A late Sam Avery header secured the Seagulls all three points in a vital 1-0 win at home to Merthyr Town, with a large crowd watching on.
Elis Watts had the game’s first shot when his near-post effort was collected by Jaimie Cogman, before Noah Smerdon drove wide of the target from 20 yards down the other end after a corner had fell his way. Owen Brain then had a shot toward the near post hit the side-netting after bringing down a deep cross.
Tom Handley fired over the target after a short corner had been worked to him, with Jacob Jagger Cane then driving over the target from 20 yards in front of the NK Stand. Liam Angel’s low free-kick was then collected comfortably by Luke Purnell in front of a vocal Merthyr crowd.
Owen Brain then played a delightful through pass to Ricardo Rees, whose dinked effort was blocked by a combination of Purnell and Lloyd Humphries. Dayle Grubb then struck the woodwork for the first time from 20 yards with a low free-kick after James Dodd had been brought down outside the area, with Humphries firing wide from 30 yards not long after.
Cogman beat a Watts shot clear on the counter after the Seagulls drove forward from a Merthyr corner, before the Merthyr shot-stopper tipped wide a curling Grubb effort from 20 yards after Dodd had worked the ball to him. Grubb then went close again from just inside the area after Bastin’s corner had been cleared in his direction, a curling shot just hitting the top of the bar. In the final attempt of the half, Grubb’s long-range shot was held by Cogman in the Merthyr goal.
In the second half, Marlon Jackson had a shot gathered by Cogman inside the box after Reid had picked up on a mistake and slipped him into space, before Dodd had a shot blocked from inside the area after Jackson had nodded down a Jason Pope cross. Grubb then had a shot pushed away at the near post by Cogman after he had driven into the area.
Weston went close again when from a scramble following a corner, a Seagulls player hooked an attempt toward goal on the volley but Cogman did brilliantly to tip the effort away. Merthyr then struck the bar when John’s corner struck the top of the woodwork and bounced away. Jackson then had a curling shot from the edge of the area pushed away by Cogman.
Cogman again proved to be a thorn in Weston’s side when he pushed away a Grubb free-kick from the corner of the box, before the skipper curled another set-piece over the bar from 25 yards.
The Seagulls were to get the vital goal when a Grubb corner into the box was punched up and not out by Cogman, the ball dropping out of the sky for Avery to nod into the back of the net from yards out for his fourth goal of the season.
Substitute Olly Mehew had a chance late on when going through on goal and rounding Cogman, but the ball got stuck in his feet and a covering Merthyr defender was able to block the shot. Brain then had the game’s final attempt, but he volleyed over the bar from outside the box as Weston claimed all three points.
FT: Weston 1-0 Merthyr (Avery 84)
Attendance, 1,265.
Weston XI: Purnell, Pope, Jagger Cane, Humphries, Avery, Watts (Mehew 73), Dodd, Jackson, Grubb (C), Bastin, Reid. Unused substitutes: Thomas, Coppin, Williams, Murray.
MOTM: Dayle Grubb.