Ky Marsh-Brown stole the show in a convincing 5 – 1 win for Whitehawk as the Seagulls failed to cope with their bottom-of-the-league, yet top of the current form-table opponents.
Weston had an early chance when Jake Lee’s cross was hung up to the back post, Gethyn Hill unable to connect with an overhead kick and the ball dropped wide.
Shaquille Hunter’s 25-yard effort was quickly charged down by a Hawks defender, before Whitehawk took the lead in sensational fashion. Marsh-Brown turned inside, unleashing an unstoppable effort into the top corner, beyond the dive of Purnell, who could only watch the ball sail over his head and nestle in the back of the net.
Purnell stopped a low drive from Hawks winger Sam Chaney, with Marsh-Brown’s effort being cleared off the line by Aaron Parsons.
Whitehawk bagged a second when Marsh-Brown wriggled past Jason Pope, the winger allegedly pushed over by the Weston centre-back. Marsh-Brown stepped forward, sending Purnell the wrong way from the spot.
Weston were then awarded a penalty a couple of minutes later when Hill turned Kodi Lyons-Foster and was tripped by his outstretched leg. The striker stepped up, placing his effort to the left of keeper Daniel Wilks.
Shaquille Hunter almost scrambled in from a cross, but Wilks was down quickly to stop the shot, before Jason Pope then came to Weston’s rescue by hooking a shot from Marsh-Brown off the line.
After the interval, Weston stumbled out the blocks and Elliot Benyon seized the opportunity by drilling home a through ball from Chaney.
Purnell tipped a Benyon shot around the post as the home side continued to run rampant, with the visitors Naby Diallo curling a free-kick over the bar from just outside the area.
Benyon found substitute Nathaniel Pinney inside the area, who opted to lay the ball on a plate for Marsh-Brown instead of shooting and slotted into the far corner for 4 – 1.
Kenan Dunnwald had a shot blocked by an ever-alert Wilks, before the fifth came for the Hawks. Lucas Rodrigues played the ball to Pinney, who let the ball run to Benyon, the prolific goalscorer slotting into the far corner to wrap up proceedings.
FT: Whitehawk 5 – 1 Weston (Marsh-Brown 12, 31 pen, 85; Benyon 48, 90+2-Hill pen 34)
Weston XI: Purnell, Harper (Laird 90+1), Greenslade, Cane (C), Pope, Parsons, Lee (Kington 57), Diallo (Welch 78), Hill, Dunnwald, Hunter. Unused substitutes: Scott, Reid.
MOTM: Ky Marsh – Brown-The winger was outstanding throughout the 90 minutes, scoring a hat-trick. The Seagulls defence struggled to deal with the livewire winger all game long and he certainly looks like a player who would tear National League South defences apart for the rest of the season. From a disappointing showing from Weston, our best player was Kenan Dunnwald.