The spoils were shared in a lively game at Westleigh Park as Dorset outfit Weymouth took on the Hawks.
Havant and Waterlooville started strong, with a chance from Devante Stanley stinging the gloves of Hugo Fisher in the 6th minute. However, the Hawks quickly came undone, with an own goal from Kai Innocent after a Weymouth cross putting the visitors 1-0 up in the 8th minute.
For the majority of the half Weymouth were the team in control, but the Hawks kept pushing, with chances from Muhammadu Faal and James Roberts troubling the Terras defence. The home team’s efforts were finally rewarded in the 33rd minute when Roberts won a penalty from a corner after being wrestled to the ground by Terras defender David Sesay. Roberts stepped up and calmly slotted away the penalty, levelling the score at 1-1.
This gave the home team some momentum, with Sion Spence receiving the ball on the edge of the Weymouth box in the 35th minute, but his shot was calmly connected by Fisher. The Hawks ended the half coming agonisingly close to a goal, with Zouma’s headed ball from a corner hitting the post in the 44th minute. This kept the score at 1-1 heading into the second half of the game.
HALF TIME- HAVANT AND WATERLOOVILLE 1-1 WEYMOUTH
The second half started evenly, with the Hawks midfield looking to create chances for the attackers to chase onto. Faal was able to have a tame shot in the 51st minute after being held up by Terras defender Jordan Thompson. Weymouth were struggling to deal with the Hawks press, having to resort to a few rough challenges. This finally caught up with the visitors in the 56th minute, when the Hawks were awarded a free kick in their own half after Olu Durojaiye held up the ball. Worner delivered the free kick and found a Hawks player, but Fisher calmly made the save.
In the 63rd minute Stanley picked an incredible cross field pass which landed at the feet of Sion Spence, whose darting run into the box resulted in a cross that flashed straight across the face of goal. The Hawks kept pushing, peppering the Terras defence with attack after attack.
The Hawks won a freekick in the 69th minute on the edge of the Weymouth box after Durojaiye put in a crunching tackle on Faal. Jack Jebb’s freekick found the target and would have scored if not for a diving save from Fisher. The Hawks won a corner from this, which found the head of Zouma, prompting another save from the Weymouth keeper. Weymouth pounced on the counter after this, running the length of the pitch while the Hawks number 19 was on the floor. A last ditch tackle from a white shirt ended this attack, resulting in a Weymouth throw-in.
The Hawks pressed on, with Jebb receiving the ball in the area in the 72nd minute, but he couldn’t quite find the mark. Havant came close again straight away, with Stanley’s pass rebounding to Faal, whose shot again was saved by Fisher in the 75th minute.
Faal was taken down on the edge of the area in the 78th minute by Brooks as the Hawks won a freekick. This was taken by Jebb, who sent in a stunning cross that no one was able to get a head on.
The first substitution for the Hawks came in the 79th minute, as Berkley-Agyepong was taken off for Roarie Deacon. Deacon got involved straight away, winning a freekick in the 80th minute after being taken down by Tom Bearwish. The freekick was taken by Jebb, whose cross found McCarthy, but the Weymouth stopper punched the ball clear.
Weymouth pounced on the counter straight after this, with a Terras player running the length of the pitch, but Zouma recovered the ball nicely.
In the 87th minute, The Hawks looked to press quickly after Weymouth’s Roberts earned a caution after a late challenge on Innocent. The Hawks continued to press and found a chance through Faal, but his shot was saved again by Fisher. In the 88th minute, the Weymouth keeper played the ball into midfield, but Fisher pounced on the ball which resulted in a tackle that left the Hawks man needing treatment.
5 minutes of extra time were given which seemed to spur on the visitors, as Weymouth focused play down the right hand side and were able to find some chances. In the 91st minute, Tom Bonner received the only yellow card of the game after his collision with Ben Thompson.
The Hawks made a substitution in the 94th minute, when Zouma collided heads with Thompson, leaving both on the floor. Zouma had to be stretchered off the pitch to strong applause from the fans, meaning Brendan Wilson came on for the Hawks.
The Hawks continued to look for a winner, with Faal dashing into the box in the 98th minute, but he was not quite able to get his shot off.
Weymouth charged forward but Wilson was there to make a sliding tackle and put the ball out for a corner, which Weymouth were not able to capitalise on. The ref blew the final whistle after this, ending the game at 1-1.
FULL TIME- HAVANT AND WATERLOOVILLE 1-1 WEYMOUTH
Havant and Waterlooville: Worner (GK), Stanley, Innocent, McCarthy, Faal, Jebb, Berkeley- Agyepong (Deacon ‘79) Zouma (Wilson ‘90+8), Roberts, Spence, Bonner (C)
Unsused subs: Jewitt-White, Mahammad-Kier, Mehew
Goals: Roberts (pen 34’)
Yellow cards: Bonner (90+1’)
Weymouth- Fisher (GK), Howe, Sesay, Thompson, Durojaiye, O’Connell, Bearwish, Roberts, Touray (Thompson 59’), Bolton (Shubbar 59’), Brooks
Unused subs: Rowan, Winterburn, Kahdum
Goals: Innocent (OG 6’)
Report by Harry Ince