Entertainment Swindon

The weekend saw Supermarine host Weymouth at home for an FA Cup tie, which left a Tor Swan hat-trick for Weymouth giving a headline that did not tell the story on the pitch.

A hard thought match from both sides ended with Swindon Supermarine 1-3 Weymouth at the final whistle. Marine struck the woodwork twice, and showed a strong tempo that kept Weymouth on their toes right up to the very last minute.

Swann opened the scoring just after 30mins, as Weymouth broke away in what was an even first half at the Imagine Cruising Stadium. The first half continued to be an even contest on the pitch right up to the whistle going into half-time.

Weymouth might have doubled their advantage immediately after the interval. Swann escaped beyond the Marine back line, only for Halliday to stand tall and parry. Mitch Beardmore seized upon the rebound but sent his shot over. Swann threatened again shortly afterwards, another effort eventually being cleared from the line following a sharp intervention from Halliday.

The second goal finally arrived on 64 minutes. Lewis Brown played Tor Swann in and, once the Weymouth forward had accelerated beyond the defence, there was a certain inevitability about what followed. He advanced on Halliday and finished with the composure of a man for whom the afternoon was proceeding very much to plan.

Tor grabbed his second midway through the second half, as again Weymouth broke and hit Marine on the counter. At 2-0 the game changed. Rather than fall back into a give up attitude of acceptance, Marine produced their best football of the afternoon. Hooper’s shot was fumbled by Benfield onto the post, the ball somehow staying out.

Zach Rugman came off the bench to pull Swindon back into the game. Marine’s pressure finally brought its reward in the 73rd min. Hall drove an effort towards goal and Rugman supplied the most timely of touches, his flick wrong-footing Benfield and bringing Marine back to 2-1. Now the mood around the ground changed. Marine sensed possibility; Weymouth sensed danger. The assurance with which the visitors had played began to desert them as Marine pressed forward.

The equaliser came desperately close. Cheldon Valere cut in from the left edge of the penalty area and curled a fine effort beyond Benfield. For one tantalising moment it seemed destined for the bottom far corner. Instead it struck the foot of the post and rebounded to safety. Football matches can turn on mere inches. This one very nearly did. With Marine committed to finding the goal that would prolong the tie, spaces inevitably appeared at the other end. Halliday was required to produce an excellent save from Beardmore as an increasingly open contest swung from end to end.

It was a nervy ending to the game for the Weymouth side, with Marine hitting the post in the final few minutes but Swann sealed the win in the 90th min. Again, it was a pretty even contest throughout the second-half, but it wasn’t meant to be for the home side.