Dover Athletic 4-4 Weymouth: Terras win 4-1 on penalties

Allen 10, G Wilkinson 15, Dembele 86, Sutherland 90+5

WEYMOUTH 4

Touray 31, 45+1, Goodship 55, Bearwish 61

(Weymouth win 4-1 on penalties).

WEYMOUTH advanced to the Isuzu FA Trophy third round on penalties, beating Dover Athletic 4-1 in a mesmeric penalty shootout win following an eight-goal thriller.

Weymouth came from 2-0 down at the Crabble Stadium after Ezio Touray’s double cancelled out first-half goals for Iffy Allen and George Wilkinson.

Weymouth kept their foot on the gas after half-time as the outstanding Brandon Goodship made it 3-2 before setting up skipper Tom Bearwish for Weymouth’s fourth.

Nick Dembele’s finish jangled Weymouth nerves late on and the Terras were taken to penalties as Zidan Sutherland pounced in the 95th minute.

READ MORE: Dover Athletic 4-4 Weymouth (Terras win 4-1 on pens) - how it happened

However, Jared Thompson produced two wonderful saves in the shootout, allowing Anthony Cheshire to score the winning penalty as Weymouth earned £3,750 and a place in the next round.

Jared Thompson saved twice in the penalty shootout (Image: MARK PROBIN)

The result was a welcome boost for manager Bobby Wilkinson, who made three changes to the side that began the 1-1 draw with Farnborough last Saturday.

Calvin Brooks sat out owing to his one-game suspension, while Ben Thomson dropped to the bench and David Sesay had no place in the squad.

Coming into the starting XI were Touray, Cheshire and Leo Hamblin.

On the bench, Thomson was joined by two more attacking options as wingers Keelan O'Connell and Joel Rollinson provided useful alternatives.

Midfielder Elliott Bolton also made the cut of just five substitutes from a permitted seven, with goalkeeper Gerard Benfield returning after his dislocated finger.

Weymouth were looking for their fourth consecutive win at Crabble Stadium and began in positive mood as Goodship had a shot blocked and Cheshire’s downward header was whisked away to safety.

However, the Terras’ early promise dissolved into a nightmare start as Dover swiftly took a 2-0 lead in 15 minutes.

The Whites were especially menacing in wide areas as the lively Allen stole a yard on Teddy Howe and fired a deflected strike home, just creeping inside the post.

Weymouth had the ball in the back of the net on 14 minutes through Dan Roberts and, seconds after it was ruled out for offside, the Terras conceded again.

Allen beat Howe too easily again and his offload to George Wilkinson allowed the midfielder to belt a good finish beyond keeper Thompson.

George Wilkinson, left, put Dover 2-0 up (Image: MARK PROBIN)

Suddenly, it was all Dover as Thompson had to be alert to deny Paris Lock with two sharp saves in two minutes.

Midway through the half, Weymouth began to find their feet as Touray hooked an acrobatic effort at ex-Weymouth keeper Billy Terrell.

And the visitors duly got themselves back into the game in the 31st minute as a Goodship corner caused havoc in the Dover box with Touray well positioned to stab home.

The goal appeared to give Dover the jitters as Terrell hared off his line to claim a long ball, Roberts beat him to it, got to the byline and narrowly failed to connect with Bearwish in the box.

Dover briefly threatened before the break but Dontai Stewart could only fizz wide, and Weymouth made him pay as Goodship’s inviting cross was powerfully headed home by Touray through Terrell.

Ezio Touray has scored four goals in two games against Dover (Image: MARK PROBIN)

Touray now has eight goals for the season, four of them coming against Dover, and the Terras were in no mood to relent after the break.

Roberts fired into the side-netting and Terrell produced a magnificent tip-over save from Jordon Thompson’s header as Dover clung on to parity.

There seemed an inevitability about a third Weymouth goal, though, and it arrived in the 55th minute as Goodship tapped home from close-range after Howe’s header across goal.

Brandon Goodship bagged Weymouth's third goal (Image: MARK PROBIN)

Lock whistled an effort just past the post on the hour for Dover but Weymouth continued to be dangerous and Goodship grabbed his second assist of the afternoon moments later.

Playing in a central position, Goodship threaded a delightful through ball to Bearwish who absolutely clattered his finish past Terrell for 4-2.

Tom Bearwish, centre, made it 4-2 for Weymouth (Image: MARK PROBIN)

Roberts again rifled into the side-netting before Goodship was replaced in the 67th minute by Rollinson.

Weymouth nearly added a fifth on the break from a Dover corner but Terrell was equal to Olu Durojaiye’s effort, denying the midfielder a first Terras goal.

O’Connell was introduced for the final ten minutes for Charlie Rowan in Weymouth’s second change but Dover’s final alteration yielded the bigger effect.

Dembele, who had only been on the pitch for two minutes, prodded home from close-range to halve the deficit with four minutes remaining.

Dover did place Weymouth’s defence under strain in five added minutes and Thompson’s parry from Anifowose’s long-range strike allowed Sutherland to pounce, sending the tie to penalties.

Thompson made amends by saving Sutherland’s spot-kick after O’Connell scored to cement a 1-0 lead after the first round.

Keelan O'Connell set the tone by scoring Weymouth's first penalty (Image: MARK PROBIN)

Bearwish and Anifowose were successful to make it 2-1, before Roberts scored into the top-left corner and Thompson again worked wonders to save from Wilkinson.

It gave Cheshire the opportunity to finally put the game to bed, his successful penalty sending the Terras through the hard way in a hugely exciting cup tie.

Dover: Terrell, Oyenuga, Mensah, Naylor, Lock, Allen (Dembele 84), Young, Dunne (Anifowose 62), G Wilkinson, Pearce, Stewart (Sutherland 62). Subs not used: Baptiste, Nikaj, Powell, Hatcher.

Terras: Ja Thompson, Howe, Hamblin, Cheshire, Jo Thompson, Durojaiye, Bearwish, Roberts, Goodship (Rollinson 67), Touray, Rowan (O’Connell 80). Subs not used: Benfield, Thomson, Bolton.

Referee: Callum Fisk.

Attendance: 338.