Pre-season Friendly
Winchester City 3 Weymouth 1
The Weymouth side may not be the one that will be starting their league season on Saturday, but the quality of the City performance could not fail to have impressed Weymouth boss Steve Claridge.
On a damp evening the visitors took the lead when former A F C Bournemouth and Dorchester striker Dan Cann fired home on fifteen minutes. But for an impressive performance by Weymouth’s 16-year-old goalkeeper Simon Evans, the City margin for victory would have been greater.
Weymouth had started the brighter but had survived an early scare when Mark Smith broke through and was denied by Evans before Cann chested down a Shaun Wilkinson free kick before steering the ball past Simon Arthur. City picked up their performance after the goal and Evans did well to stop a Jamie Laidlaw volley.
On thirty-eight minutes though City were level. Matt Bicknells left wing cross headed home by Laidlaw for his fourth goal in the pre season build up. Shortly before the break Weymouth had the chance to restore their lead Wilkinson prodding wide from close range after neat interplay between Ian Hutchinson and martin Underhay.
With driving rain at the start of the second half City showed their style in the second period. With fifty-two minutes on the clock City went ahead with an excellent strike. Liam Greens corner fell invitingly to Lloyd Webber who struck an unstoppable drive into Evans’ top right hand corner from twenty-five yards, already a contender for goal of the season.
Weymouth were clearly shaken by the quality of the City play and tried to hustle City out of their stride. With sixty-eight minutes played City added their third. Adam Rogers a menace on the right hand side all evening, again took the ball past the experienced Simon Browne, then teed up Laidlaw who’s cross spun off Jamie Impey and Ian Mancey loped a header over Evans and just under the bar.
Weymouth tried in vain to get one back but offered little late on, although Browne headed over from Wilkinsons corner. Rogers almost added a City fourth with second left and there was still time for Evans to cap a fine performance with an excellent reflex save from Jamie Musselwhites header.
City : Arthur, Rogers, Bicknell, Powell, Jones (Goss), Blake (Hall), Webber (Musselwhite), Smith (Brewster), Mancey, Laidlaw (G Green), L Green
Weymouth : Evans, Orchard, Browne, Barlow, Impey, Bound, Wilkinson, Hutchinson, Cann, Charles, Underhay (Pethick) Unused subs Buckle, Walker, Gibbs, Dixon, Hill, Tulley
Winchester City 3 Weymouth 1
The Weymouth side may not be the one that will be starting their league season on Saturday, but the quality of the City performance could not fail to have impressed Weymouth boss Steve Claridge.
On a damp evening the visitors took the lead when former A F C Bournemouth and Dorchester striker Dan Cann fired home on fifteen minutes. But for an impressive performance by Weymouth’s 16-year-old goalkeeper Simon Evans, the City margin for victory would have been greater.
Weymouth had started the brighter but had survived an early scare when Mark Smith broke through and was denied by Evans before Cann chested down a Shaun Wilkinson free kick before steering the ball past Simon Arthur. City picked up their performance after the goal and Evans did well to stop a Jamie Laidlaw volley.
On thirty-eight minutes though City were level. Matt Bicknells left wing cross headed home by Laidlaw for his fourth goal in the pre season build up. Shortly before the break Weymouth had the chance to restore their lead Wilkinson prodding wide from close range after neat interplay between Ian Hutchinson and martin Underhay.
With driving rain at the start of the second half City showed their style in the second period. With fifty-two minutes on the clock City went ahead with an excellent strike. Liam Greens corner fell invitingly to Lloyd Webber who struck an unstoppable drive into Evans’ top right hand corner from twenty-five yards, already a contender for goal of the season.
Weymouth were clearly shaken by the quality of the City play and tried to hustle City out of their stride. With sixty-eight minutes played City added their third. Adam Rogers a menace on the right hand side all evening, again took the ball past the experienced Simon Browne, then teed up Laidlaw who’s cross spun off Jamie Impey and Ian Mancey loped a header over Evans and just under the bar.
Weymouth tried in vain to get one back but offered little late on, although Browne headed over from Wilkinsons corner. Rogers almost added a City fourth with second left and there was still time for Evans to cap a fine performance with an excellent reflex save from Jamie Musselwhites header.
City : Arthur, Rogers, Bicknell, Powell, Jones (Goss), Blake (Hall), Webber (Musselwhite), Smith (Brewster), Mancey, Laidlaw (G Green), L Green
Weymouth : Evans, Orchard, Browne, Barlow, Impey, Bound, Wilkinson, Hutchinson, Cann, Charles, Underhay (Pethick) Unused subs Buckle, Walker, Gibbs, Dixon, Hill, Tulley
Document last updated: 08/06/2007
