Rees and O’Connell.

Weymouth switched to a fluid 3-5-2 and carved out their first chance of the half when Bearwish’s effort trickled across the goalmouth.

However, Hungerford went close to a third when Rollinson’s fierce drive crunched against the far post with Oualah motionless.

Now playing with more attacking vigour, Weymouth got themselves back into the game when Blair’s corner was acrobatically volleyed home at the back post by Rose.

Bearwish nearly made it 2-2 when his sweetly-struck shot thudded against the far post, but Weymouth equalised on 68 minutes through a familiar pairing.

Blair’s corner to the back post again picked out Rose and the forward repeated the trick, this time with his head, to restore equilibrium.

Weymouth were forced into a change when David Sesay went off injured, Thomson coming on and Bearwish switching to right-back.

The injury proved decisive in the outcome as Evans chipped a diagonal to Jones, who skipped past Bearwish before finishing coolly past Oualah.

Jones’ goal started an abysmal run of three goals in eight minutes as abject defending allowed sub Fabio Lopes to head at goal.

Either one of Hungerford’s Gerry Gyebi or sub Smith could have scored, but the latter stabbed home from two yards to seal the points.

Willson was then sent off for bringing down Boachie as last man, and the Hungerford number 12 completed the rout by outmuscling Harry Kyprianou on the left before curling a beauty beyond Oualah.

Loud boos peppered Weymouth’s players at full-time and some fans remonstrated angrily with Wilkinson in unsavoury scenes at the final whistle.

Weymouth dropped to 23rd and remain five points from safety, but this was a performance worthy of relegation.

Terras: Oualah, Sesay (Thomson 77), Procter (Rees 46), Willson, Kyprianou, Slade, McBurnie (O’Connell 46), Bearwish, Blair, Rose, Ash. Subs not used: Carlyle, Buse.

Hungerford: Ward, McGrory, Angell, Rollinson (Lopes 77), Gunner (Smith 71), J Evans (Ilic 82), Boachie, Berry-Hargreaves, Tyler, Gyebi, Jones. Subs not used: G Evans, Ilic, Bailey.

Referee: Sam Read

Attendance: 713