Weston and Poole played out a tasty encounter on a warm afternoon at The Optima Stadium as both sides held out for a point.
Weston started well when Ben Whitehead had a shot fly past the post from 25 yards, and Isaac Pearce had a shot tipped over by Luke Cairney after Nick McCootie had fed him. Will Spetch went close for Poole when he curled a free-kick just wide.
Weston’s early pressure told when a Scott Laird cross was flicked on at the near post by Whitehead, and the ball dropped for captain Greg Tindle to volley in at the back post to break the deadlock.
Joel Randall latched onto a loose Poole pass and slipped in McCootie, who drove wide of the post from inside the box. Aaron Parsons went close when he headed a Jarrad Welch corner down and just wide of the post, and Whitehead went close but dragged his shot wide from inside the area after he had linked up with Randall.
Image: Will. T. Photography
After half-time, Whitehead sliced over the bar after cutting inside off of Weston’s left flank, and Purnell reacted quickly to push a Baker shot round the post after he had got in one-by-one. Welch curled just wide after a Connor Davies cross was cleared out to the midfielder 25 yards out.
Nick McCootie had a golden opportunity to put the Seagulls back in front when he raced onto a long Davies clearance and rounded Cairney, but the striker ran out of room and the ball ran out for a goal-kick.
Poole were reduced to ten when a challenge from Josh Carmichael brought Davies down on the counter, and he was shown a red card by the referee in the last minute of added time.
Image: Will. T. Photography
Weston XI: Purnell, Davies, Martin, Laird (S/O 34), Parsons, Tindle (C), Randall, Welch (Llewellyn 60), McCootie, Whitehead (Madden 79), Pearce (Hendy 90+2). Unused substitutes: Malshanskyj, Byrne.
MOTM: Nick McCootie