Weymouth 3-0 Slough Town: Terras end long wait for home win

Rutherford 43, Goodship 71, Parsons 90+3

SLOUGH TOWN 0

WEYMOUTH won at home for the first time since mid-November as the Terras defeated in-form Slough Town 3-0 at the Bob Lucas Stadium.

Goals for Alfie Rutherford, his first for Weymouth, Brandon Goodship, his eighth of the season, and Harry Parsons, his maiden home strike, did the business for the Terras.

It means Slough, who missed an open goal through Slavi Spasov, have now failed to beat Weymouth in eight attempts.

Weymouth made one change as Charlie Rowan missed out for midfielder Elliott Bolton, promoted from the bench, while Keelan O'Connell was fit again after a slight knock to take his place in the 16.

READ MORE: Weymouth 3-0 Slough Town - how it happened

Joel Rollinson (calf) and Ben Thomson (hamstring) were not considered fit enough to make the squad but Dorking’s Joe Cook, fresh from extending his loan by a month, started his seventh game in a row.

Joe Cook extended his loan deal from Dorking before kick-off (Image: MARK PROBIN)

In chilly conditions with a biting breeze, Weymouth made a sluggish start as keeper Gerard Benfield shanked a clearance straight to Slough’s Johnny Goddard who skewed his attempted lob from 35 yards out.

There was more uncertainty in the Weymouth defence as Nathan Minhas stole in but Benfield was wary of his chipped volley and clawed the ball to safety.

By contrast, Weymouth had their first sight of goal in the 13th minute when Parsons lifted a left-footed shot over from 20 yards.

In what seemed a deliberate tactic, Slough for the third time tried to lob Benfield and, despite being 55 yards out, Scott Davies came the closest of the lot as his effort sailed narrowly wide with the backpeddling keeper beaten.

Weymouth responded when Olu Durojaiye scuffed the game’s first shot on target at Rebels’ keeper Dan Lincoln, while Slough’s Jeanmal Prosper failed to seriously test Benfield after peeling away into space.

Slough’s lively Leon Chambers-Parillon drilled over from 20 yards and Goddard shanked over following a clever routine from a free-kick as Slough took control of possession.

Chambers-Parillon volleyed at Benfield, who caught on the dive, and Bearwish pinged his own volley just wide before squandering a golden chance for 1-0.

Teddy Howe swung in a stunning cross for the unmarked Terras skipper but somehow he volleyed over from inside the six-yard box.

Rutherford made no such mistake on 43 minutes, though.

Goodship played a cute pass inside to Bearwish and his deflected cross was turned home by Rutherford at the back post, despite protests for offside.

Alfie Rutherford, left, scored his first goal for Weymouth (Image: MARK PROBIN)

Weymouth began the second half well as Bearwish volleyed wide under pressure from the Slough press, before the Rebels missed a golden chance to equalise on the hour.

Spasov, a half-time sub, ran onto a scything through ball, rounded Benfield and rolled the ball into the side-netting with the goal gaping from an inviting angle.

Parsons blazed over following good work from Goodship on the left but Weymouth’s man-of-the-moment would soon double the Terras’ lead.

His goal owed much to the sublime vision of Howe, whose lobbed through ball played Goodship in and the Weymouth number 10 showed all of his killer instincts in lobbing Lincoln for 2-0.

Bobby Wilkinson reacted by bringing off Rutherford for Dan Roberts and the ex-Slough striker nearly registered an assist against his former employers.

Played in on the right, he looked up and saw Bearwish unmarked in the middle and the midfielder swept home, only to be cruelly denied a goal by the offside flag.

In tireless efforts to get back into the game, Slough went close through Goddard and later saw Spasov dump a decent chance into the near side-netting as Weymouth began to retreat.

Wilkinson handed Malachi Linton a home debut on 89 minutes at the expense of the ever-impressive Goodship but the Terras had defending to do as Slough poured forward.

Seven minutes of added time invited Slough to attack but instead it was Weymouth who found the cutting edge.

They were rewarded for battling defensive efforts when Parsons dribbled past two challenges and lashed home into the top-left corner.

Harry Parsons, 12, celebrates his first goal at the Bob Lucas Stadium (Image: MARK PROBIN)

Weymouth could have made it 4-0 but Roberts volleyed over when faced with an open goal.

However, the hard yards were already completed to give Weymouth a first home win since the 2-0 triumph over Truro on November 21.

Terras: Benfield, Howe, Hamblin, Cook, Brooks, Bolton (O’Connell 85), Durojaiye, Bearwish, Parsons, Goodship (Linton 89), Rutherford (Roberts 72). Subs not used: Jo Thompson, Touray.

Slough: Lincoln, Jackman, Dandy (Ogbonna 46), Bayliss, Prosper, Lench, N Minhas, Goodard, Chambers-Parillon (Ebuzoeme 66), Davies (Spasov 46), Eweka. Subs not used: Dyce, Sundire.

Referee: Phil Eddie.

Attendance: 948.