WEYMOUTH 3
Bearwish 24, Touray 39, Roberts 90+7
EASTBOURNE BOROUGH 1
Holman 63
WEYMOUTH secured their first win over Eastbourne Borough for 15 years with a 3-1 victory at the Bob Lucas Stadium.
First-half goals for Tom Bearwish and Ezio Touray put Weymouth 2-0 up before Fletcher Holman set up a nervy finish.
However, the outstanding Dan Roberts made it 3-1 with the final kick of the game to give Weymouth their second home win of the season.
Weymouth, without the suspended Bobby Wilkinson on the sidelines, made five changes to the side that began the 1-1 draw with Tonbridge Angels last Saturday.
READ MORE: Weymouth 3-1 Eastbourne Borough - how it happened
Leo Hamblin and Callum Smalley were omitted from the squad completely, while Harvey Slade, Brandon Goodship and Ben Thomson dropped to the bench.
David Sesay, Olu Durojaiye and Ezio Touray came all returned, while Elliott Bolton earned his first Weymouth start.
Teenage goalkeeper Hugo Fisher also made his debut after signing from Brighton, with Charlie Rowan and the fit again Keelan O'Connell completing the bench.
Anthony Cheshire and Moe Shubbar missed out, while Scott Rees left the club in midweek.
Weymouth, who prior to kick-off had not beaten Eastbourne since a 3-2 win back in 2008, started on the attack as the supreme Roberts flashed a header wide from a second-minute corner.
In an open start, there were promising signs for Eastbourne as their vibrant forward line began to pick holes in Weymouth’s defence.
After winning a corner, the visitors’ Michael Olarewaju thudded a header against the post with Weymouth clearing up the loose ball.
At the other end, Roberts began like a man possessed and a purposeful 35-yard run was ended by a heavy touch in the box but Bearwish should have scored from the rebound, only to blaze over.
Roberts was at the centre of Weymouth’s next attack as he chased a loose ball and fed Durojaiye, the midfielder’s chip on a plate for Touray who somehow headed over when unmarked.
Shiloh Remy dinked a cross onto the bar for Eastbourne, with Fisher shepherding it over, before Roberts once more starred – this time for the opening goal.
He broke free on the left and suddenly Weymouth had a three-on-one, picking out skipper Bearwish who bundled the ball home into the bottom-right corner.
Eastbourne should have restored parity but for a dreadful miss by Remy after a clever pass from Zak Emmerson, the striker criminally placing wide of the far post when clean through.
Olarewaju was then guilty of skewing a header wide at the back post when he looked destined to score, before Rollinson nearly made it 2-0 only to sky over from 18 yards.
With Yeovil looming on Tuesday, Weymouth were dealt a blow as Bearwish hobbled off, although the Terras went 2-0 up a matter of seconds later.
Roberts grabbed his second assist of the game, finding Touray on the edge of the area.
The striker, wearing a scrum cap to protect his perforated ear drum, made space and clinically curled home low into the bottom-right corner for his sixth goal in as many games.
Touray was denied a second by keeper Ben Dudzinski before the break and Fisher had to make a tackle outside of his box before Vigar tested the Slovakia-born goalkeeper with the last action of the half.
Eastbourne subbed off Imran Uche for Dan Quick and the new man glanced a header wide with Boro’s first effort of the second period.
Emmerson bobbled a shot wide and Remy was then hooked for Holman as Eastbourne searched for a way back in.
It came just four minutes after Holman’s introduction as the man himself nodded a looping header over Fisher in the 63rd minute.
Weymouth responded by bringing on O’Connell for Rollinson, while ex-Weymouth loanee Archie Proctor made way for Jay Beckford in Eastbourne’s final roll of the dice on 71 minutes.
Roberts powered a volley wide on the break for Weymouth but Eastbourne continued to come forward as Olarewaju headed over from Gravata’s free-kick.
Weymouth then switched Touray for Thomson with 11 minutes to go.
The Terras conjured their best move of the half on 85 minutes, O’Connell finding Bolton and his lay-off picking out Slade who fired low and wide of the far post.
Into six minutes of added time, Eastbourne sent keeper Dudzinski up for a corner and Calvin Brooks was forced to clear from two yards out before Decarray Sheriff headed another chance over.
With Weymouth hanging on in the latter stages, Eastbourne piled forward and that eventually proved their final undoing as Roberts ran clean through, rounded Dudzinski and scored to send the Bob Lucas into bedlam.
Weymouth travel to Yeovil Town on Tuesday evening (7.45pm).
Terras: Fisher, Howe, Sesay, Thompson, Durojaiye, Bearwish (Slade 38), Roberts, Rollinson (O’Connell 66), Touray (Thomson 79), Bolton, Brooks. Subs not used: Goodship, Rowan.
Eastbourne: Dudzinski, Proctor (Beckford 71), Remy (Holman 59), Paxman, Sheriff, Uche (Quick 46), Carter, Gravata, Emmerson, Vigar, Olarewaju. Subs not used: Foulkes, Bridgeman.
Referee: Lewis Sandoe.
Attendance: 785.
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