Match report by Liam Drury, Photography by Mark Stainer
A first-half stoppage-time winner from Luke Coulson saw the Seagulls make it 14 games unbeaten in the league and return home from Hertfordshire with all three points.
One change was made from Saturday, with Nick McCootie coming into the side in place of Keiran Thomas, also indicating a change in formation for Scott Bartlett’s side.
Hemel had the opening opportunity of the half when Kyle Ajayi saw a header from a left-wing corner land straight in the gloves of Max Harris, before Dylan Kadji curled over from 25 yards following good work down the left by McCootie. Kyran Wiltshire then curled over from a similar distance down the other end for the hosts.
McCootie saw a shot from 25 yards blocked as Weston looked to ramp up the pressure on their hosts, Reuben Reid heading narrowly wide at the front post from a Coulson cross after getting across his man minutes later. Coulson was at the heart of things again when playing McCootie in behind down the right channel, but he slammed his shot into the side-netting from a tight angle.
The vital goal was to come in stoppage-time when a throw down the line from Jason Pope was headed inside by Reid. Picking up the ball was Coulson on the edge of the area, who cut onto his left and beat his marker to present him with a chance at goal. Pulling the trigger, his low shot across Craig King’s goal bounced off the inside of the post and nestled in the net for his 11th goal of the season.
Half-Time: Hemel Hempstead Town 0 – 1 Weston-super-Mare AFC
In the second period, Ollie Chamberlain was the first to have a go at goal when he saw his curling left-footed effort from 18 yards drift past the post, before Max Harris was called into action to deny Ricardo German one-on-one after the striker had managed to escape the attention of skipper Emlyn Lewis. McCootie then had another opportunity when fed through by Coulson, but his left-footed strike was kept out by the palms of King.
King held a Coulson cross-shot from a free-kick, while Wiltshire and Ajayi both fired over the target as Hemel looked for a route back into the game.
A flurry of Hemel set-pieces late on were defended heroically by the Seagulls, and they saw the match out to gain another three points in the Vanarama National League South.
Weston now take a break from league action this Saturday when they welcome Weymouth to The Optima on Saturday in the Isuzu FA Trophy.
Full-Time: Hemel Hempstead Town 0 – 1 Weston-super-Mare AFC (Coulson 45+1)
Attendance: 567
Weston XI: Harris, Kadji (Kirkman 89), Pope, Avery, Dodd, Reid (Bastin 84), Pearson, Coulson, Lewis (C), Chamberlain, McCootie (Thomas 81).
Unused substitutes: Jagger Cane, Absalom.
Man of the Match: Ollie Chamberlain. On a night where any Seagulls player could have got the nod, Chamberlain put in an excellent performance out of position, in and out of possession.
