Weymouth 1-3 Taunton Town: Terras pay for missed chances

Rose 45+4

TAUNTON TOWN 3

Smith 26, Lucas 50, McCootie 90+5

WEYMOUTH slipped to their eighth home league defeat of the season with a 3-1 loss to Taunton Town.

Zac Smith and Lee Lucas scored either side of Ahkeem Rose’s equaliser and Taunton absorbed wave after wave of Weymouth attack before suckering the Terras on the counter in the 95th minute through Nick McCootie.

Weymouth showed three changes to the side that began the 2-0 loss at Dulwich Hamlet on Tuesday.

David Sesay and Dan Matsuzaka took no place in the squad, while Keelan O'Connell dropped to the bench.

READ MORE: Weymouth 1-3 Taunton Town - how it happened

In came Charlie Rowan for his first start, while Cam Murray returned to the Terras' line-up after playing two games on loan at Poole. Luke Nippard was the other man to come in.

Weymouth named just four players on the bench as O'Connell was joined by Josh Oyinsan and Matt Buse.

There was good news for the Terras as Harry Kyprianou was fit enough to return following a hamstring injury.

Harry Kyprianou, right, returned from injury (Image: MARK PROBIN)

Weymouth should have given themselves more good news on the pitch in just the fifth minute, but for an inexplicable miss from Nippard.

Rose and Tom Bearwish combined neatly on the right-hand edge of the box and the latter’s drag back perfectly picked out the onrushing Nippard from left-back.

Running on to the pass, Nippard looked set to score only to blaze over from ten yards to the disbelief of everyone in the ground.

Rose was denied a penalty after a driving run before Taunton’s first major chance, Smith controlling and hitting the side netting from ex-Terra Jake Wannell’s cross.

The first save either keeper had to make came courtesy of another former Weymouth player, Jack Bycroft, who saved with his legs from Brad Ash.

His stop grew in value on 26 minutes when Smith left his man for dead and slotted home into the far corner from Jay Foulston’s pass.

Rowan dragged wide from 30 yards and the sides exchanged bookings for Wannell and Scott Rees before Weymouth built up a head of steam once more.

Ash forced a flying stop by Bycroft from range before misfortune struck Rowan, the loanee centre-half flinging himself into an aerial duel at personal cost as he appeared to sustain a dislocated collar bone.

With Weymouth’s defensive injury problems mounting, skipper Xander McBurnie shifted back to centre-half with O’Connell called from the bench.

He injected impetus into the Terras, who finished the half strongly with Ash blasting into the side-netting before a brilliant double save from Bycroft.

Taunton’s keeper, on loan from Southampton, got down sharply to keep out Tom Blair’s effort and then showed cat-like reflexes to keep out O’Connell’s follow-up.

However, Bycroft was finally beaten in the fourth minute of added time when Rose, who appeared close to being flagged offside, latched on to Murray’s prod and fired home from 12 yards.

Ahkeem Rose, right, celebrates his goal for Weymouth (Image: MARK PROBIN)

Parity lasted just five minutes of the second half as Weymouth could not clear a cross and Lucas hammered a rising drive into the top-right corner past home keeper Zaki Oualah.

Taunton boss Rob Dray was booked in the aftermath for apparent dissent before the returning Kyprianou, a half-time sub for the booked Scott Rees, fired wide.

Weymouth turned up the heat seconds later as Ash crashed an effort against the bar from a tight angle, before the unmarked Rose should have scored only to hit the bar with a header from Blair’s sumptuous cross.

Brad Ash, left, hits the bar with a vicious shot (Image: MARK PROBIN)

Weymouth then had desperate cries for a penalty waved away as referee Corbett adjudged Nick Grimes to have used his face to keep out a shot.

Taunton soaked up pressure by committing cynical fouls to break up Weymouth’s breaks and the visitors set their stall out to put men behind the ball in the final 20 minutes.

The Peacocks, who have the least porous defence in the league, looked at one with the tactic as they swept up any aerial crosses and both O’Connell and Nippard sent poor efforts wide.

Josh Oyinsan came on for Nippard and tempers flared as Dray was shown a second yellow, again for dissent.

In the same incident, McCootie came under fire after appearing to make contact with Blair off the ball, but the linesman on the far side instructed just a yellow to be brandished.

Weymouth’s final opportunity in five added minutes came through O’Connell but the midfielder drilled over.

And the final punch was landed as the powerful sub McCootie ran Weymouth’s defence ragged before lashing past Oualah.

The two sides meet again on Friday for the return fixture (7.45pm).

Terras: Oualah, McBurnie, Rowan (O’Connell 41), Carlyle, Rose, Bearwish, Ash, Blair, Rees (Kyprianou 46), Murray, Nippard (Oyinsan 80). Sub not used: Buse.

Taunton: Bycroft, Foulston, Grimes, Ball (Budd 48), Wannell, Chamberlain, Jarvis (Morgan 78), Guest, Stearn (McCootie 61), Smith, Lucas. Subs not used: Staley, Sims-Burgess. 

Referee: Liam Corbett

Attendance: 1,488