4:46pm Sunday 24th January 2010
By Michael Reeves
WHEN David Sullivan told the press this week only a fan would want to takeover at West Ham United given the state of the club, Carl Heeley must have know exactly what the new Hammers owner was talking about.
The former Birmingham City owners completed their takeover of the Premier League club this week and announced the Upton Park side they had just bought had debts of more than £110million.
Now things aren’t that bad at St George’s Lane, but given the current plight of the football club their aren’t going to be many queuing up to replace the sacked Richard Dryden unless they have strong ties to Worcester.
However, the man dubbed King Carl, for his 500 appearances over 11 years in a City shirt, couldn’t have asked for a better coronation against the Blue Square South basement boys Weymouth as he took charge for the first time since Dryden’s departure.
But the Terras, who also sacked their manager, Ian Hutchinson, last week, were intent on spoiling the party.
Yet for all Weymouth’s early promise at the Lane, City kept the script and Heeley’s reign began victoriously.
And 646 were there to see it. Now that may not seem a lot in years gone by at City, but in these troubled times the bean counters at the Lane were more than happy to see their fifth highest gate of the campaign.
City were worthy winners at the Lane, after all they troubled Ryan Harrison on numerous occasions, yet there is no questioning why both teams are where they are in the table.
Both were low on confidence and neither side looked prepared to take the initiative, but none of that matters for King Carl and his foot soldiers as they were the ones receiving the rapturous applause at the end of the 90 ardous minutes.
The Terras went straight at their hosts from the beginning and they were gifted several opportunities which they failed to take.
And after giving City several warnings, Weymouth took the lead after seven minutes.
Standing the best part of 25 yards out, Ben Farrell drove the ball towards the goal and City skipper Tom Kemp stuck his leg out and deflected it past a stranded Jake Meredith.
The match fell into malaise following the Terras opener and was in desperate need of spark but with more than half the opening 45 minutes gone it was not forthcoming.
Then suddenly City raised their game even if their quality in front of goal left a lot to be desired with Marco Adaggio weakly prodding a loose ball into the arms of Weymouth keeper Ryan Harrison.
But the pacy striker made amends for his glaring misses one minute into first-half stoppage time.
Alfie Carter drilled a ball across the face of the Weymouth goal and Harrison pulled off a fine save to turn the ball behind for a corner.
Graham Ward’s flag-kick was only half cleared and Adaggio pounced to level the scores.
Neither side seemed prepared to go for glory in the second-half, instead they were contest on producing a low-level slug-fest in the middle of the park, while the odd shy at goal went high and wide.
On the hour mark, City fans were crying for a penalty when skipper Tom Kemp saw his shot blocked by the diving Weymouth captain Scott Brice with many believing he handled the ball.
Marc McGregor should have given City the lead on 78 minutes when he rose to connect with Adaggio’s cross but he directed his header into the ground and the ball bounced over.
Four minutes later McGregor returned the favour for Adaggio and his header was tipped behind and, from the resulting Ward corner, Kemp came charging through to find the net with a bullet header.
With five minutes remaining Adaggio made sure that Heeley got off to a winning start when he turned in Carter’s cross.
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