WEYMOUTH defender Calvin Brooks admitted “this club means a hell of a lot to me” after captaining the Terras in their 2-0 loss to rivals Yeovil Town.

Brooks took the skipper’s armband from Tom Bearwish after the ex-Eastleigh man failed a pre-match fitness test on a calf strain sustained in the 3-1 win over Eastbourne.

Brooks made his 323rd appearance for Weymouth in the derby and could have scored in the second half, only to power over a header from Keelan O’Connell’s corner.

However, Brooks labelled as a “privilege” his leadership of the Terras.

He told Echosport: “It was a pleasure to captain the side in such a big game.

READ MORE: Yeovil Town 2-0 Weymouth - reaction

“I appreciate the management and staff for putting their faith in me for that.

“It’s a real disappointment for Tom not to make the game, it was a big loss and he’s a big player for us, so it was a privilege for me.

“I want to say thank you for the support from Terras fans. This club means a hell of a lot to me and this game means a hell of a lot to me.”

On his chance to score, he added: “I was unmarked in the box so I should’ve done better with it.

“I jumped up quite early, got a little bit excited and couldn’t quite get over the ball so I’m really frustrated.

“It’s something you look back on and think it’s something you could change. We had three or four really good chances that we were stretching for.

“It was part of the game plan, hard and low crosses on a greasy surface. Unfortunately, it just didn’t go our way.

“But we’re really proud of the players and the staff, the second half especially we gave it a really good go.”

Brooks felt Weymouth started slowly in front of a vociferous league-record 6,289 crowd, echoing the thoughts of boss Bobby Wilkinson, but praised his teammates for bouncing back.

He said: “They had a real physical presence and we dealt with that really well. Fair play to the lads.

“It was a punch in the stomach going 1-0 down so early but we responded really well.

“A lot of the lads haven’t played in a game like this. They don’t realise sometimes the pace of the game early on.

“We did adapt well after that first 15 minutes, especially in the second half.

“It was amazing with six thousand fans, a league record, and when we came out for the warm-up we got booed by the Yeovil fans.

“We went straight over to our fans and they were singing. A few of the lads said after the warm-up that it sent shivers down your spine.

“What an opportunity to play in front of so many people. That’s what we play for at the end of the day, to represent our club on nights like this.

“I’m really disappointed we couldn’t go home with something but I’m sure we’ll have something to give them at our place!”