Weston continued their fine run of form, defeating fifth placed Chelmsford City at home.

WESTON-S-MARE 3

CHELMSFORD CITY 1

TALKING before the game, pundits in Weston’s clubroom hoped the Seagulls could pick up a point in a drawn game against fifth in the table Chelmsford, but how wrong they were.

The team controlled the game from early on, never allowing City to become a threat and only conceded a score deep into added on time.

Jake Llewellyn was missing from the line-up, suffering an illness, so Ollie Barnes took over and had a solid game as did the rest of the back four. Dayle Grubb was back from injury, so Joe McClennan was on the bench, while Bradley Ash led the attack in place of Matt Jay whose loan period ended.

Despite the strong wind that blew across the pitch, both sides played some attractive football, with City the first to threaten early on when Jaanai Gordon was put through, but Luke Purnell came quickly off his line to collect the ball. Then the visitors forced their first corner in their next attack.

In Weston’s first attack on 11 minutes, Grubb’s strong shot was turned behind by City keeper Bradley Watkins at full stretch, and the Seagulls opened the scoring on 19 minutes when Watkins chipped the defence for Grubb’s shot to take a deflection and Ash rose above the defence to head past the keeper.

Minutes before the break Weston almost scored again when keeper Watkins was wide of his goal to make a clearance from a back-pass. The ball, however, fell to Grubb who took a pot at the empty goal, only for Watkins to scramble back and concede a corner.

Minutes into the second half, Michael Cheek missed a great chance for City when he fired badly wide with only Purnell to beat.

Weston doubled their lead on 80 minutes when Jamie Edge made a strong run from midfield and set up Grubb to beat Watkins from the edge of the penalty area and the Seagulls completed their tally in the 90th minute when substitute McClennan, on for Watkins, beat several defenders in a run on the left and set up Ash to score from close range.

City’s consolation score came two minutes into added-on time when they were awarded a penalty and Lee Sawyer beat Purnell from the spot, their only shot on target of the game.

WESTON STATS

Goals: Weston, Ash (19, 90), Grubb (80). City, Sawyer (penalty 90+2).

Shots on target: Weston 8, City 1.

Shots off target: Weston 3, City 4.

Corners: Weston 3, City 3.

Offsides: Weston 2, City 1.

Free kicks conceded: Weston 10, City 9.

Referee: Andrew Laver (Portsmouth). Excellent game, along with his assistants.

Bookings: Weston, Ingram. City, Girdlestone, Hughes, Redwood, Cheek.

Attendance: 253.

Weston squad: Purnell, Mitchell, Barnes, Edge, Jordan, Fortune, Mawford, Ingram (Cane 56), Ash, Grubb, Watkins (McClennan 78). Subs (not used): Buxton, Brown, Camper.

ON Saturday, Weston have another home game when Eastbourne Borough provide the opposition and the Seagulls will be looking to overturn the 3-1 defeat suffered in East Sussex in August.

The home side will be without Dayle Grubb, who starts a three-game ban for a recent dismissal.

On Sunday, starting at 11am, Weston will be holding an open forum in the clubhouse, when supporters can ask questions of the directors, caretaker manager Ryan Northmore and skipper Tom Jordan.