Pre-season Friendly
Bob Lucas Stadium, Weymouth
Admission: £8.00
Programme: None
Attendance: 164
Match Rating: 3
Following my last game, the Final of the marvellously entertaining and quirky ConIFA World Football Cup tournament, I have rather enjoyed the break from groundhopping for the past three weekends and the associated extensive travelling on trains. That said, it came as a relief that I would embark on another long and winding groundhopping season today. My choice was fairly limited with wanting to tick off a new ground, as not all clubs were starting their friendlies today, and I was left with a shortlist of two, between Hayes & Yeading against QPR Under 23, and this game. With temperatures expected to reach the 30’s in West London today, but only the low 20’s on the Dorset coast, I chose the latter as a more comfortable prospect for watching football.
The Bob Lucas Stadium – previously known as the Wessex Stadium – is about a 40 minute walk north westwards from Weymouth train station, and is very much an out of town ground. The stadium was completely rebuilt to host football in 1986, but it has the feel of an older, more traditional stadium. Although there are several turnstile blocks, behind a goal and either side of the main stand, they were not open today, instead spectators entered through the main reception, past stairs to the main bar, through a corridor, to reach pitchside by the half way line. The large and imposing stand offers offers an excellent elevated and unobstructed view of the action, with the seating area accessed by climbing a staircase. There is a tea bar window at ground level, with a small club shop building to one side. Around the rest of the ground there is about a dozen terrace steps, with both ends having cover, as does the middle third of the remaining length. Breeze blocks provide the perimeter boundary above the terracing, and claret and blue paint adds finishing touches to this and the stands. There are large old-fashioned floodlight pylons in each corner of the ground, and all in all, it is a ground which is looking rather tired, but that helps add to the character of the place. No programme was produced for this fixture, and mention must be made of some pretty eye-watering prices for refreshments - £3.00 for a portion of chips - unfortunately I had little choice, being a vegetarian these days and having not eaten beforehand - and £2.40 for a bottle of water.
There was an air of hope that this could be the start of a good season for Weymouth. They reached the play-offs of the Southern League Premier Division last season following a fifth placed finish, but after losing in the semi-finals, will ply their trade in the newly regionalised Southern League Premier Division South. AFC Bournemouth sent their Under 23 squad for this fixture and indeed, there were no instantly recognisable names on their team sheet from their Premier League squad.
With the recent heatwave showing no signs of abating, this game was played in very warm, sunny conditions, kicking off at 1pm to avoid clashing with the 3pm kick off for England’s World Cup Quarter Final against Sweden. This game was every bit as one-sided as the final scoreline suggests, with the visitors looking fitter, brighter and with much more cohesion in their play, unsurprisingly as part-timers Weymouth were only a week into their pre-season, and were fielding several triallists. The visitors took the lead on 9 minutes, when the ball was struck low diagonally into the penalty area and Sam Surridge, who had a loan spell at Weymouth a couple of seasons ago and spent last season on loan at League Two outfit Yeovil Town, scoring 10 goals in 53 appearances in all competitions, diverted the ball past the keeper. He doubled Bournemouth's lead on 13 minutes, running onto a low ball forward by the outer corner of the penalty area before striking the ball low through the keeper’s legs, and it bounced against the far post before rolling just behind the line. Bournemouth dominated the rest of the half without getting any further goals, whilst in the last few minutes of the half, Weymouth finally managed to get a couple of decent sights of goal.
After pretty much all players of both teams were switched at the break, Bournemouth extended their lead on 48 minutes. After an initial shot came back off the bar, James Boote poked the loose ball home. They scored their fourth on 65 minutes following a quick attack, the ball eventually being pulled back from the byline for Boote to drill the ball low past the wrong-footed keeper. It became 0-5 on 77 minutes, when a cross hit defender Callum Buckley and the ball looped high over the keeper and inside the far post. Bournemouth made it six on 84 minutes, when Corey Jordan drilled in a shot from the edge of the area which went in despite the keeper getting fingertips to the ball on its way.
So a convincing victory for the youngsters from Bournemouth, although results obviously mean very little this early in pre-season, with it more about being running the rule over fringe and triallist players, and getting fitness levels up. Following the final whistle, most of the crowd then made their way to the clubhouse to watch the England game, where there was cracking atmosphere as England put in a commanding, assured display to win 2-0. Indeed, the feel good factor really was in abundance throughout my journey home walking back to the station, on the trains and at my interchange stations, with plenty of chanting of "Football's Coming Home".
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