Gloomy afternoon for Weymouth Sports (From This is Hampshire)

Gloomy afternoon for Weymouth Sports

5:30pm Wednesday 20th February 2013 in Hampshire Sport By Adam Summers

WEYMOUTH SPORTS 0 STURMINSTER NEWTON UTD 4

JOSH Stroud received his marching orders as Weymouth Sports suffered another miserable afternoon at Cranford Avenue.

The youngster picked up the straight red card for a poor challenge midway through the first half as Sturminster Newton United went on to chalk up a 4-0 scoreline – the hosts’ fifth defeat in a winless run of seven games.

Sam Stockley, Paul Case and Wayne Mous-salli with a brace did the damage for the Cherries but the victory was as much down to individual errors as anything else.

Sports’ joint-boss Chris Hicks, whose men now lie 12th in the Dorset Senior League, just two points above the bottom two, told Echosport: “We started off okay and played some good stuff but a bit of a mix-up in the middle of the park then led to them taking the lead against the run of the play.

“Josh then got sent off around the 20-minute mark and after that the heads just dropped.

“The second then came from another mix up, this time between the two centre-halves, before the third arrived following a misjudgement by James Parkes, who came rushing out of his goal and didn’t get there.

“To be three down at half-time was very frustrating because it had all come from individual mistakes but to be fair in the second half we did much better.

“It was always going to be difficult being down to 10 but we pretty much dominated after the break and had a lot more possession.

“Unfortunately, we were unable to cut the deficit though and they ended up grabbing a fourth on the break late on when a mishit cross cannoned off the far post straight to one of their lads, who tucked the ball home.

“It was another disappointing result and it is clear we need to get some points on the board and quick otherwise we are going to be even more in it than we already are.”

Commenting on Stroud’s dismissal, Hicks went on to add: “The referee reckoned it was a two-footed tackle but it was only one.

“Having said that, it was a bit naughty and it caught the lad just below the knee so I think it was probably the right decision.

“Josh is a young lad and after slightly over-running the ball he did lunge in and when you do that you are always running the risk.”

This Saturday, Sports face a huge six-pointer at Blandford United Reserves, who sit just one place and two points above them.

Sports: Parkes, Stroud, Schofield, Bessant, Hicks, Evans, Connor (Cleal), W Sonner, Culpin, M Sonner (Dixon), Smith-McFarlane (Taylor).