Weston gave a lacklustre performance as they crashed to their third Blue Square South away defeat of the season.

HAMPTON & RICHMOND 3

WESTON-S-MARE 1

WESTON gave a lacklustre performance as they crashed to their third Blue Square South away defeat of the season which sees them slip to seventh in the table.

This was Hampton’s first win of the campaign and it pulls them off bottom spot.

Manager Craig Laird made one change from the side successful at Dorchester last Tuesday, Jack Martin taking over from the absent Jamie Price and they made a bright start.

Ben Hunt fed Kane Ingram whose shot seemed to come off the arm of Hampton’s Callum Stewart but referee Ashwin Degnarian was unimpressed and waved play on. Later, Nat Pepperell went close and Dayle Grubb had a free kick parried to safety by home keeper Rodney Chiweshe.

As Hampton got into the game, James Simmons hit Lloyd Irish’s crossbar on 12 minutes from Nathan Collier’s corner and Dan Thompson forced a decent save from Irish. The home side opened the scoring on 29 minutes when Collier’s cross was deemed to have been handled by Ingram and Simmons beat Irish from the penalty spot.

Weston lost Martin Slocombe through injury on 34 minutes, Ben Cleverley taking over and on the stroke of half-time, central defender Mat Villis had to go off after an unfortunate clash of heads with Dan Thompson and was replaced by Sahr Kabba for the second half.

Against a patched-up Weston defence Hampton substitute dispossessed Ingram and beat Irish with a superb 30-yard lob to increase the lead and four minutes later, Simmons soloed through the defence to add the third

As Hampton began to sit back on their lead, Weston began to take control with Kabba hitting a post and the ball rebounded into the arms of Chiweshes and substitute Mat Huxley’s cross was missed by Chiweshes, but Nabi Diallo failed to make contact on the far post, while Ingram headed just wide and Diallo’s cross.

Grubb was rewarded for his hard work by grabbing Weston’s consolation in injury time when he beat Chiweshe with a 29-yard shot that went in off a post.

WESTON STATS

Goals: Hampton, Simmons 28 (penalty), 54, Tarpey 50. Weston, Grubb 90.

Shots on target: Hampton 6, Weston 4.

Shots off target: Hampton 4, Weston 3.

Offsides: Hampton 2, Weston 1.

Fouls conceded: Hampton 8, Weston 12.

Referee: Ashvin Degnarian, Good game.

Attendance: 391.

Weston squad: Irish, Martin, Slocombe (Cleverley 34), Grubb, Villis (Kabba 46), Jamie Laird, Ingram, Diallo, Hunt (Huxley 72), Young, Pepperell. Subs (not used): Kirk, Mackay.

ON Saturday, Weston pay a return visit to the Avenue Stadium, Dorchester, this time in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup. Unfortunately, there will be no seats for supporters on the team coach. If a replay is necessary, it will be at the Woodspriing Stadium on Tuesday evening (7.45pm).

Weston could be without Martin Slocombe and Mat Villis, both injured against Hampton & Richmond, while Kane Ingram will be serving a one-game ban after picking up five cautions.