Weymouth suffered a frustrating 2–1 defeat at the Bob Lucas Stadium as Basingstoke Town came from behind to claim all three points—despite the Terras dominating much of the contest.
Fast Start for the Terras
The hosts made a perfect start when Callum Watts rounded goalkeeper Simon Grant in the third minute to score his second goal in as many games. Weymouth controlled the first half, roared on by more than 800 supporters, and created a flurry of chances.
Twice they struck the woodwork—first through Euan Pollock, then Matty Burrows, who hit the opposite post from the rebound in a chaotic passage that somehow stayed out.
Basingstoke Hit Back
Against the run of play, Basingstoke found an equaliser four minutes before the break. George Reid produced a deft finish, flicking in off the post from an excellent Ore Bello cross—Stoke’s only real chance of the half.
After the interval, the visitors were much improved and threatened immediately when Reid’s cross was cleared off the line. Weymouth responded with chances of their own, but Grant again denied Watts after Reuben Reid had played him through.
A defensive mix-up later handed Brandon Goodship a half-volley opportunity, but he fired wide from a difficult angle.
Stoke Complete the Turnaround
Basingstoke took the lead on 64 minutes when Ben Cook finished sharply inside the box. They went close to extending their advantage, with Josh Dolling hitting the post and George Reid sending an overhead kick narrowly wide.
Weymouth pushed back in the final stages. Reuben Reid saw one effort clawed away by Grant, and deep into added time the Basingstoke keeper produced a superb save from a long-range shot to preserve the win.
Team News
Steve Claridge made one enforced change from the previous week, with the suspended Tom Bearwish replaced by Burrows, making his first league appearance since early October. There was also a welcome return for Calvin Brooks, who featured for the final 10 minutes, while Ben Sheaf and Ben Moss were also named on the bench.
For the visitors, Bello earned his first league start, while Josh Dolling, Joe O’Loughlin, Josh Green and James Clark returned to the starting XI.
What’s Next
Weymouth will feel they should have put the game out of sight in the first half but must quickly regroup. They face Taunton Town at home on Tuesday night (7.45pm).
Line-ups
Weymouth:
Clark, Douglas, Mantle, Watts, Genesini, Goodship, Burrows, A. Robinson, Betts, Pollock (Moss 46, Brooks 82), R. Reid.
Unused: Sheaf.
Basingstoke Town:
Grant; Legg, Clark, Upton, O’Loughlin, Green, Cook (Dada 90+3), Bello (Brown 59), Dolling, Reid (Barrett 90+3), Sylla (Rowe 24).
Unused: Johnson-Schuster.