New Weymouth manager Jamie Wells said he was “buzzing” after beginning his reign with a dramatic 2-1 victory over local rivals Dorchester on Saturday.
The Terras continued their long-standing league dominance over the Magpies, scoring twice in five minutes late in the first half to turn the derby on its head at The Avenue Stadium.
Dorchester had taken the lead after 17 minutes through Charlie Wooding and looked in control for much of the opening period. However, Weymouth struck back in stoppage time when Tom Bearwish levelled the scores, before Brandon Goodship fired home the winner with the final kick of the half.
Debutant goalkeeper Max Evans then proved the hero midway through the second half, producing a superb penalty save to deny Joe Parker and secure all three points for the visitors.
Speaking to Radio Terras commentator Ben Ashelford after the match, Wells said: “Yeah, I’m buzzing to be fair. These are the games you want to be involved in.
“The atmosphere was excellent. Our fans were tremendous and I thank every single one of them for coming up and supporting us. Hopefully they turn up again on Saturday against Wimborne for another local derby and give us that extra little boost.”
Wells added: “It’s always nice to get one over on your rivals. It was built up a lot — first game, into the lion’s den — but the atmosphere was great and the boys were superb. I can’t ask any more of them.”
Despite the result, Dorchester could feel aggrieved during the first half and may have been unfortunate not to be playing against 10 men. Kieran Douglas was booked in the 28th minute for bringing down Parker and then escaped further punishment for a reckless challenge on Connor Underhill shortly afterwards.
With Douglas walking a disciplinary tightrope, Wells opted to substitute him early, bringing on Evan Watt to protect his side.
“It’s never nice to make such an early substitution,” Wells explained. “But I have to do what’s in the best interest of the team. I felt it was the right decision to keep 11 men on the pitch, and Evan came on and filled the void brilliantly.”
Looking ahead to another local derby against Wimborne, Wells believes the win at Dorchester can provide vital momentum.
“I felt we had confidence coming into today,” he said. “In previous games, little mistakes have cost us. We’ve spoken about being more ruthless in front of goal, and if we can tidy up those errors, we can keep moving forward.”
