Match Report by Rob Hammett.

On a pleasing night for The Seagulls, Weston picked up their first Vanarama National League South victory of the season after a 2-1 win at Chesham United.

In what proved to be a good all-round performance, it was another brace from Luke Coulson that earned all three points at The Meadow.

Weston made one change to the starting line-up following Saturday’s game at Enfield Town as Brandon Bak replaced Reuben Reid, who started on the bench. Sam Avery was also named in the matchday squad for the first time this season.

The opening stages of the first period proved to be a quiet and uneventful affair, with both sides starting fairly tentatively.

It wasn’t until nearly half an hour into the game before the deadlock was close to being broken. The Generals did well down the left-hand side as Mitchell Weiss’ dangerous low cross was cleared only as far as Ryan Upward, and his first-time 25-yard effort smacked against the crossbar.

Moments later, and Chesham had an even better chance to take the lead when Samson Esan found himself with plenty of time and space inside the area, but he blazed his shot over the bar.

Weston responded and went close when James Dodd’s free-kick from just outside the area curled just over the frame of the goal.

With the entertainment starting to improve, Keiran Thomas did magnificently to divert the ball away from danger as Nathan Minhas was about to pull the trigger, before at the other end, Emlyn Lewis was agonisingly close to putting The Seagulls ahead immediately before the referee blew his half-time whistle. James Waite found Dylan Kadji, whose deep cross was headed just past the post by the former Cardiff Met defender.

HALF-TIME: Chesham United 0-0 Weston-super-Mare AFC

At the start of the second-half, Weston started strongly as Bak fired just over from Waite’s cross from the right, and the impressive Morgan Lewis and Coulson combined well shortly after, with the latter laying the ball into the path of Waite, whose fierce shot from 25 yards was over the bar.

Chesham were the next to pour forward, until they lost possession in the Weston penalty area. A fantastic ball out of defence saw The Seagulls quickly counter-attack, as Waite ran with the ball and played it through to the tireless Kadji, whose shot hit the hand of Generals’ captain Steve Brown. The referee pointed to the spot and up stepped Coulson who sent Ben Goode the wrong way as the ball nestled nicely into the corner of the net.

United tried to respond and Alex Lafleur headed narrowly wide following a corner, before Will Buse made an absolutely outstanding save to deny Minhas, whose goalbound shot looked destined for the back of the net until Buse somehow tipped it over. With time running out, Chesham were forcing quite a few corners but The Seagulls rearguard continued to defend resolutely.

Dodd went close again for the visitors with a header that went just wide from Coulson’s free-kick, before Chesham got themselves back on level terms with just six minutes to spare. A long throw-in was flicked on by Weiss into the path of Connor Stevens, who fired home from close-range.

With the game looking like it was going to end in the third consecutive 1-1 draw in this fixture, The Seagulls mounted another attack during injury-time. Great work from Ollie Chamberlain on the left saw the ball arrive at the feet of Coulson, and his shot hit a Chesham hand in the penalty area for the second time and The Seagulls were awarded another penalty. Up stepped Coulson with ice in his veins once more to coolly slot home to grab his fourth league goal of the season as Weston deservedly earned their first three points of the campaign.

FULL-TIME: Chesham United 1-2 Weston-super-Mare AFC (Stevens 84′; Coulson pen 55′, pen 90+3′)

Weston XI: Buse, Thomas, M. Lewis (Avery 77′), E. Lewis, Pope, Kadji, Dodd, Chamberlain, Bak (McCootie 77′), Waite, Coulson

Unused subs: Absalom, Bastin, Reid.

Man of the Match: Luke Coulson. There were several good performance across the park, but Coulson showed nerves of steel on not one, but two occasions to earn that vital first win.