Weymouth 2 Alty 0

6:40pm Monday 20th October 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

ALTY’S eight-game unbeaten run came to an end on Saturday as they were beaten 2-0 at Weymouth.

Goals from Chris McPhee and Ryan Williams sealed the points for the Terras, who sent Alty back into the bottom half of the Blue Square Premier table, leapforgging them in the process.

The Wessex Stadium was already a source of bad memories for the Robins, being the ground where they were condemned to relegation on the final day of last season.

And Graham Heathcote’s in-form side did little to change that during a surprisingly lacklustre 90 minutes.

Weymouth were in control from the start, with experienced duo Chris McPhee and Ryan Williams pulling the strings in midfield.

The pair almost combined to devastating effect after Matt Doughty lost possession on 17 minutes but McPhee headed narrowly wide from Williams’ cross.

Striker Stuart Beavon was also a livewire up front for the hosts and twice fired just past the post as his team continued to threaten the opening goal.

That goal finally came in the 36th minute, as Beavon got involved again, picking up a quick throw-in and crossing for McPhee to deservedly poke home.

Stunned by that blow, Alty finally woke up and were unlucky not to equalise just three minutes later when Greg Young’s header from former Weymouth man Lee Elam’s corner thumped off the underside of the bar.

The rebound fell to Colin Little but he was unable to continue his rich vein of scoring form, heading straight at keeper Danny Knowles.

But that provided only a brief respite for the Robins and Young soon had to head a shot from Williams over his own bar before Stuart Coburn saved Stephen Reed’s effort from the resultant corner.

Reed was denied by Coburn again three minutes before the break but it was Alty’s chance to threaten on the stroke of half time, Little disappointingly blasting over from six yards after getting on the end of a good cross from Elam.

Matters improved somewhat for Alty after the break, especially after Dale Johnson was introduced for Chris Senior on 53 minutes.

Little came close with a spectacular bicycle kick from a Chris Lane cross but Knowles was equal to it, while Coburn saved a looping header from Beavon at the opposite end.

Young was pushed up front with 13 minutes remaining as the Robins desperately looked for an opening.

But instead, Weymouth sealed the win six minutes later when Williams fired a loose ball into the net after Coburn had halted Anton Robinson’s run through the defence.

The writing was on the wall for the visitors and Coburn prevented a heavier defeat when he turned away a stinging effort from Michael Malcolm.