Who said the bookies never get it wrong?

Quoted as extremely generous 80-1 outsiders for the Nationwide Conference South, classy City out footballed, out fought and out finished the tepid Terras as they turned the form book upside down to record a thoroughly deserved 2-1 win at the home of the pre-season championship favourites.

Despite the absence of the suspended Dale Binns the Lilywhites still gave full debuts to five summer signings, Duncan Roberts, Glen Fuff, Sam Swonnell, Dave Sadler and Paul Fewings. For the expensively assembled hosts City old boy Adam Wilde was absent through injury and striker Chukki Eribenne was not deemed fit enough to start, although two players who forged their reputations south of the River Cam, Lee Philpott and player-manager Steve Claridge did feature.

Weymouth looked to impose their authority on the game in the opening stages and had City on the back foot right from the off. Two minutes of concerted pressure eventually yielded a free kick as Claridge was felled on the edge of the box. Central defender Matt Bound stepped forward and struck a fierce drive into the City wall, striking Fewings resulting in an outrageous deflection which sent the ball spinning away from a wrong-footed Roberts and into the roof of the net, 1-0 and a dream start for the Dorset side.

Under the circumstances City did well to hold out in the period that followed. Although Weymouth put the visitors under sustained pressure the nearest they came to troubling Roberts was when Paul Buckle won a corner off Craig Pope and Dave Waterman headed narrowly off target from Lee Charles’ place kick.

Things went from bad to worse for City mid-way through the half. A break in play caused by Shaun Wilksinson’s clumsy challenge on Swonnell saw Paul Fewings also request treatment having himself been caught a few minutes previously. Although Swonnell was able to resume, the injury to the former Kettering striker was more serious and he was forced to withdraw being replaced by Michael Gash from the Lilywhites’ all-teenage substitutes bench.

The 18 year-old striker had however only been on the pitch some seven minutes before becoming City’s first ever goal scorer in Nationwide Conference South. A foul on Dave Sadler gave Richard Scott the opportunity to deliver a free kick into the heart of the Weymouth box, Sadler rose highest and guided the ball into the path of Gash who had peeled off Bound, his fierce strike cannoned off Jason Matthews but the power of the shot was enough to see it nestle in the back of the net.

Prompted by the influential Richard Scott, whose passing ability gave City complete midfield control, the visitors produced a fifteen minute spell which could, possibly should have given them the lead.

On the half hour Rob Miller muscled Philpott off the ball and played in Sadler through the inside left channel, the former Hinckley striker was eased off the ball by Steve Tully but City maintained their attacking momentum, switching play to the right and creating space for a Craig Pope strike but the full-back’s finish failed to match the build up.

Scott then turned provider, robbing Wilkinson with a strong challenge before again freeing Sadler, this time he got the wrong side of Tully but fired high of the target. As City’s incisive passing kept the Terras penned in it was next Pope, getting forward to good effect down the right, who fed Swonnell enabling the former Watford midfielder to turn Wilkinson but he shot tamely at Matthews.

Rob Miller’s quickly taken free kick then allowed Lee Chaffey the space to come forward down the left and as the Weymouth defence backed off he unleashed a cross-cum-shot which deceived Matthews before bouncing off the top of the bar.

Scott’s 40th minute corner was then forced back into the danger area by Rob Miller but as Dave Sadler span he again failed to find the power in his finish to trouble Matthews.

As the half drew to a close Wilkinson rolled a shot towards Roberts but in truth it was of back-pass strength and epitomised the way Weymouth had faded after their bright opening.

The Terras attempted to up the pace after the interval and gave City an early scare when Wilkinson played in Phillips through the inside right channel but the impeccable Matt Langston was on hand to recover the situation with a perfectly timed tackle. Duncan Roberts rising majestically to claim Lee Charles’ corner.

City countered with another slick passing move that sliced through the centre of the Weymouth rearguard, Swonnell played a neat one-two with the tireless Miller, collected the return pass and arrowed a drive towards the top right hand corner of Matthews’ net forcing the former Exeter custodian to finger-tip the ball away at full stretch. Richard Scott’s unerring accuracy from the corner found Sadler on the near post, the striker’s bullet header flashing narrowly over the angle of post and crossbar.

Just before the hour Steve Claridge made his first change introducing Martin Barlow at the expense of Wilkinson but there was no immediate change to the pattern of play as a neat combination between Pope and Sadler wide on the right freed Swonnell who in turn set up Gash only for Waterman to stifle the opportunity with a good block. Scott again found Sadler from the resultant corner this time City’s summer signing produced an overhead kick which forced Matthews into another point blank stop, Glen Fuff firing the loose ball over the bar.

In an attempt to switch the focus of play away from the Weymouth area Lee Charles then made way for Chukki Eribenne but within three minutes of his arrival it was City who had netted an all important second goal. Another expansive passing move saw the ball worked wide to Craig Pope. Timing the execution to perfection the former Barnet full-back played a sublime pass between two defenders and into the path of Carl Williams who had made an intelligent run across the face of the box. Taking the ball in his stride Williams fizzed a perfectly placed first time cross low across the area, too close to goal for the covering defenders to clear and too far out for Matthews to collect, the predatory Dave Sadler was on hand at the far post to crash the ball home for a deserved 2-1 lead.

Stung into life Weymouth hit back, the introduction of Eribenne adding the cutting edge that had been lacking from their attacking play. On 70 minutes the former Havant striker latched onto a loose ball, as Glen Fuff had done well to intercept Barlow’s cross, but pulled a rising drive wide of the target.

He then benefited from the experience of his player-manager who intelligently cushioned a header from Tully’s cross back into his path but Roberts did well to scramble the first effort clear before Eribenne shaved a post with the follow-up.

Tully and Claridge then combined again wide on the right, this time the former Leicester marksman delivered a deep cross to the far post but with Eribenne poised to head home he was denied by Pope’s athletic clearing header.

Claridge was at the heart of the Weymouth revival and as the game entered the final ten minutes he was instrumental in carving out their best chance to level the scores as he played in Eribenne on the right of the City area, the substitute drew Roberts out of his goal before centring for Philpott who must have thought he had headed the equaliser until Chaffey capped a superb display at left back by appearing on the goal line to head the ball away from danger.

Showing impressive reserves of energy City proceeded to play out the remaining minutes without further alarm until Mr Field finally blew the final whistle after what seemed like endless minutes of added time, allowing the players to celebrate with the ecstatic travelling supporters, who had given the team excellent vocal backing throughout, whilst the disconsolate Dorset folk trooped towards the exits.