Match Report by Liam Drury
Weston kept pace with the top seven, as goals from Sam Pearson, Luke Coulson and Pedro Borges saw the Seagulls gain a huge 3 – 0 victory over fellow playoff hopefuls Maidstone United.
Scott Bartlett opted to remain unchanged from our recent league outing away at Hornchurch, as well as sticking with the same options from the substitutes’ bench through the afternoon.
Weston were to come flying out of the blocks and stun their visitors with a goal inside the opening six minutes. A long ball into Reuben Reid was knocked down nicely for James Dodd, who worked the ball out wide to Coulson on the left. The winger held the ball up and fed Bastin down the outside into the area, who beat his man and dug a low cross out for Pearson to sidefoot home unmarked at the near post from six yards, bagging his tenth goal of the campaign.
Jordan Higgs flashed a shot wide of goal from 25 yards when taking aim for the visitors, before Coulson saw an attempt blocked when driving into the penalty area. Two seperate crossses then aimed for Reid, put in by Josh Seberry and Pearson respectively, were intercepted by the Stones defence before a foul was given on Alexis Andre Jnr as Sam Avery bundled a Coulson corner into the net.
The game took a turn moments before half-time when Pearson looked to get in behind a stretched Maidstone defence and knocked the ball beyond Higgs, who brought the lively goalscorer down. The referee quickly blew for a foul, and produced a red card to dismiss Higgs for an early shower two minutes before the break.
Half-Time: Weston-super-Mare AFC 1 – 0 Maidstone United
In the second half, the Stones mainly put the Seagulls under pressure from set-plays which a sturdy Weston defence were able to deal with for the majority of the time. Seberry was to go close from a Coulson corner down the other end, but he just headed down and past the upright when attacking Coulson’s corner at the back post.
A crucial second was to come for the hosts when Coulson’s free-kick was dealt with by the visitors. Substitute Borges won possession on the left flank and backheeled a pass into Dodd, who creatively fed it back to Coulson centrally. The top goalscorer took a touch and fired towards goal from 25 yards, his attempt taking a deflecton and beating Andre Jnr for the vice-captain’s 23rd goal this season.
Weston weren’t to settle for just two, as their third was to come just three minutes later on the counter. Borges won the ball on the edge of his own area from a long Maidstone throw, releasing Pearson on the right. In a 4v3 situation, Pearson found Coulson charging down the left. He cut onto his right and sat his marker down, nonchalantly feeding a pass through for Borges to go in on goal and finish first-time to send the Seagulls supporters home happy.
With just four games to go, just eight points now separate the top eight as Weston welcome Tonbridge Angels next Saturday in our final Saturday game at home this season.
Full-Time: Weston-super-Mare AFC 3 – 0 Maidstone United (Pearson 6, Coulson 88, Borges 90+1)
Weston XI: Harris, Bastin, Kadji (Borges 84), Avery, Jagger Cane, Dodd, Reid (Britton 80), Pearson (Waite 90+3), Coulson (C) (Soule 90+3), Seberry, Dawes (Jenkins 90+3).
Attendance: 1,337.
MOTM: Sam Pearson. An electrifying performance from the forward, a well-taken finish for the first before playing a dangerous role throughout the afternoon to torment the away defence.
