Four changes were made from Saturday’s extra-time win over Aldershot Town, with Scott Rogers opting to include Callum Wood, Jason Pope, Jake Hicks and Will Dawes from the start in place of Jacob Jagger Cane, James Dodd, Michael Smith and Sam Pearson.
Hemel were the side that started the quickest, Dejon Noel-Williams seeing a six-yard header drop into the gloves of Max Harris before the Seagulls No.1 reacted quickly with his feet to deny a George Williams header from a similar position. Ade Azeez then saw a goal ruled out for offside after bundling his way into the area following a Weston pass out of defence being stopped by a red foot.
Charlie Cummins and Louis Britton then had penalty shouts turned down up the other end, before Matthews-Lewis curled narrowly wide of the target from 25 yards following an interception. Britton went close in Weston’s first real chance, his effort striking the base of Michael Johnson’s post following a good run forward by Cummins.
Williams curled a free-kick over for Hemel, while down the other end Cummins glanced on a Luke Coulson free-kick that dropped narrowly past the far post.
The hosts were to take the lead in first-half stoppage time when a corner from Williams was met by the defensive head of Sam Avery and a Hemel shirt in the air. The ball dropped perfectly for Sam Adenola 12 yards out, and he smashed in a volley first-time to break the deadlock.
Half-Time: Hemel Hempstead Town 1 – 0 Weston-super-Mare AFC
Matthews-Lewis had a chance at the start of the second period when he flicked the ball over two covering Weston defenders and met the shot on the volley, but his connection wasn’t clean and it rolled harmlessly across goal. Coulson then had a penalty shout turned away down the other end when under pressure.
The hosts were to double their advantage when a corner was played short to Darion Dowrich, whose delivery towards the back post was met by Kyle Ajayi. The Tudors captain headed back across goal, his effort looping in over the head of Harris for 2 – 0.
The game was to take a turning point midway through the second half when Pope and Azeec both clashed off the ball, with various players and the referee intervening. Both players were shown a straight red card, being reduced down to ten men each.
Williams had two efforts, the first one fly over the bar before the second curling attempt was pushed away by the gloves of Harris. Dawes saw a shot on the line blocked by the body of Ajayi following Britton’s header back across goal, from a Coulson cross, while down the other end Noel-Williams had a shot kept out by the feet of Harris.
The hosts were to score their third goal of the evening from a set-piece, Noel-Williams seeing the ball land at his feet inside the area and with enough space to get the shot off, he drove through the legs of Harris.
Britton had Weston’s last chance of the night, his header from substitute Smith’s cross held by Johnson before Joe White saw a shot across goal narrowly avoid the far post.
The Seagulls now turn their attentions to this Saturday’s trip to Eastbourne Borough, with manager Scott Rogers looking for a response from his men.
Full-Time: Hemel Hempstead Town 3 – 0 Weston-super-Mare AFC (Adenola 45+1, Ajayi 55, Noel-Williams 83)
Attendance: 472.
Weston XI: Harris, Wood, Avery (Waite 61), Coulson (King 86), Britton, Dawes, Pope, Lewis (C), Hicks (Birch 61), Cummins, Martin (Smith 61).
Unused substitutes: Glover, Pearson.
MOTM: Charlie Cummins. On a difficult evening for the side, Cummins kept things ticking over in the midfield and drove the team forward on occasions.
