Weston lost 1-0 in a cagey encounter at Gosport Borough last night.
In a cagey start to the game, Gosport keeper Alan Walker-Harris was forced into the first save as he pushed away a sharp half-volley from Brad Ash as he latched on to a long ball over the top from Luke Purnell.
Lloyd Humphries next went close, but his volley was narrowly wide of the post as he stretched for an Ash cross. Weston kept up their pressure, but Scott Laird sliced wide from 18 yards as he looked to bend one into the far corner.
The visitors suffered a setback a few minutes before the interval, when Humphries was shown a straight red card for a two-footed challenge on Marley Ridge inside the Gosport half, and the loanee headed for an early bath.
Weston had one more chance before half-time as Ash brought Dan Martin’s cross down inside the box, but his shot was deflected behind for a corner.
After the interval, Weston continued to look likeliest to score the first goal when Symons knocked a long ball down to Waite, who charged at the Gosport defence but couldn’t squeeze his shot inside the far post from a favourable angle.
Rudi Plummer had an opportunity go begging for Gosport with their first shot of the night, the striker putting wide from six yards after a low cross in from Ridge on the right wing.
Waite then had another half-chance for Weston, as he drove inside after bringing down a Laird pass before shifting back onto his right. His curling shot from the edge of the area went just past the far post.
Gosport got the crucial goal when a Charlie Davis free-kick was dinked into the box, and centre-back Dan Strugnell slammed a low volley past the dive of Purnell to break the deadlock.
With Weston now throwing bodies forward in search of an equaliser, Davis fired over from 25 yards as the opportunity opened up for him, before Purnell was forced into his only save of the night as an outstretched leg prevented substiute Chris Flood when one-on-one.
FT: Gosport 1-0 Weston (Strugnell 76)
Weston XI: Purnell, Parsons, Martin, Knowles, Avery, Tindle (C), Waite (McCootie 79), Humphries (S/O 41), Symons, Laird, Ash. Unused substitutes: Hendy, Pearce, Jones, Goodall.
MOTM: Sam Avery