King not getting carried away by Hammers victory

BOSS Brendon King refused to get carried away despite watching his side Hammer West Ham’s so-called stars of the future.

Richard Marshallsay celebrated his new one-year contract by firing the Terras ahead before Warren Byerley came off the bench to grab a second-half double.

Although happy with Weymouth’s display, King was quick to play down the significance of the result – their first win of the pre-season campaign.

He said: “The most important thing, and I said it to the lads afterwards, is not to get carried away as we don’t get three points for that result.

“You could see West Ham’s class, their passing and their movement off the ball, but I was really happy with our shape and discipline.

“We made it hard for them to break us down and how many clear-cut chances did they have? They had a lot of shots and possession but we probably had more clear-cut opportunities.

“Out of the three games so far that was the one where we looked more comfortable on the ball. The boys are working hard and they are taking things on board.

“To keep a clean sheet against a side like that and score three goals is fantastic. But it means nothing so we’ll just prepare for Bridgwater on Wednesday and Portland on Thursday.”

Sam Poole also penned a one-year deal prior to kick-off while Stephen Reed and Lewis Tasker signed non-contract terms.

King added: “It’s looking good but we know we’re still two or three players short.”

The Terras welcomed back Reed to the starting XI and named ex-Saints defender Ben Martin – fresh from an unsuccessful trial at Dorchester – on the substitutes’ bench.

The Hammers meanwhile, fielded the majority of their development squad, including George Moncur and Olly Lee – the sons of former Premier League aces John Moncur and Rob Lee.

Despite the gulf in status, it was the non-League hosts who created the brighter openings early on.

Jamie Beasley and Ben Gerring both forced Marek Stech into action before the West Ham keeper stuck out a leg to expertly deny Matt Groves, following good work from trialist Kyle Bassett.

Weymouth’s persistence eventually paid off midway through the half, Reed teeing up Marshallsay to open the scoring with a cool finish.

The youthful Hammers took little over half-an-hour to gain a clear sight of goal but Tom Manley did just enough to make life difficult for full-back Callum Driver.

It was almost 2-0 10 minutes before the break as Poole managed to get something on Beasley’s deep free-kick. Fortunately for the away side, Stech was alert to the danger and tipped the ball over the top.

The home faithful did not have to wait long for a second as it duly arrived five minutes into the restart.

Marshallsay released half-time replacement Byerley down the right and he cut inside Callum McNaughton before finding the top corner with a superb curling effort.

West Ham defender Paul McCallum tried to trump Byerley’s strike with an overhead kick from 10 yards but Nick Jordan responded with a fine save.

And the Terras’ gloveman looked a much safer pair of hands when, in the 73rd minute, opposite number Stech gift-wrapped a third for the home side.

The Czech flapped at Reed’s left-sided corner and handed Byerley the easiest of opportunities to complete a stunning afternoon for the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division outfit.

Terras: Manley (Jordan 46), Tribe (Lang 46), Dixon (Sharpe 81), Reed (M Ironside 81), Gerring (B Martin 46), Poole, Marshallsay (Conning 61), Tasker, Bassett (Foster 70), Groves (Byerley 46), Beasley (Holland 81).

Hammers: Stech, Driver (Prince 87), Sanchez, Moncur, McCallum, McNaughton, Lee (Celestino 68), Lletget, Lopez (Mtandari 68), Hall, Abdulla. Sub not used: Lepine.

Attendance: 852