A Scott Laird hat-trick, Owen Howe brace and a sole Joel Randall strike saw the Seagulls run out 6-0 winners over Dorchester Town at The Optima.
A looping Tom Bath header at the back post from a Tiago Sa cross was caught by Luke Purnell, before Weston broke the deadlock.
George Dowling took over from Aaron Parsons and fizzed the ball into Howe. Howe layed the ball off to Isaac Pearce first time and the attacker fed through Randall. The loanee ran onto the ball and fizzed it in at the near post to make it 1-0.
Debutant James Waite got his first chance of the afternoon when he dropped his shoulder 18 yards out after recieving a Laird pass and just shooting narrowly wide of the target.
Image: Will. T. Photography
Weston doubled their lead when from a throw-in, Waite and Jake Mawford worked the ball back to Dowling. His first-time cross was met by Howe in the centre, and he powered a header in despite Shane Murphy’s attempts to keep it out.
Murphy tipped over Pearce’s drive after turning his man from a Mawford throw, and Parsons headed over at the back post from Dowling’s corner. Pearce then curled narrowly over the bar from outside the box after Randall had found the attacker when he was forced to play the ball backwards by the visiting defence.
Dorchester got their first real chance of the afternoon when Cameron Sangster’s cross was missed by Greg Tindle in the centre, and Bath was on hand to poke at goal from a few yards out however Luke Purnell scampered across to get something on the shot and Tindle smashed away off the line.
Weston got a third of the afternoon when Dowling was fouled near the edge of the D as he played the ball on to Waite. With the referee giving a free-kick, Laird calmly curled a shot round the wall and into the bottom corner for 3-0.
Waite dragged a shot into the arms of Murphy after Howe had latched onto a long ball and slipped the ball inside to the youngster, before a fourth fell Weston’s way.
Dowling’s corner from the right was driven in, Dorchester failed to clear as Howe attempted to get something on it but the ball fell kindly to Laird who poked in for his second of the afternoon.
Howe went close to a second when his drive from an angle after being slipped in by Waite rattled the crossbar. Just before half-time, Waite was on the end of a Howe through ball after a beautiful Weston move, but Murphy was out quickly to push the one-on-one effort away.
Five minutes after half-time, Laird was the one who would pick up the matchball. Randall’s clipped cross was volleyed away and the ball fell to Laird 25 yards out, and he struck a sweet shot into the bottom corner for 5-0.
Image: Will. T. Photography
Tindle deflected Sangster’s effort from 18 yards just wide of the target, before Dorchester captain Dan Strugnell just about cleared Howe’s shot behind for a corner after the striker had rounded Murphy from Waite’s through ball. Callum Rose curled a 20-yard free-kick just over the bar.
Sangster was denied from 25 yards after Purnell pushed his strong effort away, and Howe toe-poked wide of the target after Parsons had lofted a pass into him. Waite went close again as he turned from Tindle’s pass and curled an effort toward goal.
Weston completed the scoring when Randall squared up the full-back and found Howe free waiting for the pass. The No.9 curled a shot into the top corner, just touching the bar on its way in to finish off a perfect evening for the Seagulls.
FT: Weston 6-0 Dorchester (Randall 6, Howe 12, 84, Laird 30, 38, 50)
Weston XI: Purnell, Mawford, Randall, Madden, Parsons, Tindle (C), Dowling (Welch 78), Laird (Hendy 78), Howe, Waite, Pearce (Jones 70). Unused substitutes: Malshanskyj, Maher.
MOTM: Scott Laird