Terras earn comfortable win at Ham Rec

HAMWORTHY RECREATION 0

WEYMOUTH 4

Touray 5, Amartey 33, Trialist B 60, Linton 71

WEYMOUTH ran out comfortable 4-0 winners at Hamworthy Recreation to get their summer friendlies under way in style.

First-half goals from Ezio Touray and Francis Amartey were backed up by strikes for Trialist B and Malachi Linton as a battling Ham Rec kept Weymouth honest throughout.

Watched on by AFC Bournemouth stars Jaidon Anthony, himself a former Terras loanee, and Marcus Tavernier, Weymouth needed less than five minutes to break the deadlock.

New signing Amartey was the driving force, speeding down the left past two defenders and sliding an accurate pass into the six-yard box for the unmarked Touray to bury with zero fuss.

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Weymouth were still settling at this point and a spirited Rec side carved out the next chance, Tyler Rudd fizzing a 20-yard drive just over.

Weymouth will feel they should have been 2-0 up in the 24th minute when Trialist A caught Rec sleeping at the back post. He did everything correctly in chesting down and creating a shooting opportunity, only to slam his volley against the bar before Corey Jordan blazed over.

Amartey grabbed a deserved second goal for Weymouth in the 33rd minute, though.

He rocketed past the entire Rec defence, faked to shoot and then slotted home at the near post, emphasising the three-tier gap in quality between the sides.

Touray then dragged two shots wide of the far post, the second after a superb run by Under-23s midfielder Joe Wragg, as the Terras went into half-time 2-0 up.

Weymouth made 10 changes at half-time, only keeper Gerard Benfield staying put.

Among them was new signing Brooklyn Genesini, unleashed at right-back.

His influence was evident from the off, playing in a wicked delivery before Weymouth came within an offside flag of making it 3-0.

Fellow sub Linton found space on the right and his cross was on a plate for the 6ft 9in figure of Trialist B to head in at the near post, only for the flag to go up.

Trialist B would eventually get his goal, sweeping home a good finish for 3-0 on the hour mark.

Rec’s sub keeper also needed a good double save to deny Linton’s fierce drive and Trialist B before Benfield was called upon to keep out Rec’s midfield number eight.

Kelson Pollard brought a flying save from the Rec sub shot-stopper before Weymouth added a fourth in the 71st minute.

Keelan O’Connell sliced open the Rec defence with a ball inside and Linton produced a clinical finish to drill home number four.

Weymouth could have made it five but for a heavy touch from Pollard when controlling Charlie Rowan’s gorgeous defence-splitting pass.

Rowan decided to take matters into his own hands in the 86th minute, rifling just wide of the near post.

Late on, high and handsome efforts from Brandon Goodship and O’Connell ensured Weymouth remained 4-0 up but the Terras looked sharp and will doubtless be satisfied with their evening’s work in what was their first outing of the summer.

Terras: Benfield, Howsey (Genesini 46), Hamblin (Armstron 46), Keita (Thompson 46), Jordan (Robinson 46), Trialist A (Linton 46), Bearwish (Pollard 46), McQuoid (Rowan 46), Wragg (O’Connell 46), Amartey (Goodship 46), Touray (Trialist B 46).