Weston fell to their third successive defeat at Tonbridge, with Frannie Collin, the Blue Square South’s leading scorer, added two more strikes to his impressive haul.

TONBRIDGE ANGELS 3

WESTON-S-MARE 0

TONBRIDGE’S Frannie Collin, the Blue Square South’s leading scorer, added two more strikes to his impressive haul of 20 to inflict Weston’s third successive defeat and send them tumbling down one place in the table from sixth to seventh.

This is an alarming loss of form for a side riding high in the table, for as well as losing three games on the trot, they have failed to score for 324 minutes of football, the last goal being against Welling on January 14.

However, having said all that, had the side taken their early second-half chances at the Longmead Stadium, the result might well have been different.

Played in pouring rain and a strong swirling wind, both sides failed to come to terms with the conditions, with the only shot on target coming after 35 minutes when Tonbridge’s Lee Browning tested Lloyd Irish from distance.

Early in the second half, Nabi Diallo and Marcus Duharty twice each came close to breaking the deadlock, but Collin opened the scoring on 54 minutes when his 40-yard head-high free kick went through the keeper’s raised arms. Speaking after the game, the disappointed keeper said: “I thought I had it covered, but it swerved in the strong wind in the last second.”

After that, Tonbridge took control and Collin struck again on 67 minutes when he finished a good flowing move involving Browning, Chris Piper and substitute Mikel Suarez by firing across Irish.

The home side kept threatening with speedy runs down both flanks by Jake Beecroft and Nathan Koranteng and a minute into added on time, Jamie Laird picked up a yellow card for bringing down Sonny Miles and substitute Jon Main scored from the penalty spot.

Weston’s small squad was handicapped further when Duharty limped off midway through the second half after picking up a nasty instep injury that may keep him out for several games. Also, midfielder Jak Martin is out suffering from a hernia and may need hospital treatment.

WESTON STATS

Goals: Tonbridge, Collin (54, 67), Main (90, penalty).

Shots on target: Tonbridge 6, Weston 0.

Shots off target: Tonbridge 5, Weston 8.

Corners: Tonbridge 4, Weston 0.

Offsides: Tonbridge 2, Weston 3.

Free kicks conceded: Tonbridge 8, Weston 18.

Referee: Carl Brook (St Leonards-on-Sea). Reasonable game in difficult conditions, but made several contentious decisions.

Bookings: Weston, Trowbridge, Price, Laird.

Attendance: 642.

Weston squad: Irish, Price, Slocombe, Young (McGregor 81), Villis, Jamie Laird, Diallo (Grubb 78), Kirk, Duharty (Kabba 71), Trowbridge, Pepperell. Subs (not used): Cleverley, Callum Laird.

ON Saturday, Weston have another tough assignment when they travel to Sutton United, currently fifth in the table. When the sides met at the Woodspring Stadium in October, the game ended scoreless.

On Wednesday next, Weston will be defending the Somerset Premier Cup when they travel to Frome Town’s Alder-Smith Stadium where the game will be played to a finish with extra time and penalty kicks if necessary.