“SUCCESS does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.”

Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw was onto something with these wise words.

Perhaps Weymouth should have taken notice?

Weymouth are currently 23rd in the Vanarama National League South table and seven points off safety with three games remaining.

The Terras find themselves in extreme danger of suffering a second straight relegation, falling to the Pitching In Southern League Premier South.

READ MORE: Hampton & Richmond 2-1 Weymouth - report

They need to beat Dover, Slough and Taunton and hope either Dover or Dulwich lose each of their last three matches.

Impossible? No. Equally, it does seem improbable.

However, the truth for Weymouth is that they simply would not be in this position if they had not lost so many points from winning positions this season.

Six times the Terras have either lost or drawn after being 1-0 or 2-1 up, dropping 17 points.

In the interests of accuracy, Weymouth have also rescued or won ten points from losing positions in 2022/23.

It means Weymouth have a net loss of seven points.

Restore those seven points to their current tally of 39 and they’re suddenly out of the relegation zone, ahead of Dulwich on goal difference.

These are all ifs and buts, of course, but still a fascinating insight into what has gone wrong on the pitch at the Bob Lucas Stadium.

And it is the regularity with which the same mistakes are being made that will surely irritate Weymouth boss Bobby Wilkinson the most.

Rewind to half-time on Saturday and the relegation picture was looking far rosier, with Weymouth leading 1-0 at Hampton & Richmond.

As the table stood at that point, Weymouth were only four points off safety.

Even as the table stood at 77 minutes played, Weymouth were still only four points off safety.

Somehow, the Terras fell into the same malaise that had plagued them against Concord and particularly against Hemel Hempstead.

Devastatingly, Hampton & Richmond roared back to win 2-1, scoring an 89th-minute winner.

Back in February, Concord had done the same in the 82nd minute and Hemel, just four days later, in the 89th minute. Both were 2-1 losses after taking a 1-0 lead.

Clearly, Weymouth have not learnt from their mistakes and now find themselves neck-deep in a relegation quagmire for the second time in two seasons.

After losing to Hampton, Wilkinson appeared perhaps the most dejected he has been for post-match interviews this season.

His conference with Echosport lasted only three minutes and he was similarly quick in the club’s official post-match interview, when only two minutes were required.

Wilkinson is not the type of manager to dwell on the past but one of his biggest challenges next season, regardless of division, will be to do a better job of increasing leads and/or protecting them.

Too often this campaign a 1-0 advantage has seemed fragile, to the point it has appeared a burden on the players.

In addition to the games against Concord, Hemel and Hampton, Weymouth were 1-0 up and drew 1-1 at Hungerford under previous boss David Oldfield.

Then, under Wilkinson, they were 1-0 up at Eastbourne before being thumped 5-1.

Most chillingly, though, Weymouth led 1-0 and 2-1 at Chippenham before succumbing 3-2 to a stoppage-time penalty.

They are the sort of outcomes, against fellow struggling teams, that often spell relegation.

In order for Weymouth to find future success, they must take notes from this season.

If they pass the test in 2023/24 after taking those lessons, there’s every chance of gaining their rewards.

If they don’t, there are no excuses for what happens.