Report – Wealdstone 2 -1 Truro City
Wealdstone
2 - 1
Truro CityWealdstone made the most of near gale force conditions to earn a richly deserved 2-1 victory over an in-form and high flying Truro City at Grosvenor Vale on Saturday.
Abobaker Eisa’s quick-fire double gave the Stones a well-earned first half advantage before substitute Tyler Harvey gave the White Tigers a late goal in an afternoon where both keepers pulled off several outstanding saves.
Bobby Wilkinson made three changes to the side from last weeks stalemate at Chippenham Town. Eddie Oshodi and Matty Whichelow returned from injury and Eisa’s form off the bench earned him a place up front. Josh Hill, Luke Williams and Dan Fitchett made way.
With strong and swirling winds from Storm Brian blowing up the pitch toward the Gun Turret End it was to be a game where the advantage would be shared in a half each as the challenging conditions dictated much of the play.
However Truro, against the wind, had the game’s first real chance; Jonathan North started his busy afternoon in the 22nd minute when he denied Cody Cooke from close range.
But the Stones took the lead on 27 minutes. Eisa chased down a long ball which Truro keeper Tom McHale tried to shield out of play by the corner flag but the eager forward robbed the keeper and swerved in an superb effort from a very tight angle into the open goal.
Eisa then doubled his tally two minutes later with a goal any weather forecaster would be proud of. Truro tried to clear before the ball looped backwards in the heavy wind and Eisa was in the right place to tap it home gleefully when the ball ran loose.
Truro then had the conditions in their favour in the second half and were denied several times by Jonathan North’s lightning reactions, denying Cooke again, his own defender Glenn Wilson, Alex Hartridge and River Allen.
The Stones also made McHale pull off several stops, he tipped over an excellent Danny Green free-kick and also thwarted both Wilson and Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick from point-blank range in a hugely entertaining passage of play for the 812 crowd.
North was eventually beaten on 81 minutes by substitute Harvey, but the Stones weathered the storm for the remainder of the game with Manager Bobby Wilkinson happy to ‘ugly manage-out’ a very tense final 10 minutes.
Both Eisa and North took the plaudits at the end of the game but boss Wilkinson praised a strong all-round performance from his side afterwards.
The Stones, now in 10th position in the National League South, now travel to Welling United next Saturday in a London derby.
WEALDSTONE: North, Oshodi, Sellers, Wilson, Day, Cox, Whichelow (Brown 69), Okimo, Hippolyte-Patrick, Green (Goodger 80), Eisa. Subs not used: Fitchett, Wellard, Hill.
Report by Chris Woods
MoM Abobaker Eisa receiving his award from David Leigh Match Sponsor
Post Match Interview with Bobby Wilkinson HERE
Steve Foster pictures HERE
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