The Seagulls put in an outstanding defensive performance after being reduced to ten men in the first half, earning a valuable away point with a 1 – 1 finish to unbeaten Bognor Regis Town, thanks to a Dayle Grubb strike.
Weston started well, earning a corner on the 11th minute mark. Weston started well, earning a corner on the 11th minute mark. Danny Greenslade’s low pass to Tristan Plummer was dummied to Grubb who squeezed a shot underneath Bognor keeper Dan Lincoln.
Bognor didn’t take lightly to going down, with captain Dan Beck having a 25-yard shot parried by keeper Luke Purnell before Ollie Pearce was forced wide by Purnell and put his shot over the crossbar from a tight angle moments after Beck’s chance.
Chris Field then came close to taking Bognor level, leaping salmon-like to meet a corner but again denied by Purnell who got a strong hand to the effort. At the other end Plummer’s shot from 12 yards also being pushed wide by Lincoln following a Grubb cross a minute afterwards.
On the half-hour mark, the game took a turn in Bognor’s favour, when Aden Baldwin received a straight red for denying a goal-scoring opportunity. Weston players protested the decision, but despite their protestations Seagulls ultimately found themselves down to ten men.
After half-time, Bognor came out fighting when a cross was floated in from the right and captain Beck rose above his marker to power a header beyond Purnell and into the net.
Substitute Jake Mawford skewed his shot wide as he ran towards the Bognor defence with pace, with Ben Swallow controlling a deft pass and his effort being palmed away by Purnell.
Grubb continued to create chances for the Seagulls by curling a shot wide from his favoured right-foot, with Purnell tipping aside a shot from Pearce as both sides ramped the pressure up.
Grubb dragged a shot into Lincoln’s waiting arms as Weston saught a late winner as the five added minutes began.
In the last meaningful action from the game, a shattered Grubb went on a lung-busting run through the heart of the Bognor side, beating several players but dragged an eventual shot into Lincoln’s outstretched dive.
In what was an outstanding defensive performance from Weston after going down to 10 men, the Seagulls players, management, directors and fans can take a lot of positives from today’s game.
FT: Bognor Regis Town 1-1 Weston (Beck 57-Grubb 11)
Weston XI: Purnell, Pope, Greenslade, Cane, Baldwin (S/O 30), Laird, Diallo, Kington (C) (Harper 68), Lee, Grubb (Seymour 90+2), Plummer (Mawford 53). Unused subsitutes: Collins, Reid.
MOTM: Jake Lee-Stood out amongst a strong team display with an assured display up front before acting as the team’s main defensive midfielder once reduced to ten men.