Seagulls fall at first FA Trophy hurdle at hands of 10 man Dartford.
Weston failed to capitalise against a 10 man Dartford at the Third Round Qualifying stage of the FA Trophy, with the match finishing at 2-4.
Both teams started the game at a high tempo, attempting to assert their authority over the game.
A chance came in the first 5 minutes for Dartfords Elliot Bradbrook who seemed to have Luke Purnell beaten, only to see his attempt go wide of the target.
Jacob Cane, linking up with Bradley Ash then turned the attention to the opposite end of the pitch. With a pass to Ash picked out after a central run from Cane which then led to a corner for the home side, but the chance was squandered.
A mistake from Aden Baldwin saw him almost finding his own net, but a deflection luckily sent the ball over the bar.
A good period of possession for Weston followed but the Seagulls couldn’t convert this in to any goal bound shots, with the visiting Darts making a number of clearances that seemed to be untesting to their defense, yet they too seemed unable to pose any serious threat to their hosts.
24 minutes in to the half and Chris Barker put a ball to Dayle Grubb who set up Brad Ash who made no mistake in putting the ball home.
Hungry as ever, Ash almost doubled his tally within minutes when he found a perfectly positioned cross from Barker with his head but saw his effort go just over the bar, much to the frustration of the Barnsley loanee.
Dartford then started to find their momentum, with Duane Ofari-Acheampong pouncing on a sloppy pass from Jacob Cane and raced down the pitch, only to be foiled by an Aden Baldwin tackle, denying him.
A constant threat, Ofari-Acheampong, again saw an effort kept out by Weston keeper Luke Purnel, from just inside the area.
A series of set pieces saw the efforts of Dartford pay dividends when an Andy Pugh header beat the Seagulls defence as well as the keeper.
3 minutes after the break and Dartford took the lead with a 25 yard screamer from Elliot Bradbrook.
A goal line foul on Jon Moran picked out by the linesman led to a red card for Dartfords Tom Bonner and a penalty for the Seagulls, converted by Bradley Ash.
Weaknesses in Westons defense allowed Dartfords Bradbrook in and to once again claim the lead from a corner, followed by a headed goal to give him a hat-trick and to assure Westons departure from the FA Trophy.
Final Score: Weston 2 Dartford 4