Match Preview - Weymouth (H)

Dorchester Town welcome rivals Weymouth to the Avenue Stadium on Tuesday for the final of this season's Dorset Senior Cup.

The match will see the clubs face each other for a second time this season, after Weymouth beat the Magpies 2-1 in the league last December.

Wes Fogden has, since that fixture, taken interim charge of the Magpies and overseen an upturn in results, which has yielded four wins and only one defeat from his seven games at the helm.

It's a Ridgeway derby that not only comes with the usual local bragging rights up for grabs, but also the bonus of silverware, so, if you can, please do get down and support the lads in black and white!

Here's everything you need to know ahead of the visit of Weymouth.

TICKETS: Secure your spot in advance for our next home match against Weymouth on Tuesday, March 10

Weymouth In Brief

Founded: 1890

Nickname: The Terras

Stadium: The Bob Lucas Stadium

Capacity: 6,600

Playing Surface: Grass

League Position: 19th

Ones To Watch

Brandon Goodship remains one of the league's deadliest forwards and, despite Weymouth's struggles, has still managed to find the back of the net eleven times so far this campaign.

Meanwhile, club captain Tom Bearwish is someone Magpies fans need no introduction to, after he scored the goal to drag his team level in the recent league win over Dorchester.

Bearwish has been one of Weymouth's strongest performers this season, having joined the club in the summer of 2021 following his release from National League outfit Eastleigh.

The Gaffer

Jamie Wells was promoted from first team coach to manager of Weymouth last December, after the club announced it had reached a mutual agreement to part company with Steve Claridge.

Previous Meeting

It was a festive derby day to forget for the Magpies last December when Weymouth ended up taking all three points back over the ridgeway.

Charlie Wooding had given Dorchester an early first half lead in front of a bumper crowd at the Avenue Stadium. Indeed, it was an advantage that the home side had looked likely to take into the halftime break only for Weymouth to stage the most stunning of comebacks as the half entered added time.

First, Bearwish curled in a brilliant effort to level the scores before Goodship - so often a nemesis to Dorchester down the years - tapped home to turn the game on its head and silence the Avenue.

After the break, Dorchester were given a golden opportunity to bring the scores level once again, after the match referee awarded the Magpies a penalty. However, Joe Parker was denied by Terras debutant Max Evans, with the shotstopper producing a fine save later in the half to keep out a Wooding freekick.

Evans' goalkeeping heroics would ultimately prove crucial in preserving Weymouth's lead and ensuring a derby day victory for the visitors.

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Cameron Murray competes for the ball in midfield against Weymouth last December | Credit: Phil Standfield

Path To The Final

Magpies

Quarter Final, Gillingham Town (H) 4-1

Semi Final, Portland United (H) 1-1 - Dorchester won 5-4 on penalties.

Terras

First Round, Bridport (H) 5-4

Quarter Final, Wimborne Town (H) 4-2

Semi Final, Sherborne Town (A) 5-1

Form Guide

Magpies - DWWLD

Dorchester have lost just once since interim boss Fogden took over last month, drawing 1-1 in their most recent match with Poole on Saturday.

Terras - LLLLW

Weymouth's 4-0 victory over Tiverton last weekend ended a sequence of four games without a win in the league. The Terras had kicked off the calendar year in fine form, beating division leaders Walton & Hersham and Poole Town.

Magpies Mind-Boggler

1.) When was the last time that Dorchester won the Dorset Senior Cup? Bonus point if you can correctly name who we faced in the final.

2.) How many times in the club's history have we won the Dorset Senior Cup?

See answers at the bottom of page

Team News

Dorchester came through last weekend's contest against Poole unscathed, with Fogden suggesting he might use Tuesday's cup final to cast his eyes over some of his squad that have lacked game time in recent weeks.

The Magpies gaffer also confirmed that the Ridgeway derby will come too soon for Luke Roberts and Ollie Haste, while Tom Smith is out for the remainder of the season, after suffering a serious knee injury.

From The Dugout

Fogden, speaking to our media team after the weekend's draw with Poole, said: "I think it will be a chance to look at a few other players that we've got.

"We're hopefully going to go quite strong, but as long as whoever I put out there is giving 100 percent and trying to work on the patterns that we're trying to achieve I'm sure again that we'll get a positive result."

Admission Prices

Tickets for the visit of Weymouth can be purchased in advance via the Fanbase app here. Prices are as follows:

Adults: £7

Under 18s: £4

Travel Information

Full travel information on how to reach the Avenue Stadium can be found here.

Live Coverage

Can’t attend the game in-person. Make sure to drop us a follow on our official X account for live updates once the match action gets underway!

Magpies Mind-Boggler Answers:

1.) 2012 - 2-0 win vs Wimborne Town.

2.) 12 times.