In his final home game, Dayle Grubb stepped up with a brace to secure all three points for the Seagulls against Hungerford Town.
Hungerford were comfortable to let Weston have the majority of possession, and the Seagulls had a few chances of note early on. Ash Harper’s drilled cross was met at the near post by Gethyn Hill, who poked wide from six yards via a deflection.
Nicholas Bignall was slipped in behind by Tom Meechan, the Hungerford striker drilling his shot wide and across goal from 18 yards when the angle was against him.
Weston opened the scoring though Dayle Grubb in the 17th minute, Naby Diallo cut inside to found Grubb. Despite his first touch being slightly heavy, the winger skipped past two visiting defenders and rolled the shot into the far corner, beyond the reach of Marcus Beauchamp.
The game then lulled up until the 36th minute, when centre-back Jason Pope sped past two defenders down the left-hand side, sold the defenders with two step-overs, crossing the ball in to Jarrad Welch at the near post, who toe-poked wide from six yards.
From that chance, Hungerford broke, Meechan finding himself free down the left-hand side, squaring the ball across to Bignall, who slid in from a few yards out, to equalise.
Following the interval, Weston continued to have the lion’s share of possession, but Hungerford had the first real chance of the second period when Bignall was released through on goal. One-on-one with Purnell, Bignall tried to place his shot around the shot-stopper, but Purnell tipped the ball around the post with an excellent save.
Just after the hour mark, Welch shot towards goal from the edge of the area, with Beauchamp spilling, an onrushing centre-back Harvey Smith unable to reach the rebound first.
Weston retook the lead 13 minutes from time though when Welch latched onto a loose ball inside the box. The 19 year-old Welshman was tripped by a Hungerford defender, with the referee pointing to the spot. Up stepped captain Grubb, and with no nerves at all, Grubb dispatched his penalty into the back of the net in front of the NK Stand.
FT: Weston 2 – 1 Hungerford (Grubb 17, 77 pen – Bignall 38)
Weston XI: Purnell, Harper, Greenslade, Cane, Smith, Pope, Welch (Lee 77), Diallo, Hill, Grubb (C) (Kington 90+3), Plummer (Reid 77). Unused substitutes: Laird, Hunter.
MOTM: Dayle Grubb